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Introducing Auckland

Auckland City Council archives

Introduction | Search the archives | Family history | About the archival system | Visit our research room | Other useful resources

Visit our research room

The research room is open to all members of the public who wish to view archives.

Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to advise on:

  • the nature of the information they can expect to find
  • the records
  • research strategies to use to locate likely sources of information
  • navigating the archives database.

We provide this service free of charge.

Location

We are located in the basement of the Auckland City Library, 42-46 Lorne Street, Auckland City.

Use the entrance to the Academy Cinema and take the stairs two floors down. Ring the bell on the door.

We advise people with restricted mobility to contact us before their visit. We can make arrangements for alternative access through the main library and use the video intercom at the entrance.

Phone +64 9 307 7792
 
E-mail archives@aucklandcity.govt.nz
 

Map of the location of Auckland City Archives.

Opening hours

The research room is open to the public from 2pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

No material will be issued after 4.50pm to allow staff time to put away material before closing.

Access

The Public Records Act 2005 ensures public access to local authority records that are older than 25 years.

Very few of the records we hold have access restrictions and you will need to apply for permission to view such records.

Examples of restricted records include:

  • personnel files that are covered by the Privacy Act 1993, and
  • the confidential minutes of council that contain personal information on identifiable individuals or commercially sensitive information.

The reference archivist will advise you on the appropriate means of seeking and obtaining permission.

Restrictions also apply to records that are too fragile. In such instances, either the original will be prepared so that you can view the item without handling it, or a copy of the original will be made available.

Ordering

To order archives you must provide the correct archives references. If you wish to order a record you must quote the archival reference in full:

  • agency code
  • series/accession number
  • box/item number
  • record number
  • part number, and
  • the records description.

The reference archivist will advise you on how to do this.

You can have a maximum of five items in the Research Room. You may order more once you return items to the archivist.

Please be aware that not all archives are held on-site and access to archives held off-site takes 24 hours.

Before you visit

Gather as much information as you can before you visit. Specific names, dates and places can narrow down the search.

Most of the valuation and rating records do not have indexes of individuals but are arranged geographically street by street.

If you are researching an area of the city, published local histories and suburban newspapers can provide valuable information on the development of the area and on places and people of interest. Long time residents can also provide anecdotal evidence of people and events that may not be recorded elsewhere, or can give a different perspective.

If you are researching a building or property you will need the street address. Possession of the Certificate of Title (available from Land Information New Zealand) can assist in identifying a property as street numbers have often changed over time and, in the early history of the city, properties did not have them.

Visitor rules

The Auckland City Council archives comprise the archives of the Auckland City Council and its predecessor agencies.

Archival holdings are by their nature unique. In order to assist you while also preserving the holdings for future researchers, please follow the rules listed below:

  1. All researchers must complete an enquiry/registration form.
  2. Bags must be put into the lockers provided.
  3. All material must be handled with care. Archives are not to be marked or folded, nor is their order to be disturbed.
  4. Gloves must be worn when using photographs, maps and plans
  5. Book cushions/supports are available and must be used to prevent damage to spines of volumes.
  6. No food or beverages are allowed in the reading room, and smoking is prohibited. Please ensure your hands are clean before using documents.
  7. Only use pencils in the reading room for making written notes. Do not rest notepads on any documents.
  8. You can use a laptop computer in the reading room.
  9. Only staff may copy or photograph documents - please refer to the Imaging Services section for policy and charges relating to copying.
  10. As the archives are composed of records made or received by Auckland City Council or its predecessor agencies, ownership and copyright rest with the council. Normal rules of  'fair use' apply but publication or reproduction of an item or substantive part thereof requires prior approval.
  11. Researchers who use the archives as a substantive source for books, articles, theses, are requested to deposit a copy of the completed research with archives.
  12. You may not remove any material from the reading room.

Imaging services

We offer a reproduction service to those requiring copies of archival records. This consists of photocopying, scanning and photography. The following conditions apply:

Scanning and photocopying

We reserve the right not to photocopy or scan material where reasons of fragility and/or format might result in physical harm to the record.

The following records will not be photocopied or scanned:

  • any nineteenth century record
  • any volume which has damaged or fragile spine and bindings
  • any volume to which damage will occur to the spine or binding as a consequence of photocopying or scanning
  • any aerial photographs
  • any plans to which damage may occur as a consequence of photocopying or scanning, ie. larger than A3.

Photography

We reserve the right not to photograph material where reasons of fragility and/or format might result in physical harm to the record. All photography is to be completed in-house and use of personal cameras is not permitted.

  • Any brittle or rolled documents may require restoration work, before photography is permitted.
  • Only documents that are flat can be photographed.
  • To ensure clarity of the copy, items no larger than A1 can be photographed.
  • To ensure the details are preserved, some sharpening and levels balance work may be required.
  • Images will be sized appropriately (or to your request).
  • Please specify whether you would prefer Tiff or Jpeg format.
  • High resolution images will be at a print resolution of 300 ppi.
  • Low resolution images will be at a screen resolution of 72 ppi.

Regardless of photocopying, photographing or scanning, copyright remains with Auckland City Council. Normal rules of "fair use" apply but publication or reproduction of an item or substantive part thereof requires prior approval and Auckland City Council must be acknowledged as the source of the original record.

Every endeavour is made to fulfil reproduction orders promptly. However, due to limited staff resources and other commitments, there may be delays for large orders.

The Reference Archivist will advise when reproduction orders will be available.

Packing and handling charges

  • for all orders to be sent cost is $6.00.

Photocopying charges

  • A4 - $0.50/page
  • A3 - $1.00/page

Scanning and printing charges

  • one item scanned and printed out - $3.00

Scanning and CD burning charges

There is a 48-hour turn over for images to be scanned and burnt to CD.

  • 1-5 items scanned and CD - $10.00
  • 6-14 items scanned and CD - $15.00
  • 15-20 items scanned and CD - $20.00
  • 21+ items scanned and CD - $80.00 per hour.

Please allow up to three days for processing and delivery.

Scanning and emailing charges

There is a 48-hour turn over for images to be scanned and emailed.

  • one item scanned and emailed/transferred to micro drive - $3.00.

Digital photography and CD burning charges

There is a 72-hour turn around for digital photography. File format is either Jpeg or Tiff.

  • high resolution digital image on CD - $40.00
  • screen resolution digital image on CD - $15.00.

All charges are inclusive of GST.

Updated June 2007
Copyright © 2007 Auckland City Council. All rights reserved.