Explore your past in Family History Month
Ākuhata & Hepetema
August & September 2024
He Kōrero nā te Koromatua Message from
the Mayor
We’re still feeling the cold of winter, but as we head towards spring there is plenty to do across Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt.
August is Family History Month and it’s a great time to reflect on our whakapapa and celebrate our histories.
Our Neighbourhood Hubs hold a wide variety of resources you can use to research your family, with most collections kept at the Heritage Centre in Petone.
If you want to find out more about your roots, reach out to the Petone Heritage Centre, check out the eResources available and read on to find out about what events our Hubs are running.
From 14-21 September we’re celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week, where we get to celebrate te reo Māori as one of Aotearoa’s official languages.
We’re running a lot of programmes in our Neighbourhood Hubs including performances and kai, waiata and games that will immerse you in the language.
If you don’t speak te reo, now is a great time to start practising and building confidence to kōrero in our national language. We should be
aiming to try and improve our te reo and speak it more confidently and publicly.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori isn’t the only language we are celebrating. September also marks Uike Lea Faka-Tonga – Tonga Language Week and Cook Island Māori Language Week. Take a look below to see how we are recognising these languages at our Hubs.
Campbell Barry Mayor of Lower Hutt
campbell.barry@huttcity.govt.nz
CampbellBarryMayor
Campbell_Barry
Catch up with Campbell
Head to hutt.city/mayor to see all upcoming dates
Ngā Kaupapa Whakahira
e Heke Mai Ana Announcements
Report a Problem
If you spot any issues or problems with any of our services, you can log a job using our online portal by going to hutt.city/rap
For urgent noise, pollution, sewer, water, stormwater and animal issues call us 24/7 on 04 570 6666
Do you prefer online?
Sign up to get this booklet delivered right to your email inbox at the start of every month, by going to hutt.city/whatsonemail
Council Meetings
Want to keep up to date with what’s on at Council? Find out when the next Council meetings are, access meeting minutes and agendas or watch the live stream by heading to hutt.city/councilmeetings
Programmes at the Dowse Art Museum
From workshops to talks and tours, keep up-to-date with what’s on by going to fb.com/thedowse
New exhibitions at the Dowse Art Museum
Presented in partnership with City Gallery
Wellington Te Whare Toi, September sees new exhibitions from Derek Jarman and Paul Johns.
Delphinium Days brings together rarely seen paintings and films by Derek Jarman alongside photography and archival materials about the artist.
Artist and activist Derek Jarman (1942-1994) is one of the most important and influential figures in twentieth century British culture.
As an early campaigner for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and people living with HIV and AIDs, he created art that sought to challenge the normative culture and reigning neoliberal politics of his (and our) times.
Derek Jarman: Delphinium Days marks thirty years since the artist passed away from an AIDS-related illness at the age of 52. This is the first Aotearoa New Zealand exhibition of his work.
Beautiful Flowers and How to Grow Them is an exhibition of Paul Johns’ pioneering experimental portraits, captured on 16mm film and Polaroid between 1975 and 1985. Johns’ films have largely been considered the material source for his photographs. They are exhibited together here for the first time.
Shot predominantly in intimate settings such as Johns’ central
Paul Johns, Untitled, 1985, polaroid. Courtesy of the artist.
Christchurch studio, a Christchurch railway station near ‘the beat,’ and at a friend’s Brooklyn flat on weekend trips to Carmen Rupe’s Wellington, these portraits capture the utopic energy of a generation inspired by newly politicised and subversive forms of popular culture.
Family History Month
Explore your past
Observed annually across New Zealand and Australia, Family History Month is a time to reflect on our roots and celebrate our unique histories and identities.
Apart from a range of fascinating events across New Zealand, and here in Lower Hutt, Family History Month is also an opportunity to showcase the significant resources that are available to family history researchers.
Did you know that our Neighbourhood Hubs hold a vast range of resources to help you research your family? Collections include books, newspapers, school magazines, electoral rolls,
photographs, and archives on local people and families.
The majority of these collections are kept at the Heritage Centre, located in the Petone Neighbourhood Hub, as well as in an offsite archive.
All material at the Heritage Centre is reference only, to ensure that everyone is able to easily access the resources. Items stored offsite can be retrieved on demand.
