Your Stories – West Auckland’s local papers

The “Your Stories” project is a vital initiative dedicated to protecting and celebrating the unique voice of West Auckland. Led by the Preserving Local History and Education Trust, this project focuses on the urgent preservation and digitization of at-risk local newspapers that serve as the living memory of the community. By securing these fragile historical documents, the project ensures that the stories, identities, and events of past generations remain accessible to tens of thousands of current and future New Zealanders.

The core of the project involves locating, preserving, and digitizing specific publications that are not currently available online or in official archives. These include:

· Waitakere Gazette (1952–1966)

· Southwestern Leader (1962)

· Henderson Gazette

Once digitised, these materials will be made freely available to the public via Papers Past, a national digital repository. The project also extends beyond digital archiving to include community engagement initiatives in collaboration with local libraries, genealogical groups, and historical societies.

The significance of this work was recognised through a successful grant of $17,129.80 from the Lottery Environment and Heritage fund. This critical financial contribution supports the technical processes required to ensure these taonga (treasures) are not lost to decay but are instead honoured and shared.

About

The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust (Te Pupuri I Nga Hitori o Te Rohe Trust) wishes to preserve the stories that have helped to shape our communities and our nation, and to make these accessible to New Zealanders both at home and abroad.

We have commenced a multi-stage, multi-year project Your Stories that seeks to preserve Aotearoa New Zealand’s written history for our tamariki and increase access to New Zealand’s cultural history.