Collections and resources
Most of the collections at Research North are borrowable and cover an extensive range of New Zealand topics, including titles about the North Shore, Hibiscus Coast and Rodney, Māori and Pacific titles, family and local history, New Zealand war history, social history and more.
Browse over 10,000 Aotearoa art books, journals and artist files (in-library use only) in the Angela Morton Room Te Pātaka Toi Art Library on Level 1 of Takapuna Library.
Explore the New Zealand Children’s reference collection (in-library use only) - the most comprehensive public collection of children’s and teen books at Auckland Council Libraries.
Family history and whakapapa
Research North offers a wide range of genealogy and whakapapa research resources including:
- New Zealand and Māori Births, Deaths, and Marriages (BDM) indexes on microfiche
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The North Shore Times and other local newspapers
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The New Zealand Herald from 1992 on microfilm
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Niupepa Māori (Māori newspapers) 1842–1933 on microfiche
- North Shore electoral rolls since 1982
- Family history books, magazines, and guides
- Māori Land Court Minute Books for Auckland, Orākei, Mahurangi and Kaipara in print
- Access to Ancestry Library Edition, Find My Past, MyHeritage, and The Genealogist websites and other family history online databases, including international historic newspapers.
Specialist family history and Poukōkiri Rangahau Māori (Māori research librarians) are available to support you with your research. Contact Research North for more details and to set up an appointment.
Other collection highlights:
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North Shore Times Advertiser newspaper issues
- North Shore Historical Association collection
- Paul Titchener Collection - Dozens of artefacts from the North Shore’s earliest days
- Charles Chandler Collection – Documents relating to North Shore’s labour history
- North Shore residents’ and ratepayers’ association collections
- Local schools and clubs’ collections
- Local writers and artists collections, including Gordon Minhinnick, Roger Hall, and Christine Cole-Catley.
Digital collections
Donations to the collection
Research North may accept donations of records, photographs, ephemera, oral histories, and manuscripts with a North Auckland focus. Please contact Research North for more details, to schedule an appointment, or if you would like to view something in the archives.