About Mahara Upper Hutt Community Archive

 

 

Mahara Upper Hutt Community Archive exists to preserve and celebrate the stories, people, and places that have shaped our city, from the everyday to the extraordinary.

 

“Mahara” is a te reo Māori word meaning memory, recollection, or thought. It speaks to the heart of what we do: holding space for memories, honouring the past, and keeping the essence of our community alive for future generations. As a name, Mahara reflects our commitment to being a living, growing record of the Upper Hutt community, not just a place where history is stored, but a taonga where local memory is treasured, shared, and kept vibrant.

 

The community archive was established in 1996 with support from the New Zealand Lotteries Grants Board and the Upper Hutt Rotary Club. Since then, it has grown into a rich and diverse collection of original heritage material, including photographs, newspapers, manuscripts, maps, oral histories, archives, and more. Every item in the community archive has been donated by our local individuals, whānau, community groups, clubs, churches, and businesses.

 

Mahara Upper Hutt Community Archive is managed by our heritage team at Upper Hutt Libraries. Items can be viewed on request, and we welcome anyone interested in exploring, researching, or contributing to the community archive.

 

Whether you have a box of old photos in the garage, a story passed down through generations, or a club history tucked away in a filing cabinet, we’d love to hear from you. Every piece you shared adds to the rich tapestry of our shared Upper Hutt heritage.

 

To learn more or contribute to Mahara Upper Hutt Community Archive, please get in touch with our heritage team.

 

Thank you for helping us build our Upper Hutt memories together.

 

 

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About RECOLLECT

 

Mahara Upper Hutt Community Archive is hosted on RECOLLECT.

 

RECOLLECT is an online platform for presenting digital heritage collections built and hosted by New Zealand Micrographics Services (NZMS).

 

It has been specifically designed for fostering community participation, enabling heritage organisations to draw on the valuable knowledge, stories, and energy out there in their respective communities to add value to their collections.

 

Constructed using proven open source tools, RECOLLECT is easy to navigate and provides an exciting range of options — such as annotation, geo-tagging, and bookmarking —  to enhance the user experience.

 

More information can be found on the Recollect website.