Immortality for Black Sheep
Come and hear about ways you can connect and use the collections at the Library. Talks will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month until November 2019.
Date: Tuesday, 16 July, 2019
Time: 12:10 to 1:00pmCost: Free. You don't need to book.
Location: Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon
Find the black sheep in your family
Did your ancestor ever come up against the police? You may be able to find a record of them in the Police Gazettes! Join archivist Trish McCormack for an overview of what you might find in the Police Gazettes and how to access them.
The Gazettes helped police in the late nineteenth century to track offenders. Digitised by Archives New Zealand, the Gazettes are now accessible worldwide and free of charge. Family researchers love to unearth the activities of a family black sheep. Some even find a photograph of the miscreant!
From charges of 'furious riding' to arson and murder, the crimes are many and varied. You'll find ship and wife deserters, to utterers and church desecrators.
About the speaker
Trish McCormack is an archivist with Research Services at Archives New Zealand. Her job is to connect people with records - be it through the Wellington reading room, remote reference or via social media outlets.
A crime fiction writer in her spare time, she has a special interest in the Gazettes and other criminal records held by Archives New Zealand.
Image: Frederick Mouat was sentenced to hard labour for the murder of his wife Ellen, but it was subsequently thought that she had simply left him and established herself in a new life.
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.5% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.5% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.
We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️
We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?
Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.
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46.5% I avoid spending money on coffee
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43.2% I still indulge at my local cafe
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10.3% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
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