Waitakere Local History
Local history service provides and collects information about the history of
Waitakere and West Auckland.
The collections are held at the
Waitakere Central Library and are available in the
J. T. Diamond Reading Room. Access to the collection is restricted. All
items are for use in the reading room only and may not be borrowed.
Local history resources
The collection includes:
Please contact us.
Western Leader
Waitakere Library and Information Services pride itself to be the only place
in New Zealand to hold all copies of the Western Leader since its inception
(1967). The Local History Collection also holds the complete run of West Weekly
and The Aucklander West edition.
West Auckland local history goes virtual - Local History Online is now live
at:
www.localhistoryonline.org.nz providing indexing access to 1000s of local
newspapers. Local History Online is a joint project between Waitakere, North
Shore and Rodney Libraries (ROWANS).
Local History Online will ultimately provide access to the existing digital
and electronic local history collections of Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney
Libraries. At the moment access is to the indexes for the local newspapers. The
Waitakere Newspaper Index covers the Western Leader, West Weekly and Aucklander,
West ed. from 2002. Customers can read the full text of the newspapers in the
J.T. Diamond Reading Room,
Waitakere Central Library,
or interloan their request.
You can also access online the full stories of the most recent Western Leader
by visiting:
Western Leader Online
Finally, The Reference Department has
holdings of the Western Leader on microfilm.
For further information on the Western Leader, please see its parent company
(Fairfax) website:
For any Local History inquiries please email the
localhistory@waitakerelibs.govt.nz
J.T. Diamond Reading Room
Location & Opening hours
The J.T. Diamond Reading Room is a place for in-depth study of the West
Auckland region and is located in the
Waitakere Central Library, Henderson. The room was named in recognition of
Jack Diamond's contribution to West Auckland history.
John Thomas (Jack) Diamond M.B.E. extensively researched, documented,
collected and wrote about West Auckland history. In 2001, Jack's archive was
donated to Waitakere Libraries. The collection primarily covers the timber,
brick and pottery industries, the history and archaeology of the Waitakere
Ranges and Maori history. It includes original research, published and collected
works and photographs. A finding aid as well as reference assistance for the
collection is available from the Reading Room information desk.
Location & opening hours
Level 2
3 Ratanui Street
Waitakere Central library
Henderson
| Monday to Thursday |
9 am - 8 pm |
| Friday |
9 am - 5 pm |
| Saturday & Sunday |
10 am - 4 pm |
Famous west Aucklanders
The Corban family
Geoff Moon
Dorothy Butler
The Corban family
Books
West Auckland Local History
Websites
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| Photograph of Najib Corban courtesy of Marina Scott. |
Najib Assid Corban
9 July 1909- 29 April 2009
(written by daughter Marina Scott)
Najib Assid Corban was the youngest of the six sons born to Assid Abraham and
Najibie Corban of the original Corban family of Henderson, as well as being the
second youngest of the family children. He is survived his sister Helena Ataya,
the youngest of the four girls and now in her 97th year.
Najib matriculated from Henderson Primary School aged 12; apparently having been
told by the head teacher that he had earned the highest mark ever recorded for
the school in spelling and English. He suffered visual loss in his early teens,
and followed his father's advice to work with him in the development of the
Corban vineyards. He and his wife Ruby lived for six years at the Corban
Homestead after their 1938 marriage and then moved into their new home in
Henderson Valley Road in 1942, which was in the process of being built when
Assid Abraham Corban passed away in 1941. At this point the management and
development of the vineyards had to be shouldered by Najib.
Najib was instrumental in all the later expansions of the vineyards both in
Henderson, and to Kwneu and other parts of the district, as well as to the
Hawkes Bay area. He and Ruby raised a family of four daughters and one son,
remaining in their home for over thirty years. Najib bicycled to and from the
homestead for many years, despite failing vision, only giving up when the roads
became too busy for this to be safe.
In his early manhood Najib had learnt the violin for a short time, but never
forgot how to play a tune on one. He and Ruby both had a great love of music and
encouraged all their children in this activity and in all their educational
endeavours. He was an avid radio listener, from Parliamentary debates to even
winning prizes for his advertising jingles. In his later years he began to
compose poetry - hence 'Footsteps in the Sand' published in 1982 and many other
as yet unpublished poems. He was a Life Member and trustee of the Star of
Henderson Oddfellows' Lodge, serving in the office of Noble Grand, and of
Chaplain for many of his later years; with a New Zealand record of over 80 years
in the lodge. He enjoyed playing competitive indoor bowls with the Lodge teams
over the years; and MC'd early lodge dances in the old Henderson Town Hall
meeting room. He and Ruby travelled to the lodges all over the Auckland
districts and also the North Island, and more particularly when Ruby, a member
of the Henderson Rebecca Women's Lodge, was Lady District Deputy Grandmaster of
the Waitemata District. The couple enjoyed attending the Henderson Scottish
Dances held in the old Bowling Club Hall for many years; as well as those held
at New Lynn, Sandringham and Onehunga.
