What's On at the National Library - looking forward into summer

The Team from Alexander Turnbull Library

Tēnā koe
Ngā mihi o te wā ki a koutou katoa.
The year is coming to an end but there are still exciting things happening at the National Library.

Come see our newly opened exhibition The long waves of the ocean: New responses to Pacific poems in our main gallery.

We have our final Public History Talk for this year on Wednesday 7 December with Paul Diamond speaking about his acclaimed new book Downfall: The destruction of Charles Mackay.
Later that day you can also attend the showing of This is New Zealand. This short film, produced for Expo ’70 in Osaka Japan, has been recognised as a landmark production by the UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Trust.

We are planning some fabulous events for 2023. One of the first will be the D. F. McKenzie Memorial Lecture on 31 January. This year the lecture will be given by Professor Tom Mole, author The secret life of books (2019). More details about this, and other events, will be on the National Library website soon.

The Library will close early at 1pm on Friday 23 December. We look forward to welcoming you back when we re-open on Monday 9 January 2023.
Many of our events are recorded. You can browse our available recorded events on our website and enjoy them at your leisure.

Meri Kirihimete, me ngā mihi aroha mō te tau hou e tū mai nei.

________

Summertime: Readings from favourite stories
Friends of the Dorothy Neal White Collection
Celebrate summertime at the last Friends of the Dorothy Neal White Collection event for 2022. Committee members will read summery pieces from some of their favourite books, old and new. Join the committee for seasonal drinks and nibbles before the readings.
Date: Monday 5 December 2022
Time: 5:30pm for drinks and nibbles; readings from 6pm to 7pm
Cost: Koha from non-members appreciated
Venue: Programme Rooms, Te Ahumairangi Ground Floor


_____

Downfall: The destruction of Charles Mackay
Public History Talk
Paul Diamond's new book Downfall: The destruction of Charles Mackay examines the startling ‘Whanganui Affair’ of 1920, when the mayor Charles Mackay, shot a young gay man, D'Arcy Cresswell. The affair and subsequent events reveal the perilous existence of homosexual men at that time and how society conspired to control and punish them.
Date: Wednesday 7 December 2022
Time: 12:10pm to 1pm
Cost: Free
Venue: Taiwhanga Kauhau Auditorium, Lower Ground Floor or online via Zoom. Please visit our website to register for this event.
________


This is New Zealand screening

UNESCO Memory of the World
This is New Zealand was produced for the Expo ’70 in Osaka Japan by the National Film Unit and is now recognised as a landmark production by the UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Trust. Take a look at the full feature on the big screen in the National Library Auditorium.
Date: Wednesday 7 December 2022
Time: 4pm to 4.30pm
Cost: Free
Venue: Taiwhanga Kauhau Auditorium, Lower Ground Floor
________

The long waves of our ocean: New responses to Pacific poems
For this exhibition, early-career artists Sione Faletau, Ayesha Green, Turumeke Harrington, Ana Iti, Sione Tuívailala Monū, Ammon Ngakuru and James Tapsell-Kururangi have created new artworks made in response to a selection of poems by Alistair Campbell, Keri Hulme, J. C. Sturm, Hone Tuwhare and Albert Wendt. These artists and writers address Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa in its varied and shifting roles, engaging with fictions and histories and encouraging us to inhabit new perspectives.
Date: Showing Saturday 26 November until Saturday 27 May 2023
Time: Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm; Saturday – 9am to 1pm
Cost: Free
Venue: National Library Main Gallery, Te Ahumairangi Ground Floor

________

He Tohu audio and Sign Language Guides
Discover the He Tohu Audio and Sign Language Guides at the National Library of New Zealand. Come and explore He Tohu in one of seven languages; English, Te Reo Māori, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, French, German and NZ Sign Language.
Date: Available now
Time: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm; Saturday 9am to 1pm
Cost: Free
Venue: Pick up your He Tohu audio tour device and headphones from our staff at Waka (reception), Te Ahumairangi Ground Floor.
_______

He Tohu
Permanent exhibition
He Tohu is a permanent exhibition of three iconic constitutional documents that shape Aotearoa New Zealand.
Time: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm; Saturday 9am to 1pm. Plan your visit to He Tohu.
Cost: Free
Venue: Te Ahumairangi Ground Floor

________


He Matapihi Molesworth Library
Wellington City Libraries
In partnership with Wellington City Council, this central library service is now open on the ground floor of the National Library. Pop in to borrow Aotearoa books for adults and children, or speak with staff about joining to use online services. Come in and check it out.
Time: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm; Saturday 9am to 1pm
Venue: He Matapihi Molesworth Library, Te Ahumairangi Ground Floor