Hooper Family, c1890s
The Heritage Centre also has a fantastic team of specialist staff who are available to assist you with your enquiries and help you with genealogy searches.
Our Neighbourhood Hubs also have a great selection of eResources to assist with your family History research, including FindMyPast, Ancestry.com, and the British Newspaper Archive.
Turn over the page to see the range of events we are running to celebrate Family History Month.
Get started!
Search the catalogue to see our range of heritage books, photographs, magazines, newspapers, and more by going to hutt.city/hubs
Need help?
The team at the Petone Heritage Centre can gather resources ready for your visit, if you email them on heritage@huttcity.govt.nz
Does your whānau have a special place, person, or taonga?
Collect a worksheet from any Neighbourhood Hub and add it to the display!
Family Recipes
Eastbourne Neighbourhood Hub 1-22 August, all day
Moerā Neighbourhood Hub 1-23 August, all day
Share your handed-down family recipes and then join us on Thursday 22 August to taste some family favourites.
Pearce Family, c1929
Workshop: Introduction to Family History Research
Petone Neighbourhood Hub and Heritage Centre Wednesday 7 August, 11am-1pm
An introduction to Find My Past and the British Newspaper Archive with our family history specialist librarian.
Family History Drop-In
Maungaraki Community Library
Wednesday 7 August, 4pm-6pm
Petone Neighbourhood Hub and Heritage Centre
Wednesday 21 August, 11am-1pm
Moerā Neighbourhood Hub
Friday 16 August, 11am-1pm
Walter Nash Centre
Tuesday 27 August, 11am
A social group to share and learn. Bring your family history stories and your research problems.
Workshop: Introduction to the British Newspaper Archive
Kōraunui Neighbourhood Hub
Thursday 8 August, 10:30am
Find out how to search over 700 digitised British and Irish newspaper titles from 1710-2000.
Family History Talk: Land Barons of Wainuiomata
Wainuiomata Neighbourhood Hub
Saturday 10 August, 2pm
Join us for a talk on the Land Barons of Wainuiomata, presented by Gavin Wallace, author, and President of the Wainuiomata Historical Museum.
Family History Talk: An Introduction to Papers Past
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Monday 12 August, 1pm
Join Clark Stiles, Heritage Specialist Librarian, for a talk on Papers Past, an online repository of digitised full-text New Zealand and Pacific newspapers, magazines and journals, books, and other formats.
Want more?
To see more and to see workshops held during the rest of the year, head to hutt.city/heritageevents
Workshop: How to Begin your Family History Research
Walter Nash Centre
Tuesday 13 August, 11am-12:30pm
Share & Learn
War Memorial Library
Wednesday 14 August, 6pm-7:30pm
Drop in with your family history questions and share your discoveries in this social session.
Family History Talk: A History of Christ Church
Kōraunui Neighbourhood Hub Thursday 15 August, 10:30am
Join Adrian Broad from the Christ Church Preservation Society to hear the history of Christ Church, Taitā.
Family History Research Day
Petone Neighbourhood Hub and Heritage Centre Saturday 17 August, 10am-4pm
Research with help from our family history specialist librarian. Buck Family
Family History Talk: Three Jackson Street businesses over 60 years
Petone Neighbourhood Hub and Heritage Centre
Monday 19 August, 12pm
Join Karen Arraj-Fisher from the Jackson Street Programme for a talk on three businesses that have connections to Jackson Street over a period of sixty years.
Workshop: Family History Databases
War Memorial Library
Thursday 22 August, 10:30am
A hands-on workshop giving an overview of the Ancestry.com and Findmypast databases. Suitable for all levels, beginners to advanced.
Family History Talk: DNA and Family History Research
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Monday 26 August, 1pm
Wainuiomata Neighbourhood Hub
Saturday 29 August, 10:30am
Join us for a talk on DNA and family history research.
Family History Talk: NZ Police Family History Resources
Petone Neighbourhood Hub and Heritage Centre
Wednesday 28 August, 11am
Join us for a talk on New Zealand police resources for Family History research delivered by the Director of the NZ Police Museum.
Digital Steps
Digital Steps is a free community-based digital literacy programme that supports adults to build their digital skills in small easy steps.
Formally known as Stepping Up, Digital Steps is for any adult in New Zealand who wants to develop better digital skills for life or work.
