North Shore City Libraries
	Waitakere Library & Information Services
	Rodney Libraries

Waitakere Library Oral History Collection / Te Pataka Korero O Waitakere

Waitakere Library has collected over 200 oral histories on audio cassettes, DVDs and since 2008 on video. The earliest recording is from 1961, Mrs Elizabeth Baillie (née Malam) born in 1869 is recorded talking about her life in Te Atatu Peninsula in the 1890s. In the collection there are stories of growing up in rural West Auckland, coming to New Zealand from other places such as Borneo or the Cook Islands, stories of prejudice, hardship, loss, hard-work, hard-cases, celebrations and triumphs.

As well as recordings of life histories there are four major collections:

• The Glen Eden Project, 1984
• The Crown Lynn History Project, 2006
• The McCahon House Trust Collection, 2007
• The Going West Books & Writers Archive, 1996 to current

To view a list of what is in our oral history collection see http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/cnlser/libs/pdf/oralhistoryinventory.pdf

Access

Oral histories are housed at Waitakere Central Library, 3 Ratanui Street, Henderson, Waitakere City, on the 2nd floor, and are accessible via the staff at the information desk in the J. T. Diamond Reading Room, preferably by appointment Monday - Friday 9.00 - 5.00pm. Contact the Local History Librarian or Oral Historian at (09) 836 8000 or email: info@waitakere.govt.nz