Auckland Libraries

In this episode, we view a unique poster printed in Rarotonga in 1849. Liam Koka'ua talks us through how this poster, Pepa 9, helped to introduce the people of Rarotonga to the Sámi people, who are indigenous to the far north of Scandinavia. Rare Book specialist Jane Wild adds to the story with an additional exploration into the research, the origins and the context of the poster printed in Rarotonga in 1849. This episode adds to the story The Pepa Trail - Printing in Rarotonga from our video series Ngako: The Collections Talk. See a list of references for this episode below or get in touch with us by emailing libraryresearch@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we’ll make sure you can find the collection items of your interest. This podcast is part of a wider series of short films Ngako: The Collections Talk, available to view via aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Ngako This episode was written and produced by Sue Berman, was recorded and produced by Benjamin Brooking and edited and engineered by Juliana Machado. This

In this episode, we read Beauty and the Beast through four centuries of storytelling. Rare Book specialist Jane Wild describes the look and feel of the different stories in their time, how the style of writing and illustrative formats changed, and unfolds some exquisite paper engineering. Children’s librarian Clare Cudmore-Neame adds to the story by sharing her insights and experience of the role of fairytales for children today. See a list of references for this episode below or get in touch with us by emailing libraryresearch@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we’ll make sure you can find the collection items of your interest. This podcast is part of a wider series of short films Ngako: The Collections Talk, available to view via aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Ngako This episode was written and produced by Sue Berman, was recorded and produced by Benjamin Brooking and edited and engineered by Juliana Machado. Music credit: Piano performance by Marilyn Portman played from the score in the book Julia Corner. Beauty

In this episode, we take a trip back in time to the Victorian craze for fern collecting and how Fernmania was documented. Rare Book curator Renée Orr describes the work of Herbert Dobbie and Eric Craig who collected and documented ferns of Aotearoa in the last part of the nineteenth century. We are also joined by a contemporary print artist and book maker Makyla Curtis who shares her inspiration and print work using ferns. See a list of references for this episode below or get in touch with us by emailing libraryresearch@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we’ll make sure you can find the collection items of your interest. This podcast is part of a wider series of short films Ngako: The Collections Talk, available to view via aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Ngako This episode was written and produced by Sue Berman, was recorded and produced by Benjamin Brooking and edited and engineered by Juliana Machado. This has been Ngako: The Collections Podcast - Fernmania Subscribe to check out the next episode! REFERENCE

In this episode, we look at old sporting magazines from 'the stack' with Heritage Collections curator Andrew Henry and gain insights into how New Zealand sport was written about by journalists in the mid-20th century. We talk also with history student Katia Kennedy who shares her findings on the sports being played at that time, how these were viewed, and the culture around men's and women's sports participation. See a list of references for this episode below or get in touch with us by emailing libraryresearch@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we’ll make sure you can find the collection items of your interest. This podcast is part of a wider series of short films Ngako: The Collections Talk, available to view via aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Ngako This episode was written and produced by Sue Berman, was recorded and produced by Benjamin Brooking and edited and engineered by Juliana Machado. This has been Ngako: The Collections Podcast - Sports Writing in the mid-20th Century. Subscribe to check out the next ep

In this episode, we explore the world of Ava through a printed text of Samoan solo and the experience of library specialists Nia Vavao and Pamata Toleafoa. We visit Anau and Todd at the Four Shells Kava Lounge and learn how Kava is integral to life across Te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa and valued and enjoyed here in Tāmaki Makaurau. See a list of references for this episode below or get in touch with us by emailing libraryresearch@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we’ll make sure you can find the collection items of your interest. This podcast series is made with Auckland Libraries Content Creation funding and is part of a wider series of short films Ngako: The Collections Talk, available to view via aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Ngako This episode was written and produced by Sue Berman, was recorded and produced by Benjamin Brooking and edited and engineered by Juliana Machado. This has been Ngako: The Collections Podcast - Ava, Kava, Kawa Subscribe to check out the next episode! REFERENCES George Pratt. Some folk songs

