Local History Week 2011
31 October - 7 November
Visit the Local History Week website
Local History at the Palmerston North City Library
The local history collections in the Palmerston North City Library and Ian Matheson City Archives have many resources, both published and unpublished, for anyone looking to find out more about the history of the region.
Whether you are looking for details of your grandparents' wedding in Palmerston North; to learn more about your family history; information for a study project on a subject such as the Clock Tower in the Square; or simply want to learn more about the Manawatu region and its peoples, we can help.
Ian Matheson City Archives
Genealogy
Starting Your Research
The Palmerston North City Library has professional librarians and archivists who are happy to assist and guide you with your research:
- Gather your questions and any existing information on the topic
- If you are working on an assignment have a copy handy
- Then phone or visit the New Zealand and Pacific Islands Zone or the Ian Matheson City Archives and have a talk to the Library staff
- Alternately, have a look at the Library catalogue and other online resources available from our collections
Library catalogue
Online resources
Medianet is available in the Central Library
What is Medianet?
Medianet allows you to view film clips from the New Zealand Film Archive in the Central Library.
Take a nostalgia trip and watch kiwi-made drama, comedy, historical events, sport, advertisements, music videos and more.
Medianet is available in the Sound & Vision Zone, Ground Floor and New Zealand and Pacific Zones, 2nd Floor.
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Palmerston North Ratebooks online
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The PNCC rate book includes ratepayer names, descriptions of properties held and details of the rates paid.
You can access this information from anywhere, via our digital library Pataka Ipurangi
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Palmerston North History
Timeline
Do you know when the first motorcar came to Palmerston North? Or that the settlement used to be called simply Palmerston without the word North? For these dates and many more events you can explore the timeline of City History through the link above. It lists many of the major events and people from the history of Palmerston North from before the founding of the settlement to present day.
Microfilmed Newspapers
The Library holds over 50,000 issues of local newspapers on microfilm and microfiche from as early as 1877. The collections listed below are generally continuous but may be missing some issues, particularly before 1900. The newspapers include:
- Manawatu Evening Standard (daily: 1883 - present)
- Manawatu Daily Times (daily: 1877 - 1963)
- Tribune (weekly: 1964 - present)
- Guardian (weekly: 1972 - 1984, 2002 - present)
To view these newspapers, ask at the New Zealand and Pacific Islands Zone on the 2nd floor. If you need copies of microfilmed newspapers, or other microform materials, we offer the following services for a small fee:
- printing
- scan and email
- scan and burn to CD-ROM
Newspaper Index
The library has an index to the Manawatu Standard – this index covers births, deaths, marriages and articles of local historical interest. The index is in two parts:
- c1883 - c1992 is indexed on card and available in the New Zealand and Pacific Islands Zone
- 1992 - present is indexed on an electronic newspaper index that is available online
Search the electronic newspaper index
Cemeteries and Crematorium Database
If you are looking for a person who has been buried or cremated locally, then you may find useful the Palmerston North City Council Cemeteries and Crematoria Database which is available to search online. The database includes records for the following cemeteries:
- Kelvin Grove
- Terrace End
- Ashhurst
- Pahiatua District
Entries may include such useful information as plot location, age at death, occupation and funeral director.
Palmerston North City Council Cemeteries and Crematoria Database
Search DigitalNZ
