Wairarapa history brought to life as 1940s newspapers go digital

Around 1,700 editions of the Wairarapa Times-Age from 1944 to 1950 are now accessible from anywhere in the world, following the Wairarapa Archives’ involvement in the National Library of New Zealand’s Collaborative Newspaper Digitisation Programme.

The Archive secured a spot in the programme in May last year, and after Masterton District Library received $5,500 in funding from Masterton Trust Lands Trust, the digitisation project is now complete with the newspapers available through the National Library’s Papers Past website.

The digitised 1944-1950 Times-Age editions, comprising nearly 15,000 pages, join editions from 1938 to June 1944. Papers Past also includes digitised copes of the Times-Age’s predecessors, the Wairarapa Age and Wairarapa Daily Times.

Masterton District Council’s Content and Access Manager Stephnie Burton says it is exciting to see the newspapers made available online.

“This work is a key part of not only preserving Wairarapa’s history, but also making it more accessible to anyone who wants to learn more,” she said.

“It’s been a significant project over the past year, so it’s incredibly rewarding to now see it live and available to the public.”

The programme provides partial funding to support the digitisation of newspapers across Aotearoa New Zealand. Preserving newspapers is especially important, as older editions were often the primary source of news and information, documenting the people, places, and events that have shaped community identity.

“Physical newspapers become more fragile over time. Digitising them not only preserves this content for future generations, but also makes it far more accessible, not just locally, but globally,” Burton says.

“The Archive receives research requests from all over the world, so making our collections available online is a huge step forward.

“We are also very grateful to Masterton Trust Lands Trust for their funding support, which has made this project possible.”

The Wairarapa Times-Age editions from 1944 to 1950 are now available to view at: Papers Past | Newspapers | Explore Newspapers

BANNER IMAGE: Content and Access Manager Stephnie Burton and Heritage Digitisation Specialist Adam Simpson with a copy of first copy of the Wairarapa Times-Age, originally printed in 1938 and reprinted in 1995. [Supplied by Puke Ariki Museum and Libraries]