Kaiārahi Kohikohinga Māori - Māori Reference Collection

Since the closure of the Central Library in 2019, most of this collection is now held at our off-site storage location, Te Pātaka; with microfiche and microfilm held at Taonga Tuku Iho, our small heritage reference centre on-site at Korimako | Cummings Park Library.

Interested in viewing a book? Collection items can be sent out on email request to any of our library locations for in-library use only (the material must be read or viewed on-site at one of our library branches).

These books can be identified in the catalogue as held at the 'Offsite Maori Collection', with a location of heritagequeries@wcc.govt.nz.

You can browse these books on our online catalogue:

Important note

Some titles with copies in this special collection, will also have normal lending copies that are available for borrowing.

If this is the case, you can place your reserve as normal for the lending copy — you only need to follow the steps further below to request to view a book in-library if there are no lending copies available.

Subject Headings are the very specific terms or phrases used by libraries to describe what a given book or article is about.

All the titles in the library's Kaiārahi Kohikohinga Māori are catalogued using two resources developed for Aotearoa New Zealand libraries that you can explore to aid your searching below:

• Ngā Upoko Tukutuku — is a list of standardised terms of subjects in te reo Māori which form a structured interface between a Māori world view and a library and archival method of cataloguing and describing a kaupapa/subject. The list also continues to create new terms for environmental, social and recreational activities, guided again by a te ao Māori world view.
• The Iwi Hapū Names List — was derived from the waka, iwi, and hapū names which had been used to describe collections in the Alexander Turnbull Library, and has been reviewed by Te Taura Whiri, the Māori Language Commission. This is not the definitive list but rather an indicative list which may be enhanced further by each local hapū with regard to their own rohe and kōrero.

Found an interesting title and would like to make a request to view a title on-site at one of our library branches? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at the address below to make your request and one of our team will retrieve it for you:

Email us - heritagequeries@wcc.govt.nz

Make sure to include:

• Your library card number
• The library branch you would like to view the book at

You will receive two emails, one confirming we've received your request, and the second when the book has arrived at the branch and is ready for you to view (in-library only).

Most books will be available for you to consult for 3 weeks at the library branch you have chosen. If you don't need a title for three weeks, just let the staff in the branch library know and they will return the book for you.

If you need to renew the item for a further 3 weeks to consult on-site, make a request through the same email (heritagequeries@wcc.govt.nz) and the library team will check if there is another customer waiting and if the book can be made available for longer.

Korimako | Cummings Park Library is now also the home of Taonga Tuku Iho; a small heritage centre of reference resources to help with local history and genealogical research.

Microfiche and Microfilm

The centre also holds the microfiche and microfilm resources that were formerly part of Te Kohikohinga Māori at the (now closed) Central Library.

You can find a list of Te Kohikohinga Māori microfilm and microfiche resources held on-site at Te Whare Pukapuka o Korimako at the link above.

Have a question about the collection? We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch with our Kaimahi, Ratonga Māori, Ann Reweti below:

Email us — enquiries@wcl.govt.nz