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

Future Proof: Paintings in Perpetuity

Saturday 7 March 2026, 11am to 12pm. Curator’s talk — ‘Future Proof: Paintings in Perpetuity’ exhibition | National Library of New Zealand

Saturday 28 March 2026, 11am to 12pm. Conservator’s talk — ‘Future Proof: Paintings in Perpetuity’ | National Library of New Zealand

Wednesday 1 April 2026, 12pm to 1pm. Curator’s talk — ‘Future Proof: Paintings in Perpetuity’ exhibition | National Library of New Zealand

  • The People Behind the Letters

    The People Behind the Letters

    The 2025 ‘Letters Out Loud’ highlighted letters from a range of fascinating people, including devoted prison reformer and writer Blanche Baughan, famous guide and academic Maggie Papakura, American writer Mary Redmer, and English dancer and actress, Diana Gould Menuhin. Three of these women were writing to a man and one to a woman. In this…

  • 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

  • Charlotte Macdonald: Travelling the ‘garrison world’ — 19th century history that speaks to the 2020s

    Hear from Charlotte Macdonald as she embarks on a journey of what she terms the ‘garrison world’ — soldiers, sailors, and their families stationed across the British empire in the 19th century.

    Read More

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.