In this episode, we find meaning and history in the Auckland Tramping Club’s newsletter Wanderlust. Archivist Sharon Smith shares her insights gleaned from reading the Wanderlust magazine in the period of publication during the Second World War. We are joined by current Auckland Tramping Club members, Ian, Anna and Dennis, on the Club’s programme of tramps and their preparation for the upcoming Club centenary celebrations. See a list of references for this episode below or get in touch with us by emailing libraryresearch@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we’ll make sure you can find the collection items of your interest. This podcast is part of a wider series of short films Ngako: The Collections Talk, available to view via aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Ngako This episode was written and produced by Sue Berman, was recorded and produced by Benjamin Brooking and edited and engineered by Juliana Machado. This has been Ngako: The Collections Podcast - Wanderlust in the War years. Subscribe to check out the next

A plaque in Devonport marks where in October 1847, Lieutenant Snow and his family were murdered in their beds. One of the perpetrators was subsequently hung on the same site. Who would commit such a crime? Māori Rebels hoping to incite a war, or was it the result of a botched robbery or an argument? Join author and journalist Sarah Ell as she shares her research on this murder and how it sheds light on the issues facing an emerging colony.

Doctors With Instruments from the acclaimed ensemble Pohadka launch the Spring series with a stunning programme contrasting icy and mystical Scandinavian music with warm and upbeat Jewish tunes. The Trio will explore lesser known pieces by Nordic composers Emil Hartmann and Peter Heise. These will be contrasted with the exuberant Klezmer style championed by the Trio with the tunes from Hungarian composer Béla Kovács and Canadian composer Srul Irving Glick. The combination of clarinet, cello and piano, coupled with an innovative repertoire will appeal to both experienced and casual classical music listeners . (Due to copyrights, the recording of Klezmer tunes could not be published in this podcast).

The Kaha Trio brings us the Winter Wanderer -  a journey through two piano trios from Felix Mendelssohn and Joseph Haydn.  Haydn’s Trio in G major, is also nicknamed the ‘Gypsy’ trio . As a lover of folk music, Haydn incorporated the tunes from the Verbunko dances performed by Austrian soldiers which can be especially heard in the rondo movement of this work.  Felix Mendelssohn wrote his second Piano Trio in 1845, in the final years of his life, by which time he had developed a rich harmonic language.  Throughout , one can hear reflections of his Songs Without Words and also his Midsummers Nights Dream while the finale introduces a Lutheran Chorale tune. The piece races to the finish line in a fortissimo final cadence worthy of a concerto.

In collaboration with the University of Auckland, Catherine and Jesse bring us an exciting programme which comprises four-hand piano works and solo performances, ranging from the mid-eighteenth century to the twentieth century.  As a duet, they present Mozart’s Sonata in D major K.381. Composed in the Galant style, it features elegant melodies, simplicity, and clarity. They will also play Mendelssohn’s Andante and Allegro Brillante, salon music graced with polished elegance and craftsmanship. This duet is almost never played in the piano four-hands repertoire - a hidden gem for sure! The concert will also explore solo performances, including Ravel’s Ondine, Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 7... and more! Catherine and Jesse are both students from the University of Auckland. Jesse is currently under the tutelage of Sarah Watkins and Bryan Sayer, and Catherine is studying under Richard Liu. At the University, Jesse is a recipient of the Kathleen Mary Reardon Memorial Music

