Local History

Local History and Archives

We have a growing reference collection of material relating to the history of Mid Canterbury, including:

We actively seek new material for this collection and welcome donations of books, booklets, club records and ephemera relating to Mid Canterbury.

Newspaper Archives

Indexed copies of the Ashburton newspapers starting from 1878 are stored in our Newspaper Archives room and are available for viewing on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Many years of newspapers are on microfilm and can be printed, emailed or saved onto a USB device.  Some newspapers are still in bound volumes and cannot be photocopied.  Photographing and hand copying are permitted.

Staff carry out a newspaper archives search for a fee of $18.00 per ½ hour for those who are unable to visit the library.

To learn more, contact our Library Services team.

Also available on microfilm:

• Wises New Zealand Post Office Directories – limited years 1880 – 1955
• Canterbury Provincial Electoral Rolls – 1868/9 and 1873/4
• 1881 New Zealand Electoral Roll
• 1893 Women on the first New Zealand Electoral Roll