About Papers Past
Access to digitised New Zealand newspapers and periodicals from 1839 to 1945. Coverage includes the first fifty years of The Press from 1861 to 1915.
Use Papers Past now
Key features
Papers Past from the National Library of New Zealand showcases over 68 historical newspapers and periodical titles, with more being added regularly. Papers Past allows you to:
- Read New Zealand’s earliest newspapers — the oldest listed is New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, August 21, 1839;
- Access the first 50 years of The Press, from 1861 to 1915. This will be increased to 1920 later in the year;
- Read the newspapers in English and te reo Māori;
- See full page and article images;
- Search using keyword or browse options. Browse lets you look at all the newspapers, starting with a year, a region, or a newspaper title.
More information
The newspapers in Papers Past are a great source of information about the social, economic and political events of the times. Researchers of family history and whakapapa (genealogy) will find the shipping news, births, deaths, marriages and divorce proceedings of interest! A range of regional newspapers are available on the site, making it a valuable source of information on life outside the main centres. This is also a fantastic resource for Cantabrians as Papers Past’s coverage of The Press covers the early years of the Canterbury settlement, the first years of World War I, political commentary and public comment, and has heaps of detail for family historians.
