Archival records are a wonderful resource for New Zealand, and the Alexander Turnbull Library is an incredible kaitiaki (guardian). We (the general population of New Zealand) still need to access the archives and then understand their value. Even today, many archival resources can only be accessed as hard copies, and people are required to travel to the libraries to do this, which can be costly, and sometimes impossible.
This website project is about making archive records available in a medium that can be accessible anywhere in New Zealand. Also, a website can provide online tools, such as key word searches, and is compatible with screen-reader programmes.
With the New Zealand History Curriculum now compulsory in schools (Aotearoa New Zealand Histories 2023), the more historical resources that are available, the more robust will be the learning and understanding of our history.
As a first example, I have taken the publicly available images of the pages of a diary, from the Alexander Turnbull Library and National Library website, and published them online with corresponding text to help the reader have access to the diary.
Mission and Goals
Ultimately, the mission for this work is to provide an opportunity for all New Zealanders to develop and grow their understanding of their own identity.
This website in one of many resources that will help answer questions such as ‘What does it mean to be a New Zealander?’, or ‘How did I come to be living in New Zealand’, or ‘How come I am speaking English, when England is located on the other side of the world’??? These are all questions that I had when I was growing up in New Zealand.
I have a goal to work towards demystifying some of the bias and opinions about some people or entities who had a historical impact on New Zealand. Over many decades, there are people (such as the Wakefield family), or entities (such as the New Zealand Company), who have become known as villains or enemies. Yet, however we feel about such historical figures, the fact remains that they existed, whether we like it or not. It is my belief that we need to understand all sides of a ‘story’ to be able to tell our national story to the best of our ability.
Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the kaitiaki of Aotearoa taonga, the National Library of New Zealand and the Alexander Turnbull Library. Their preservation and categorisation work have allowed countless visitors to the library and their website to have access to valuable archives. I would like to acknowledge Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, for providing me the opportunity to complete a master’s degree in New Zealand history. Also, I am very grateful to the Wellington Historical and Early Settlers Association for their continuing support and encouragement.
About Rose Laing
I was born in Wellington, grew up on the Kapiti Coast and have lived most of my life in various towns and cities in the lower North Island of New Zealand. I have always loved stories and developed an early interest in history from my parents’ travel books. As a Pākehā (born in New Zealand with European/British heritage), I have been haunted by a sense of ‘colonial guilt’ which has motivated me to pursue a career in history to gain understanding.
I developed an interest specifically in New Zealand history when I was living in Kathmandu during 2011. I was working as a voluntary teacher of world history at an international school. I found that many of my fellow Kiwis, whom I was meeting in Kathmandu, had a similar tragic common experience. We all knew someone in New Zealand who had either attempted or committed suicide.
The high level of suicide in my country of birth broke my heart and motivated me to return to New Zealand and focus my career on something I could do to help reduce this tragic common Kiwi experience. I landed on a decision to become a specialist in New Zealand history. I feel that when trouble arrives in our lives, we can endure and learn from conflict if we know and understand our own identities. This understanding can help develop resilience through a better sense of personal identity.
My own interest in the Petre diary began when I used it as a primary source for my thesis about the Wairau Affray of 1843. I found the Petre diary to be an incredibly useful source, thus providing the motivation to make it accessible for others.