Najib was a faithful member of St Michael's Anglican Church, serving on the
Vestry for over 30 years and as Vicar's Warden for a number of years, and was
also instrumental in all the development processes of the building of the new
Church. He and Ruby and the children enjoyed many years of holidays at
Cornwallis Beach, where his great love of fishing was able to be enjoyed
particularly with his eldest brother, Khaleel. He knew and confided many of the
great fishing spots on the Manukau and Waitemata Harbours. He would enter the
New Year's Day sprints, rowing and long-distance running, and would often alarm
the family with his long-distance swims up to the Cornwallis Wharf and towards
Puponga Point - particularly if it was felt he was losing his bearings.
Najib Corban enjoyed a wonderful memory for all of his life, and loved
conversing and reminiscing about all the people and early development of
Henderson and beyond. He remembered well all those of the early New Zealand
Lebanese community. In those early years the Auckland Lebanese Society Annual
Picnics, held from as far out as Bucklands Beach in the south to the
Whangaparaoa in the north, were enjoyed by all the family. Latterly he and Ruby
enjoyed attending monthly Society get-togethers in Auckland when possible. He
could be generous to a fault, though not a spend thrift. He was a very
determined character particularly if he sensed he was right, and to the end he
maintained a great personal energy and sense of purpose in life. He was a loved
and respected father, and extended family member; and one of his greatest
attributes and lifelong characteristics was his genuine interest in and respect
for all people and their wellbeing; perhaps summed up in one of his later poems:
Our Nation
Beautiful Aotearoa, land of the South Sea,
New Zealand, a haven and home for you and me.
With respect to race and colour or creed,
Let us build a Nation to satisfy every need.
Division is destructive, and greed will not bring
Prosperity and unity to enjoy everything.
Embracing the Islands of the pacific, let us go
forward with strength,
Utilising our resources throughout their breadth
and length.
(written in 1982)
[Originally published in the August 2009 issue of the West Auckland Historical
Society newsletter.]
Books
West Auckland Local History
You are welcome to visit the J.T.
Diamond Reading Room to research or browse the collection.
Websites
The Corban
Estate Arts Centre (CEAC) is located at the historic Corban Winery Estate in
Henderson, Waitakere City. The Arts Centre utilizes the historic winery
buildings and is home to galleries which feature a changing programme of
Exhibitions, a Gallery Shop, and Artist's Studios.
Corbans Viticulture provides information about the Corban family in the
obituary of Joseph Corban.
Note: You will need to have 
Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer in order to view and print this document. For
help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful
Tips.
A brief history of
Henderson (Size 44K)
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New Zealand Wetland Birds and
their world by
Geoff Moon |
Geoff Moon (1915 - 2009)
Geoff Moon - Art Laureate of Waitakere City, leading New Zealand natural
history author and world-renowned wildlife photographer - has died. Geoff was
born in China in 1915 and lived in England before moving to New Zealand in 1947.
A veterinary surgeon by profession, Geoff's research on New Zealand bird life is
internationally recognized.
In 1994 Geoff was awarded the OBE for his services to the veterinary
profession and photography. His book
New Zealand Birds won the 1983 New Zealand Book Awards: Special Award
for Photography; and
New Zealand Birds in Focus: a Photographer's Journey was short listed
for the 2006 Montana New Zealand Book Awards.
New Zealand Wetland Birds and Their World is Geoff's most recent work
and has just been published. Find a
complete list of books by Geoff Moon
held by Waitakere Libraries here:
View a
photograph of Geoff Moon
erecting a folding bird watching hide.
Further information about Geoff Moon:
View a list of arts laureates, including Geoff Moon below:
Note: You will need to have
Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer in order to view and print this document. For
help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful
Tips.
Waitakere
Arts Laureates (Size 1481K)
Dorothy Butler: her life and books
This second part of Dorothy Butler's autobiography starts at Auckland
Teachers' College. It is an account of her experiences as a children's book
publisher in New Zealand as well as an academic, teacher, author, wife, and
mother of 8 children who, in the early days of her marriage lived in a tent.
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All this and a bookshop too by
Dorothy Butler |
All
this and a bookshop too / Dorothy Butler.
Part one
of Dorothy Butler's autobiography 'There was a time'
Remembering a warm and affectionate childhood is an account of Dorothy's life up
to the age of 18.
