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.
You can find the complete programme on the Library website.
This year it’s the 20th anniversary of the Pasifika Fusion Festival!
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.
Once a Panther: Our history. Our words. (stuff.co.nz)
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.
Dawn Raids in the Archive (ngataonga.org.nz)
On the 50th anniversary of the Dawn Raids, a look at how the events are represented in the Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision archive.
Each June the City Library supports the awareness campaigns and amazing mahi of InsideOUT Kōaro, a national charity providing education, resources, consultation and support for anything concerning rainbow and takatāpui communities.
School’s Pride Week runs from 17-21 June and celebrates rainbow staff, students and whānau across the country. In 2023, a record 300+ schools from around Aotearoa took part, including over 60% of all Secondary Schools.
The Out on the Shelves campaign not only helps to connect rainbow young people with their stories and with each other, but also contributes to rainbow visibility and inclusion in our schools and communities. Aspiring writers are encouraged to submit to the Rainbow Storytelling Competition and have their voices heard.
This year, the City Library has created an exciting Read the Rainbow Reading Challenge to explore stories by and for the rainbow communities and allies. Join through the online reading platform Beanstack to start earning badges that will enter you into spot prize draws and help you complete the challenge. Open to anyone 13yrs and over, Read the Rainbow is available 17 June – 31 October 2024.
Looking for inspiration? Visit the Out on the Shelves online reading resource or search the library catalogue with the keyword ‘LGBTQIA’
Central Library hours are getting a small tweak, based on the times when more people want to use it. So, from July 7, 2024, Sunday hours will be extended and Central will be open from 12 noon till 4pm. That’s an extra weekend hour to enjoy the Library, hang out in the wonderful spaces, and grab some lovely books!
To balance this out, Wednesday hours will move to 10am – 6pm. This begins on July 3. The rest of the weekdays keep the opening time of 9am.
Heaps of great school holiday activities are planned for July! Here are just some of the things that are happening:
Beanstack Reading Challenge – ‘Palmy Kids Read NZ’s Best 3’ featuring activities connected to the NZ Children and Young Adults book awards finalists.
Alan Dingley visits Central on Thursday 11 July with a session bringing picture books alive.
A storytime session at Central ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’ on Thursday 18 July.
And the wonderful Canine Friends visit all libraries again.
Visit the City Library’s What’s On page to keep up to date with all the cool activities!
A celebration of writers, readers, ideas and all things literature.
Palmerston North City Library is excited to bring you the Writers and Readers Winter Series.
The series is a fantastic showcase of amazing talent from Manawatū, and the best and brightest from throughout Aotearoa.
It promises to deliver a smorgasbord of activities that will spark creativity and passion for literature.
Lovers of literature will be able to enjoy free events featuring a star-studded writers line-up.
Guests include the award-winning Cynric Temple-Camp, Minnie Baragwanath, Sue McCauley and Saige England.
The Manawatu is also home to amazingly talented local writers and creatives, and it is great to be able to celebrate their talent, hear more about their latest work and glean ideas and inspiration for emerging writers.
We gather diverse and exciting local writers including Carole Brungar, Miriam Sharland and Bing Turkby.
The series showcases the library as a hub of creativity, delivering high quality, free programmes for and with the community.
Some sessions have limited numbers so check the website for registration details.
Check out the full programme online here.
On Friday June 28, the public holiday for Matariki | Puanga is observed. While we celebrate Matariki | Puanga on one day, it is actually a period of days in the lunar month of Pipiri. Matariki | Puanga signifies ‘Te Mātahi o te Tau’ or the ‘Māori New Year’. Nationally, the holiday is generally referred to as Matariki, but Rangitāne o Manawatū traditionally give prominence to Puanga, an important star near the Matariki cluster that can be easier to see in this part of the motu. Matariki | Puanga is a time to remember those who have passed, celebrate the present and plan for the future. Check out our Kaupapa Māori webpage for a great list of resources, information and activities!
Dale O’Reilly recently undertook a research journey using the City Council Archives at the Central Library to investigate the history of the Mangaone Bridge on Kairanga-Bunnythorpe Road. She shares her findings in the article below.
While pondering the history of Bunnythorpe where I grew up, I became interested in our old bridges and one in particular which has stood strong for all of my life without any damage or having weight restrictions imposed, as others have.
In the book Bunnythorpe and District 1872 – 1952 by Roy E. Clevely I found reference to ‘the bridges’ – ‘originally constructed of wood, with the exception of an odd culvert or two, all have been replaced by concrete and steel structures. The two bridging the Mangaone and Jack’s Creek on the Kairanga-Bunnythorpe Road were raised in the centre causing horsemen and drivers concern whether they could safely negotiate the slippery boards. In 1908 it was decided to replace the Jack’s Creek bridge with one similar to the one on Milson’s Line with reinforced concrete piles and iron rails.’
I was confident from this reference that the bridge across the Mangoane had been replaced prior to the Jack’s Creek bridge because it had high concrete sides rather than ‘iron rails’.
Thanks to invaluable advice from the Heritage Team at the Palmerston North Central Library I found a reference in Papers Past to a Special Meeting of the Kairanga County Council held 5th October 1905 ‘to consider the state of the various bridges referred to on Robinsons Line and the Mangaone Bridges’. I sent an email to the Heritage Team requesting a look at the Minute’s Journals and found the meeting minutes where the motion ‘proposed by Cr Were and seconded by Cr Voss that application be made to the Colonial Treasurer for a loan of 800 pounds for the re-erection of the Mangoane Bridges on Rangitikei Line and Bunnythorpe-Kairanga Road’ was Carried. A Manawatu Times newspaper report dated 27th June 1905 under the heading ‘Bunnythorpe (own correspondent) said ‘I hear that the bridge over the Mangaone on Kairanga – Bunnythorpe Road is seriously injured by the late flood’. The reason for the re-erection now established.
From there I was able to track the progress of its build through the Minute’s, along with a ‘tracing of the road’ commissioned by Kairanga County Council after it was ‘proposed by Cr Monrad and seconded by Cr Thomas that the Engineers recommendation to erect bridge on the Bunnythorpe Kairanga Road on the old site be adopted and that he be authorised to obtain a tracing of the road’.
I was also able to view a copy of the Contract entered into with the builder – D Burke.
The Contractual progress payments were to be made October 13th, November 19 & December 19 1906, however the contractor was provided with a 1 month extension to complete the job and then the final payment was held back ‘until the timber in the stream of the bridge be cleared away’. It was completed early in 1907 – constructed with concrete over wooden framing, the impression and outline of the boards having been embedded in the concrete underneath.
In the 1907 flood it was reported in a newspaper clipping that the approach had been washed away. It’s safe then to assume that it was some time after this that the large concrete slab abutment was put in, designed to protect the road approach being undermined in future floods.
It has magnificently served its purpose, the bridge having remained strong after many flood events over the years. It was also a handy jumping off point for children swimming in the stream when the bed was much different than it is today – my partner and his siblings among them.
This bridge was an integral part of the road network for early settlers, farmers and workers in Bunnythorpe (many farmers also worked at businesses in the village), both to deliver their milk to the creamery and then to the factory, and to get to the many businesses they relied on for services, supplies, schooling and social and spiritual gatherings in Bunnythorpe.
The bridge is still in use today and remains an integral part of the local transport infrastructure.
Pink Shirt Day is the day Aotearoa comes together to take a stand against bullying. The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (MHFNZ) has run the campaign since 2012, inspiring tangata to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying!
It’s about creating a community where all people feel safe, valued and respected, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, religion or cultural background. For more information, visit the Pink Shirt Day website. The City Library has many of the titles reviewed and recommended.
VJ Cooks is coming to the City Library!
Vanya Insull lives in Taupō, New Zealand. She is a passionate foodie who loves cooking, baking, sharing recipes and of course – eating! In November 2016, Vanya founded the VJ cooks Facebook page which quickly amassed a large following. From there, Vanya set up her own website VJcooks.com which now has over 500 recipes (and counting!) with average daily views of over 25,000 from visitors across the globe.
On Friday May 24, Vanya will be conversing with the City Library’s own resident cooking enthusiast Alex Johnston.
We’re thrilled to have Vanya be our second participant in the soon-to-be-huge Questions & Authors series. Here are her Qs and As:
Q. What’s your favourite book right now?
A. I just read The Women by Kristen Hannah. It was so good, 5 stars from me.
Q. And what about when you were a child?
A. I love Alison Holst’s cookbooks.
Q. What’s your earliest writing memory?
A. I don’t really consider myself a writer, but I started writing recipes down in a notebook about 7 years ago.
Q. Do you have a favourite font for writing in? And revising? (Or do you write by hand?)
A. I just scribble the recipes by hand then type them up for my website or cookbook later on.
Q. Top tip(s) for aspiring authors?
A. Content is king when it comes to sharing recipes so just keep sharing them on social media.
Q. If you had the opportunity to travel to any country in the world to research food and drink, where would you go and why?
A. I would love to go to Thailand and do some cooking classes there, I love Thai food.
Q. What is your favourite back-pocket recipe for an instant dinner?
A. What’s in the fridge pasta. I can make a tasty meal with just a few ingredients.
Q. Who would your dream dinner guest be and what would you cook them?
A. I would love to cook for my late grandparents and show them my success and how far I had come from being a plain and picky eater when I was a kid.
Q. What is your most treasured food memory?
A. The cooking class I did when I was in Greece last year was very special.
Q. Who are your food heroes/greatest influences and why?
A. I love to follow what other cooks create on Instagram. My faves are Gaby Dalkin, Donal Skehan and Half Baked Harvest.
Q. What are the ingredients and flavours you could not live without?
A. My favourite flavour combos are: Garlic and Rosemary. Raspberries and Chocolate. Pasta and cream haha.
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