All classes are free and run for 2 hours. Popular topics include computer basics, smartphones, apps, tablets, digital banking, email, Google, online shopping, social media, and digital photos.
Want to sign up for a class?
Find information on classes, topics, and more by going to hutt.city/digitalsteps
Celebrating our cultures and communities
Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt is a melting pot of cultures - we have communities from all over the world, and we positively enjoy celebrating all our cultures!
According to the 2018 Census, Lower Hutt has 145 ethnicities, and is made up of communities from Australia, Pacific Islands, UK and Ireland, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and of course Māori and Pakeha.
We also speak a huge range of languages, with speakers of Te Reo Māori, Samoan, Hindi, Mandarin, Yue, French, Tagalog, Spanish,
Afrikaans, Tongan, Panjabi, and New Zealand Sign Language among others.
Throughout the year we celebrate these cultures, with Language Weeks, like Samoan and Tonga Language Week, festivals, such as the Tokelau Easter Festival, markets, like the Afrika Bazaar, and Multifest, a celebration of all of our ethnic groups.
Our Tokelauan Council fanau (family) celebrating the Tokelau Easter Festival in March
‘Epetoma o te reo Māori
Kūki ‘Airani: Baby Bounce
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Monday 5 August, 10:30am
Celebrate Cook Island Māori
Language Week with a special session full of songs and rhymes for pēpe and their caregivers.
‘Epetoma o te reo Māori
Kūki ‘Airani: Storytime
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Wednesday 7 August, 10:30am
Kia Orana! Join us as we learn more about Cook Island’s language through stories and songs!
Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea
Faka-Tonga: Hiva Pēpē
War Memorial Library
Monday 19 August, 10am & 11am
Wednesday 21 August, 2pm
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Monday 19 August, 10:30am
Petone Neighbourhood Hub
20, 23 & 24 August, 10:30am
Celebrate Tonga Language Week with a special Baby Bounce session full of Tongan songs and rhymes for pēpē and their caregivers.
Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea
Faka-Tonga: Storytime
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Wednesday 21 August, 10:30am
Mālō e lelei! Let’s celebrate Tongan Language Week and learn more about its culture through stories and songs!
Filipino Storytime
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Saturday 24 August, 10:30am
Mabuhay! Bring the whole family and experience Filipino culture through songs, stories and performances.
Indian Dance, Music & Hymn Festival
Lower Hutt Town Hall
Sunday 8 September, 12:30pm
Showcases the Indian classical dance, music and devotional music to the wider community.
Welcoming
Walk
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Tuesday 10 September, 10am-1pm
Join us for a free guided Naenae Library tour. Everyone’s welcome!
Multifest
Te Mako Community Centre & Hillary Court, Naenae
Saturday 14 September, 11am-4pm
A celebration of the various ethnic groups of Hutt City under one roof. Come along to see unique performing arts, arts & crafts, and to taste some amazing cuisine.
Want to see more?
To see more events, head to hutt.city/whatsonevents
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori
Māori Language Week
Every year in September, we celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand’s first language with Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week).
In 1972, a group of language champions, including Ngā Tamatoa, Victoria University’s Te Reo Māori Society, and Te Huinga Rangatahi presented a petition to parliament from over 30,000 New Zealanders asking the government to teach Māori language in schools.
A Māori Language Day introduced that year became Māori Language Week in 1975.
In 1982, Māori language champions marched to parliament again, calling for te reo to be made an official language in its own land.
In the same year, the first ever Kōhanga Reo was opened in Wainuiomata. Located in Pukeatua, Te Kōhanga Reo was intended to stop the decline of people speaking
te reo Māori by creating an environment for tamariki and pēpi to be immersed in their language and culture.
Nga Kaiwhakapūmau i te Reo (Wellington Board of Māori Language) took a claim to the Waitangi Tribunal in 1985 that asserted that te reo was a taonga that the Crown was obliged to protect under the Treaty of Waitangi.
In 1987, te reo Māori was declared an official language of New Zealand.
We celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori every year , so head to your local Neighbourhood Hub to check out what is on offer this year for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori!
The Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori logo
The Kia kaha te reo Māori logo, often used in Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, was created by Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori (The Māori Language Commission). It is a contemporary interpretation of the heitiki, representing strength, leadership, nurture, and Aotearoatanga. The tongue represents the elements of revitalisation: status, critical awareness, acquisition, use, and corpus.