Babies
Need Books:
Is a book by Dorothy Butler about 'Sharing the Joy of Books with Children from
Birth to Six'. Originally published in 1980, is considered a classic in its
field. It contains summaries of hundreds of books for young children, broken
down by age and topic.
Dorothy Butler is an authority on children's books and reading, and an author of
books in both these fields, many of which can be found in our libraries.
View Dorothy Butler's other books.
The story of the 'Dorothy Butler Bookshop' and her desire to provide good
quality children's books began when she gave book talks to new parents at
Playcentre. She initially operated a store from the family lounge where her
husband built shelves to store the books and wrote some best loved children's
books herself.
Dorothy Butler is now in her 80's and lives in Karekare.
Preserving Your Family heritage
Note: You will need to have
Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer in order to view and print this document. For
help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful
Tips.
Preserving
Your Family's Heritage (Size 200K)
How to preserve your family photographs, letters, diaries and other historical
documents.
Please contact us
Waitakere City Air Force Bases
Hobsonville Airbase
Hobsonville: Portrait of a Seaplane Station by Bee Dawson looks at Hobsonville
Airbase from it's beginnings in the 1920s to 1965. This is a well-researched and
attractive book with plenty of quality photographs.
The author, a social
historian, tells us not only about the planes, but also the people of the
airbase community. Included too is a chapter about Hobsonville before the
airbase was built, and another on early aviation in New Zealand.
The book has
extracts from the defence plan for Hobsonville, and a useful index.
Click here to view more details on the book.
| Click to
enlarge images |
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| N.A.C. Sunderland |
Trainee aircrew |
Waiting for a
plane
Whenuapai Airport |
Wings & Wheels Day |
Whenuapai Airbase
Christopher Neighbours takes a look at Whenuapai Airbase in his book Whenuapai, 1945-1965: Royal New Zealand Air Force Station & Whenuapai International Airport, Auckland.
We see how it was a joint military and civilian airport, and Auckland's first international airport. The origins of the airbase and various eras of its history are examined. His account finishes in 1965 when the civilian operation ended but the epilogue considers the 1970s. Plane buffs too will find numerous photographs of aircraft from the period and some flight timetables.
Click here to find where the book is held.
Local History
Many thanks to the staff at Waitakere Central Library Local History Services for sourcing the
photographs. Check out
Local
History Online for online historical resources of Waitakere City.
 Donations
On behalf of Waitakere Library and information Services we would like to
thank you for your donation.
Donations may be dropped off at any branch of
Waitakere Library and Information
Services.
If this material/item is to be added to the Library Local History Collection the
donor will be contacted by a library staff member and asked to complete a formal
deed of gift. Ditto, if you have given a special item/s such as photographs, or
personal papers, you will be contacted by a local history staff member.
Note that you need to have authority to donate this material/item to Waitakere
City Libraries & Information Services.
The Donor Form below needs to be signed and states that the
material gifted to us may not be added to our collection. Donated books and
magazines may be added to the collections at any of our various branches, passed
to other institutions or sold on our behalf and the money raised may be used by
charity or returned to the library as revenue, or discarded in accordance with
library policy. All items are assessed by our Collections Management Team who
are not obligated to include donations into the permanent collection.
If a donor wishes to discuss matters concerning their donation please
contact the Collection & Service
Development Manager & Team Leader.
Donations, whether added to the collection, donated or sold, all support our
library service and we thank you for your contribution.
Note: You will need to have
Adobe Acrobat Reader
installed on your computer in order to view and print this document. For
help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful
Tips.
Donation form
(Size 44K)
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| Women on swing-bridge. Isabel Hooker, 1942 J. T. Diamond Collection, 3076 (5J)
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Waikarekare - Bay of Turbulent Seas
Currently open on Level 2 of Waitakere Library in Henderson is a new
exhibition: Waikarekare - Bay of Turbulent Seas.
The exhibition showcases images from the JT Diamond Image Collection, as well as
a series of images from the Wallace Badham journal – The Iron-Bound Coast. This
journal has recently been released as a book, edited by Mayor Bob Harvey.
A 40 minute video of edited oral history interviews also plays in the
exhibition, with interview subjects talking about the history of Karekare, and
relating their personal memories and experiences.
Visit the Waikarekare exhibition today at Waitakere Central Library, Local
History Reading Room, Level 2 - 3 Ratanui Street, Henderson.
Books
Rolling Thunder: The spirit of Karekare.
Author Bob Harvey
.
The Iron Bound Coast: Karekare in the early years / Wallace Badham ; Edited by
Bob Harvey.
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