Titiro ki muri kia whakatika ā mua
Preserving the past to enlighten the future

 

Important Notice re: AGM:

The date listed in the latest newsletter was an error. Please put 16 July 2026 in your calendars. Papers for the AGM will be available soon.

  • Founder Lecture 2026: Catherine Hammond – A Thousand Words: Photographic Archives in Aotearoa

Artwork by Dame Janet Paul (1919-2004)

Dame Janet Paul was a painter, publisher, and art historian who played a significant role in New Zealand’s cultural life. After a notable career in publishing with her husband Blackwood Paul during the 1950s and 1960s, she worked as an art librarian at the Alexander Turnbull Library from 1971-1980. She was widely respected for her artwork and writing, and served as a mentor to many New Zealand artists, writers and poets.

Courtesy of Charlotte Paul.

Next Event

  • Founder Lecture 2026: Catherine Hammond – A Thousand Words: Photographic Archives in Aotearoa

    In the 2026 Founder Lecture Catherine Hammond will discuss the role and impact of photographic archives as complex repositories of memory and research, drawing on her career working with artists archives in major cultural institutions in Aotearoa over the past two decades.

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For future events see Events

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.