Kotuku Quintet Simon Ansell (violin), John Seager (violin), Judith Gust (viola), Sally-Anne Brown (cello), Louise Webster (piano). The Kotuku Quintet returns with the Piano quintet in F minor, op. 34 by Johannes Brahms. Described as his greatest piece of chamber music it is probably the most frequently performed of his chamber works. Brahms was a demanding self-critic, and the quintet went through several iterations, beginning life as a string quintet, then transcribed into a sonata for two pianos before ending as a work for piano and string quartet. Here, the dual sides of his musical nature – dark, turbulent romanticism and rigorous classicism – were in their most fruitful conflict and balance, the music covering a wide spectrum of moods: majesty, serenity, tension, foreboding, anger and joy. Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 Johannes Brahms 1. Allegro non troppo 2. Andante, un poco adagio 3. Scherzo: Allegro 4. Finale: Poco sostenuto – Allegro non troppo – Presto, non troppo

Martin Griffiths and Polly Sussex (cellos) and Sherry Grant (piano) combine their substantial literary knowledge with musical interpretations of depth and intrigue in celebration of Katherine Mansfield's Centenary year. In 1908 Garnet Trowell, an aspiring violinist from Wellington, became the lover of Katherine Mansfield, who studied cello with his twin brother Arnold Trowell. Together they played Chopin and discussed poetry while living together in London, the home-away-from-home for colonial New Zealanders. Their collaborations inspired Mansfield to take up writing as a full time career. In turn she inspired generations of artists, including those represented in this performance, entirely made up of musical responses to Katherine's poetry and stories.  Music inspired by Katherine Mansfield's poems: Voices of the air (1916) music composed by Nigel Keay To L.H.B. (1916) music composed by Michael Bell (originally for voice and piano) I was a bird (1908) music composed by Michelle V

By 1923 the Jazz Age was in full swing in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, with a variety of venues to listen and dance to jazz. The Dixieland, Trades Hall, Cafeteria, and the Click Clack Cabaret were all popular destinations. Join us as Dr Aleisha Ward takes us on a digital tour of these venues. She will explore the bands, audiences, and scandalous behavior that had morality campaigners concerned for the safety of people's character Photograph Bob Adams's Jazz Band in the Auckland Town Hall, 1920, Photographer S G Dobson. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 1504-16,

Portrait of George Lewis Becke [cropped], ca. 1900, by unknown, vintage gelatin silver print, State Library of New South Wales, DL PX 158. Public Domain. Join expert Allegra Marshall as she helps us learn about the life and work of author Louis Becke. At the turn of the nineteenth century, he was the most prolific, significant, and internationally renowned Australian-born writer of the South Pacific region and was often described as Australia's answer to Robert Louis Stevenson. If after listening to this talk, you wish to read one of his works then simply click https://discover.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/search?query=Louis%20Becke&searchType=everything&pageSize=10&pageNum=1 to view the collection held by Auckland Libraries.

In this track we hear exhibition curators' Jane Wild and Renee Orr share impressions, selections and insights into medieval manuscripts currently on display in the Gallery - Level 2 Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero | Central City Library. "For most of the medieval period, from the 5th to the 15th century, books were copied out and decorated by hand. These are the books we call medieval manuscripts. For this exhibition we have selected just nine of these miraculous books to show the range of Auckland Libraries’ exceptional collection. They include 12th century Greek Gospels, a tiny ‘Pocket Bible’ and massive lectern Bibles. A Latin translation of Aristotle features extensive marginalia, including the description of a lunar eclipse in 1312. Painted and illuminated pages include dragons, saints and intricate border decorations." We invite you to explore digitised versions of our Rare Book and Manuscript Collections on Kura Heritage Collections Online, or come in and get up close in person. Exhibition is open until 11

In this session we get up close with the 15th Century French manuscript the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius, followed by a discussion of some fragments of very early medieval manuscripts found as part of the binding of a bible printed in 1480. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa - welcome to this podcast celebrating our Auckland Libraries Rare Books and Manuscripts collection. This track was recorded in 2019 as part of a series of talks delivered by Rare Book specialist Georgia Prince. Ref to content: Le livre de Boèce de consolacion https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/collection/manuscripts/id/17669/rec/1 Image: Detail from Epistola beati. Latin, Basel, 1480. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, 1480 BIBL Don’t miss your opportunity to visit our Heritage Collections exhibition Miraculous: medieval manuscripts on display in the Level 2 Gallery of Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero – The Central City Library – from 16 August to 11 November 2023. We invite you to explore digitised versions of our R

