Te Pūranga Kōrero o Wairarapa/Wairarapa Archive closes to the public today (Friday 2 December) and will reopen in new premises on Monday 16 January.

The new rented site at 3 Albert Street will bring archive staff and the collection back together under one roof for the first time since the previous archive site was found to be earthquake prone in early 2021.

Archive, Assistant Manager Liz Conway is delighted the move will shortly be underway.

“It means both staff and collection will be in a safe environment, with the community’s archival taonga looked after in an appropriate environment,” she said.

“We appreciate the closure may be inconvenient for the next few weeks, but moving an entire archive is a complex operation, and also incorporates the normal Christmas break. We are looking forward to being able to serve customers while having the collection in the same building.”

The archive email (archives@library.mstn.govt.nz) will be answered as staff are able, during this time, but the collection will be inaccessible until the new premises open.

Archive staff have worked out of the Library Learning Centre since the previous archive site was found to be earthquake-prone, with the collection at risk from several leaks in that time.

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