The colours used in the arero represent the rākau used in teaching the Ataarangi method, familiar now to decades of school children and adults.
Tākaro Time
Petone & Wainuiomata
Neighbourhood Hubs
14-21 September, all day
Eastbourne Neighbourhood Hub
14-21 September, from 3pm
Moerā Neighbourhood Hub
16-20 September, all day
Bring your friends and family to try out some of our board games!
Wā Tiaki Pēpi
Petone Neighbourhood Hub
14, 17, 20 & 21 September, 10:30am
War Memorial Library
Monday 16 September, 10am & 11am
Wednesday 18 September, 2pm
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Monday 16 September, 10:30am
A half an hour waiata for pēpi aged 0-2 and their caregivers.
Kimihia Te Kupu
Petone Neighbourhood Hub
14-21 September, 10:30am
Find our hidden letters and learn some Te Reo in our scavenger hunt.
Mahi Toi
Petone Neighbourhood Hub
Saturday 14 September, 2:30pm-4pm
Make your very own poi and then swing them to the waiata ‘E Rere Taku Poi’.
Artspot for Adults: Māori Pattern Printing
War Memorial Library
Monday 16 September, 1pm-3pm
Muritai School Kapa Haka
Eastbourne Neighbourhood Hub
Tuesday 17 September, 10am
Join us for a special performance from Muritai School Kapa Haka group.
Storytime
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Wednesday 18 September, 10:30am
War Memorial Library
Friday 20 September, 11am
Come along and celebrate Māori Language Week through stories, songs and craft.
Māori Pattern Printing
War Memorial Library
Wednesday 18 September, 3:30pm
Lego Wero
Petone Neighbourhood Hub
Sunday 22 September, 10am-4pm
Are you up for a wero (challenge)?
Come and test your building skills and learn some Te Reo! Karawhiua!
A new life for some Naenae Pool history
Ninety per cent of demolition material was saved from landfill as part of the Naenae Pool redevelopment, prompting a Wellington man to go to great lengths to honour his wife.
When Karori’s Malcolm Gunn learned in 2021 that demolition material from the old pool was available for recycling, he was keen to secure a piece of history with strong links to his family.
His wife Gabrielle Gunn (nee Bateup) had created quite a splash at the pool where, as a Naenae College schoolgirl, she set several age group swimming records.
She remains a keen swimmer, especially in open water, and has swum the 40km length of Lake Taupō.
Malcolm was fortunate to be given rimu timber during demolition of the pool, and he immediately had a ripple of inspiration on how to use it.
“I wanted to build something for Gabrielle as a tribute to all the hours she spent at the pool. It was something that forged a life-long love of swimming.”
Sitting proudly on a deck he also built at their Karori home is a beautiful bench seat made from the recycled rimu and sporting the original colours from the old pool seating.
“I can’t think of a better place for us to sit with a cuppa and ponder life. Gabrielle may have even sat on the same planks all those years ago.”
Gabrielle was touched by the effort and thoughtfulness of her husband.
“He dived straight into the project and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I feel very proud.”
Malcolm, who recently retired, also has an athletic tale to tell. He has cycled 3000 km from Cape Reinga to Bluff, and across the North Island from Mt Taranaki to East Cape.
“We’ve always been active - it’s good for the mind, as well as the body.”
Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry says it’s great to see the old Naenae Pool live on in a creative, meaningful way.
“It’s heartwarming to see the legacy of the old Naenae Pool live on through this bench – particularly at the home of someone with such a strong connection to the pool.
“Hopefully we’ll see more age group records broken when the new pool is open.”
Gabrielle and Malcolm Gunn on the bench seat he made
The new Naenae Pool and Fitness complex is being built with sustainability in mind, in line with Hutt City Council’s target to be carbon-zero by 2050.
Ninety per cent of material from the demolition of the old pool and the community hall was saved from going to landfill, including 13,162 tonnes of scrap metal and concrete which was crushed for use as backfill on the site.
Demolition experts McMahon Services won the Asbestos or Demo Best Practice Project over $1 million at the 2022 NZDAA Demolition & Asbestos Awards for their work on the demolition,
which demonstrated industry best practice for safety and sustainability.
