Manawatū Journal of History
Last copies of the Manawatū Journal of History are still available, and can be purchased via details given below. They make excellent (and postable) Christmas presents for Palmerston North residents past and present, but particular articles may resonate with those who have an interest in the railway in Palmerston North, or with nursing history, or with the social history of Ashhurst. Did you know that 100 trains a day passed through the inner city in the 1920s making it a hazard for pedestrians and vehicles – not to mention the perils of the railway as a workplace? The memories of nurse-midwife Una Walker tell us about Palmerston North Hospital as a training place, and also the experiences of mothers and babies at various local maternity homes. Graves at Ashhurst cemetery illuminate the lives of the famous and obscure buried there, while other articles tell us about race relations in the Manawatū in the 1830s, about support systems for another generation of migrants in the 1970s, and about the early history of the old house at Te Manawa Museum.
The journal is a voluntary effort by local historians who would be very grateful for your support!
It can be ordered by emailing manawatujournalsales@inspire.net.nz giving your name and address, including post code.
Payment of $25 per copy should be made at time of order to ANZ 06 0729-0511593-00, with your name as reference.
(Photo below shows what happened when the New Plymouth express hit a lorry laiden with benzene on the West Street level crossing in 1928. From the article on 'Dirt, Danger and Deviation. A Railway Town in the 1920s'. Image originally from Auckland Weekly News.)
Time to Tickle Your Thinker 🧠
If a zookeeper had 100 pairs of animals in her zoo, and two pairs of babies are born for each one of the original animals, then (sadly) 23 animals don’t survive, how many animals do you have left in total?
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Poll: As a customer, what do you think about automation?
The Press investigates the growing reliance on your unpaid labour.
Automation (or the “unpaid shift”) is often described as efficient ... but it tends to benefit employers more than consumers.
We want to know: What do you think about automation?
Are you for, or against?
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9.5% For. Self-service is less frustrating and convenient.
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43.3% I want to be able to choose.
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47.2% Against. I want to deal with people.
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
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