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Papers Past

Papers Past is the National Library's free full-text archive of historic newspapers, magazines/journals, letters/diaries, parliamentary papers and books. It includes Māori niupepa and material written for Māori audiences.

Search the wording people used then​

OCR search works best when the search terms resemble the historical text. Build a small list containing:

  • modern name
  • spelling variants
  • forms without macrons
  • old block or survey-district names
  • historical road/river spellings
  • common OCR confusions

Use exact phrase, any/all words, date and publication filters rather than one giant query.

Spatially useful material​

Papers Past can reveal:

  • floods and river changes
  • road construction and public works
  • land sales/auctions and block references
  • settlement/kāinga mentions
  • bridges, ferries and routes
  • place-name variants
  • parliamentary reports containing maps/plans

The AJHR collection can contain government reports, maps, plans, photos, sketches and diagrams.

OCR is an index, not the source wording​

Open the page image and read the original when a name or number matters. Preserve the article URL, publication, date and page.

Use OCR and fuzzy place-name searching when names are difficult.

Last reviewed: 26 August 2026

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