I o Tatau Hapori : The Voice and the People of Our Neighbourhood This playlist supports an exhibition on display for August 2023 at the Franklin Hub. Oral histories often include great family history content and interesting social history. In these clips we hear some examples of different types of memories and recording. 0”45 – 2”05 The first recording was made in 1961 and is read as part of her family story by Elizabeth Duncan. 2”05 – 6”15 Susan Carpenter sat down recently with her elderly mother to record some family stories and her mother’s experience of growing up in Pukekohe. In this clip we hear a lovely recollection of time spent with Nana in town and going to the Milk Bar in Newmarket in the late 1940s. 6”15 – 8:34 When asked to discuss her free time as a child, Mere Thompson recalls the games she and her sisters played including hopscotch, skipping and playing shops. Image: 'Four generations', Drury, 1994. "Tui Hall celebrating her 90th birthday with her granddaughter Angela Deane (right), h

I o Tatau Hapori : The Voice and the People of Our Neighbourhood This playlist supports an exhibition on display for August 2023 at the Franklin Hub. In this track we hear stories of transport and places. 0”45 – 3”45 Sometimes it’s great to have places identified from old photos in oral history and sound recordings. In this interview we can hear the school playground in the background. Mr Bilkey and Pollock share early recollections of the shops on the main street of Pukekohe – this was recorded in 1961. 3”45 – 4”45 Recorded in 1961 as part of the Pukekohe Jubilee Celebration, Bridget Kennelly recalls what the streets were like prior to footpaths and needing to take a clean pair of shoes to go to Auckland. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-004 4”45 – 7”00 Imagine a day before the motor car….in this recording from the 1961 Jubilee celebration project we hear from Mr James Pollock, born in 1875, describe the first motor car coming to Pukekohe and how they scared the horses! Auckland Librari

I o Tatau Hapori : The Voice and the People of Our Neighbourhood This playlist supports an exhibition on display for August 2023 at the Franklin Hub. Pukekohe and the wider district are best known for the rich soils for growing and agriculture. In these clips we hear voices of experience related to the business of farming and market gardening. 0:45 – 1:90 In the first track we hear John Johns, recorded in 1961 for the Pukekohe Golden Jubilee Celebration talking about changes in agriculture from farming and growing grains to vegetable market gardening. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-007 1:90 – 3:25 Also recorded in 1961, Leslie Smeed explains the art and desirability of making stacks of hay and the changes in demand from growing horse feed to use of land for vegetable growing. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-015 3:25 – 14:05 In this 2015 recorded interview Pritim Singh describes his days on the family farm and the changes from hand picking cabbages, potatoes and onions, t

I o Tatau Hapori : The Voice and the People of Our Neighbourhood This playlist supports an exhibition on display for August 2023 at the Franklin Hub. Listen to a range of voices related to school and schooling. This track draws on a variety of oral history recordings. Search Kura Heritage Collections Online. Voices on this track include: 0:45 - 1:45 Violet Keith, 1884-1971, recalls her school years, recorded in 1961 for the Pukekohe Golden Jubilee Celebration, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-005 1:45 - 3:30 Patrick Gallagher, 1893-1965, recalls his teaching days, recorded in 1961 for the Pukekohe Golden Jubilee Celebration, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections OH-1471-003 3:30 – 7:40 Gwen Francis recorded in 2016, recalls Pukekohe Technical High schooling and the gender norms of the time, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections, OH-1266 7:40 – 9:35 Mere Thompson [still being processed], recorded in 2023 for the Franklin Voices project, talks about the 1952 Maori School and her lo