Māori collections are held at the majority of libraries across the region. They include both current and heritage materials.
Ngā kohinga taonga tuku iho Māori Heritage Māori collections
Collection highlights
Sir George Grey New Zealand Māori manuscripts and letters.
Other New Zealand manuscripts like an 1840 copy of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Treaty of Waitangi
Kōti Whenua Māori Māori Land Court minute books 1865-1975.
Waitangi Tribunal reports.
Māori newspapers 1842-present.
Māori photographs, tribal histories, maps, whakapapa and whānau reunion books.
Māori Births and Deaths Index to 1961, Māori Marriages Index 1952 and Māori Elector's Roll 1909 and 1918.
Specialist Māori collections
Grey New Zealand Māori Manuscript Collection
Held in our Heritage Collections Reading Room, these manuscripts were collected and donated by George Grey are often the first reference for scholars writing and researching Māori subjects.
This collection was inscribed on the New Zealand register of the UNESCO Memory of the World in 2011. See all Auckland Libraries inscriptions.
Grey Printed Māori Collection
Sir George Grey's collection of books printed in te reo Māori are housed in the Heritage Collections Reading Room. Includes some very rare publications, including the first book printed in New Zealand - Ko te katekihama III (The third catechism).
Printed Māori Collection
Books in te reo Māori that were not donated by George Grey. Part of the Heritage Collections housed in Heritage Collections Reading Room.
Te Kohinga Matua, Central City
A comprehensive collection at Research Central that includes:
Māori serials
Māori Land Court Minute Books
Raupatu Document Bank
Waitangi Tribunal reports
facsimile copies of the Grey Māori mauscripts.
Te Wāhi Rangahau, Manukau
A specialist collection at Research South that includes:
Kōti Whenua Māori minute books on microfilm from 1865 to 1975
Raupatu Document Bank
Turton’s Māori Land Deeds on microfiche
Māori electoral rolls
Journals of the Polynesian Society.
Tikanga Māori Collection, Takapuna
This collection brings together material in te reo Māori and relating to tikanga Māori. It is housed in the New Zealand Collection at Takapuna Library. Resources include:
niupepa (1842 - 1933 held on microfiche)
some Waitangi Tribunal reports.
Te Kohinga pukapuka taonga Māori, Henderson
An extensive collection held at Waitākere Central Library. Make an appointment with a specialist librarian to access these by emailing libraryresearch@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
Key online resources
Want to donate to the collections?
We welcome discussions about potential donations to our collections. Find out what kinds of material we accept, how to contact us and what to expect from the process.