‘He Taonga te Pūmahara | Memory Matters’ is a brand-new collection for people with dementia and memory loss, as well as their whānau and caregivers. Currently in New Zealand there are 70,000 people with a diagnosis of dementia | mate wareware. This is expected to increase to 170,000 by 2050. Memory Matters was developed in consultation with groups across NZ, as well as local organisations like Alzheimer’s Society Manawatu. Along with books, the collection includes games, puzzles, jigsaws, activity boards, and tactile fidget widgets. One item that is sure to be popular are the simple music players – preloaded with hundreds of songs and themed to suit the listener e.g. classical, popular hits through the decades, and NZ music. Memory Matters is available at Roslyn Library and Central Library (Fiction Zone, First Floor).
Aotearoa’s first Dying Matters Week will officially launch next week from August 5th-11th.
Go With Grace – the organisation behind the initiative – supports people to better understand and prepare for dying and feel empowered to put end-of-life planning in place.
Activities during the week aim to raise awareness and connect people with resources, information, services and advice to begin what can often be very challenging conversations.
In Palmerston North, the City Library is supporting the growing movement towards ‘death literacy’ in a number of ways:
August 4th-11th: Display – Books, printed resources and information featuring content related to advanced care planning, dying and grief, poetry submitted from around Aotearoa for Dying Matters Week.
Monday 5th August: Shared Reading – Dying Matters (1-2pm, Oroua Room, Central Library). Poetry and short stories relating to love and loss.
Sunday 11th August: How to Outsmart Death – Awareness and Planning (11am-12pm, Mezzanine Floor Central Library). A talk/drop-in session with Laura Sweetman (Funeral Director & Co-Facilitator of Manawatū Death Cafe), Rachel Craw (PNCC Kelvin Grove Cemetery Admin) & Rae Horton (Community-based health worker providing support with the many aspects of death and dying).
There are also two online events organised by Go With Grace:
Tuesday 6th August, 6-7:30pm – Whakawhānau me ngā pahemo: Birth and Death in Te Ao Māori. Listen to Pou Atawhai Hera Pierce share pūrākau (ancient stories), and understandings of Māori cultural practices around death, and beyond.
Thursday 8th August, 6-7:30pm – Navigating the End of Life Journey: Gain valuable insights into accessing available services, navigating bureaucratic processes, and finding emotional and practical support during times of loss.
Join us at the Palmerston North City Library for Family History Month in August! We have a range of activities, from a research help-desk for genealogy queries to talks about DNA, research using library resources, and even a documentary film screening.
The 2024 secondary school Pasifika Fusion festival takes place on July 3-4 at the Regent. Pasifika Fusion is a celebration of many Pacific cultures and comprises cultural performances, essay writing, wearable arts, poetry and many other cool things!
The theme this year is Triumphant Pasifika Legacies: A Reflection on the Dawn Raids. Pasifika youth can engage in activities that honour the struggles and resilience of past generations who were impacted by the Dawn Raids while contributing to a positive and inclusive futures for Pasifika peoples in New Zealand and beyond.
On the 23rd of April the library was delighted to receive a donation of Pasifika Fusion festival DVDs and Pasifika Fusion Founder Tiana Faulolo’s thesis ‘How Pacific Leadership contributes to educational community development in Aotearoa, New Zealand’ for the library archives. These wonderful taonga will add to the history archived for this region.
For the presentation in the Central Library, Pasifika Fusion committee members were joined by special guests Polynesian Panthers Dr Lupematasila Misatauveve Melani Anae, Rev. Alec Toeafoa and Tigilau Ness.
For further information about The Dawn Raids check out these books and links to online resources.
Six-part podcast series marks the 50th anniversary of the Polynesian Panthers, a movement that sprung up in response to the systemic racism experienced by Pasifika in the 70s.
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