More Auckland region newspapers added to Papers Past

Earlier this week the National Library announced that the latest batch of newspapers has just gone live on Papers Past. Auckland Libraries have contributed two newspapers from our collections to the project: the Pukekohe and Waikuku Times from 1921-1924 and the New Zealander from 1853-1866.

The Pukekohe & Waiuku Times (later known as the Franklin Times), one of South Auckland’s longest-lasting local newspapers, was published in Pukekohe from 1912 to 1971. On 8 March 1912 Pukekohe businessmen Richard Eames and William Cargill brought out the first issue of the Pukekohe & Waiuku Times. The new tabloid was just four pages long and came out once a week. As demand grew it increased in size and frequency, becoming bi-weekly from 1 October 1912 and tri-weekly from 5 July 1915.


For a more in-depth look at the Pukekohe & Waiuku Times have a look at our blog post on Franklin newspapers, and also see where it fits in the family tree of the South Auckland Courier.


The New Zealander began publishing weekly in Auckland in June 1845. Under competitive pressure it became a bi-weekly in 1847 and by 1859 it had become the leading newspaper in New Zealand. However, its pro-Māori policy led to a decline in circulation and it stopped publication in 1866.



In his history of Auckland's newspaper business, Extra! Extra! : how the people made the news, David Hastings writes that the "New Zealander's finest hour was its reporting of the Ruapekapeka story. Seventeen years later, in 1863, when it came out as a daily for the first time, the paper reviewed its history and proudly recalled the event.(p.14)"

Having the New Zealander up on Papers Past is a real boon for researchers as this means there is now coverage of Auckland's affairs for the period 1863-1866 from three newspapers on the platform.

Author: Andrew Henry

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