Naenae Pool and Fitness Centre secured co-funding of $27 million from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group fund, managed by Crown Infrastructure Partners.
Want to see more?
To see more news about any of the Naenae projects, head to hutt.city/naenae
Discover art in your neighbourhood
Pop on your rain jackets and explore all of the amazing art around Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt with the City Art Walk App!
This new app is a fun, free way to discover art around our city by foot while you learn about the stories behind the artworks and the talented artists who created them.
“We’re really keen for more people to connect with art as part of their everyday experiences. Art in public spaces and places across our city gives everyone a chance to explore their own neighbourhood.”
“Art is for the whole community so we are excited that this app will
now make it easier to experience it.” says Karl Chitham, Head of Arts and Culture.
Download the app
The City Art Walk Hutt City App is available from the Apple App Store, Google Play or in your browser.
Find out more by heading to hutt.city/urbanart
Ngā Kaupapa Hirahira
Highlights
Neighbourhood Support
Eastbourne Neighbourhood Hub
Thursday 1 August, 10am-12pm
Moerā Neighbourhood Hub
Thursday 22 August, 10am-12pm
International Youth Day
Petone Neighbourhood Hub
Monday 12 August, all day
Come see our Youth Day display for materials and resources showcasing youth voices, issues and innovation.
Coming Up: Beyond the Page
The Wellington-wide literary festival is back! Here’s a couple of events to start you off. Keep an eye on our socials to see what else we have planned!
Learn How a Picture Book is Made with Paul Beavis
War Memorial Library
Saturday 28 September, 2pm-3pm
Royal NZ Ballet
Walter Nash Centre
Monday 30 September
Poetic Writers’ Table
War Memorial Library
Tuesday 20 August, 5pm
National Poetry Day is on 23 August! Come, write and share your poetry!
Women in Botany Talk
War Memorial Library
Wednesday 28 August, 6pm
Join Reg Harris to learn more about women in botany in the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries.
Plant and Seedling Swap
War Memorial Library
Saturday 31 August, 10am-2pm
Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Saturday 28 September, 10am-12am
Prepare for spring! Bring any spare plants or seedlings to swap with other gardening enthusiasts.
Bee Aware Month: Seedling Swap
Petone Neighbourhood Hub
Friday 20 September, 10am-11:30am
Prepare for spring, planting, and bees, with our seedling swap.
Want more?
Find more events by going to hutt.city/whatsonevents
Contact Us
huttcity.govt.nz
hutt.city/hubs
hutt.city/pools
dowse.org.nz
The Dowse Art Museum
45 Laings Road, Lower Hutt 04 570 6500
Te Pātaka Kōrero o Ōkiwinui
Eastbourne Neighbourhood Hub
38 Rimu Street, Eastbourne 04 562 8042
Huia Pool + Fitness
Huia Street, Lower Hutt 04 570 6655
Te Kaunihera o Te Awa Kairangi
Hutt City Council
30 Laings Road, Lower Hutt 04 570 6666
Te Pātaka Kōrero o Kōraunui
Kōraunui Stokes Valley Neighbourhood Hub
186 Stokes Valley Road 04 562 9050
Whare Pūrākau | Maungaraki Community Library
137 Dowse Drive, Maungaraki 028 2550 3219
Te Pātaka Kōrero o Moerā Moerā Neighbourhood Hub
Moerā Community Hall, 105 Randwick Crescent, Moerā 04 568 4720
Te Pātaka Kōrero o Te Ngaengae Naenae Neighbourhood Hub
Hillary Court, Naenae 04 567 2859
Te Pātaka Kōrero o Pito-One Petone Neighbourhood Hub
7 Britannia Street, Petone 04 568 6253
Stokes Valley Pool + Fitness
Bowers Street, Stokes Valley 04 562 9030
Te Pātaka Kōrero o Wainuiomata Wainuiomata Neighbourhood Hub
1A Queen Street, Wainuiomata 04 564 5822
Te Pātaka Kōrero o Taitā Walter Nash Neighbourhood Hub
Taine Street, Taitā 04 560 1094
Te Pātaka Kōrero o Te Tatau ki te Maramatanga | War Memorial Library Neighbourhood Hub
2 Queens Drive, Lower Hutt 04 570 6633
Printed on 100% recycled paper using vege inks, please recycle me!
Information was correct at printing. To confirm event information please contact the venue.