The Friends of the Turnbull Library (FoTL) is a national organisation, supporting the work and activities of the Alexander Turnbull Library since 1939.
Titiro ki muri kia whakatika ā mua. Preserving the past to enlighten the future.
The Alexander Turnbull Library is a guardian of our heritage, a great research institution serving the general public and scholars in the fields of historical research, literary, cultural and genealogical studies. The Friends of the Turnbull Library promotes public interest in the Library’s collections and supports research and use of its collections.
2025 FOUNDER LECTURE
Thursday 26 June 2025 at 6.00 pm
Dr Monty Soutar ONZM
Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Kahungunu
Historian and author
Venue: Taiwhanga Kawhau Auditorium
Lower ground floor, National Library of NZ Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, Thorndon
The Kāwai series: Conveying history through fiction
As an historian Dr Soutar has consistently sought to engage audiences by making New Zealand’s history more captivating. Through his bestselling Kāwai novel series, he has reached a broader audience.
In this lecture Monty will comment on the art and challenges of presenting historical material in a fiction format.
Monty Soutar will speak at 6.00 pm with light refreshments to follow.
Registration: This is a free event but numbers are limited. Please RSVP by booking a
free ticket via Dr Monty Soutar 2025 Founder Lecture
Queries to: turnbullfriends@gmail.com
About the speaker: Dr. Monty Soutar has been a teacher, a soldier, an historian and has worked for the New Zealand government, museums and his iwi runanga organisations. He has a research background that spans almost 40 years, in which time he led one of the largest oral history projects in New Zealand, interviewing Māori elders about their WWII experiences abroad and at home.
He has held a number of appointments on national advisory boards, including the Archives NZ Council, the Guardians of the Alexander Turnbull Library and the First World War Centenary Panel. Dr Soutar was appointed to the Waitangi Tribunal in 2002. In 2015 he was awarded the NZ Order of Merit for services to Māori and historical research. And, in 2024 he was presented with the prestigious Manakura Award for his 15 years of work compiling the 28th Māori Battalion’s history- as part of the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion scholarship ceremony held at the C Company Memorial House in Gisborne. He continues to serve on the Waitangi Tribunal.
Dr Soutar is the author of Whitiki Whiti Whiti E! Māori in the First World War and Ngā Tama Toa: The Price of Citizenship: C Company 28 (Māori Battalion 1939-1945). Whitiki is a major publication about Māori participation in the First World War and the award-winning Ngā Tama Toa focussed on Māori participation in the Second World War. In 2021 he was awarded the Creative New Zealand Michael King Writer’s Fellowship to write the Kāwai series.
Thursday 12 June, at 5.30pm: Dr Claire Robinson, Political Promises
It’s just over one year until the 2026 election. Join Dr Claire Robinson, author of the book Promises Promises: 80 Years of Wooing New Zealand Voters, as she talks about her research into New Zealand’s political advertising history and what to look forward to in the next election.
Claire Robinson (@spinprofessor) has spent much of her career identifying and observing political spin, unpacking and explaining how words and images wielded by people in immense power impact on people without them being aware of it.
Claire will cover some of New Zealand’s most iconic political ads, and how she used the resources of the Alexander Turnbull Library when researching the content for her book.
Now Chief Executive, Toi Mai Workforce Development Council, Claire is an administrator, academic, author, award-winning designer, political scientist and respected political commentator, with degrees in politics and design from Victoria University and Wellington Polytechnic and a PhD from Massey University. Prior to joining Toi Mai, she was Professor of Communication Design and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Massey University’s College of Creative Arts in Wellington.
2025/26 Subscriptions are now due ….
Please see the Join Us page.
PLEASE NOTE that we need your contact details. Copies of our annual magazine Off the Record and the annual journal Turnbull Library Record will be mailed to members in May and October respectively. We need your postal address. Please contact us at turnbullfriends@gmail.com to supply your contact details.
The 2025 Speaker Programme.
Here are some of the upcoming speakers confirmed for 2025. Details will be updated as the programme is confirmed.
| Monthly Speakers | ||
| Dr Claire Robinson | Promises Promises: 80 Years of Wooing New Zealand Voters | Thursday 12 June |
| More speakers will be added as they are confirmed | ||
| The 2025 Founder Lecture | ||
| Dr Monty Soutar | The Kāwai series: conveying history through fiction | Thursday 26 June |
Our previous Speakers
Details of many past speakers are still on the What’s on page.
Wellington events are held at Taiwhanga Kauhau — the National Library Wellington Auditorium -entrance from Aitken Street, Thorndon.
In Auckland, talks are held at the Takapuna Library, 9 The Strand. The address by Dame Claudia Orange (previously advertised for September 2024 but then unavoidably postponed) will now be held on Wednesday 18 June. Further details coming soon.
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Friends of the Turnbull Library AGM Papers 2024
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