Friends of the Turnbull Library: Founder Lecture 2022                

28 June 2022

The Founder Lecture 2022 was delivered by the Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO, Governor General of New Zealand. Excerpts of her speech are below with the full speech available here.

“I thought I’d begin by speaking on a topic that rather underpins those things, and one that remains firmly at the heart of who we are as a country – and that’s New Zealand’s relationship with our past.

Rather, I hope to reflect on the relationship between our history and memory on both a national and personal level, on the role the Turnbull Library plays in that relationship, and on the importance of harnessing our historical wisdom for the good of our collective future.

The purpose of the Alexander Turnbull Library is enshrined in the National Library of New Zealand (Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa) Act 2003: ‘to preserve, protect, develop, and make accessible for all the people of New Zealand the collections of that library in perpetuity and in a manner consistent with their status as documentary heritage and taonga; and to develop and maintain a comprehensive collection of documents relating to New Zealand and the people of New Zealand.’

However, I know how proactive the Turnbull Library has been in increasing the reach and diversity of its collection, and in making its resources more accessible to all New Zealanders.

On that note, I wish to congratulate you on your recent publication: Te Kupenga: 101 Stories of Aotearoa from the Turnbull. It is an extraordinary piece of work: a rich and vivid tapestry of your own collection, and by extension, of New Zealand history.

I’m thrilled that much of the book will be available online through the National Library’s Services to Schools, as teachers and students from around the country embark on the new history curriculum next year. I’m sure it will prove an invaluable resource.”

Hosted by the Friends of the Turnbull this event attracted a significant audience both in person and online.

For further information about the Trust to support our work, please go to www.turnbulltrust.org.nz or contact@turnbulltrust.org.nz

Photo courtesy of Mark Beatty. From left: Katherine Baxter, Paula MacLachlan, John Meads, Diana Meads with Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro.