Manawatu District Council invites district residents to tap into the "rich history" the Council has stored in its archives.
The people of the time kept very good records and although some were destroyed in a fire before the turn of the century we do have a wonderful resource that people throughout the world can, and do, draw on when writing their family histories. Hardly a week goes by when the Council doesn't receive a letter or phone call from someone asking if we can access information for them.
The archives are open from 8am to 4pm daily. It is suggested that anyone wanting assistance should call the council's customers services to arrange an appointment . To raise awareness of Manawatu District's history, the council gave several district schools copies of 'Pioneering to Prosperity' which the Feilding Borough Council and Oroua County Council published in 1981 to mark the Manchester Block Centennial.
The book's author drew his information from the Manchester Roads Board's second minute book.
Copies of the book can be purchased from Council's customer services desk for $4. Manawatu District Council would be happy to donate copies to any district school libraries who might want one.
Besides council history, the archives also hold information for a range of organisations and businesses including churches, schools, families and individuals.
Manawatu District Council was given sole responsibility for looking after the district archives following the 1989 amalgamation of the Feilding Borough and Kiwitea, Oroua, Pohangina and Manawatu county councils.
Although the archives will remain the property of the Manawatu District Council, the Archives Central will do all it can to preserve the archives while also making them accessible.