Day: 15 June 2015

Celebrate Matariki – and win an eReader!

Donna9 Comments

Ko tēnei te wā o Matariki tāpuapua. It is the time of Matariki. Rāpare (Thursday) 18 Pipiri (June) 2015 is the start of the Māori New Year. Join the Christchurch celebrations at the Botanic Gardens on Sunday 21 June, and at Rehua Marae on Saturday 27 June.

Tell us in the comments what Matariki means to you, and then you are in the draw to win a Kobo Glo eReader! You can use your prize to enjoy our collection of eBooks and eMagazines.

Matariki

Terms and conditions

  • You must be a member of Christchurch City Libraries to be eligible to win an eReader.
  • The competition is not open to staff of Christchurch City Libraries or their immediate families.
  • The competition closes Sunday 5pm 21 June 2015.
  • The judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into and prizes are not transferable.
  • Winners will be contacted by Sunday 28 June 2015.
  • If you are a winner, you consent to your name, photograph, entry and/or interview being used for reasonable publicity purposes by Christchurch City Libraries.

Te Kupu o te Wiki – The Word of the Week

Mo-moLeave a comment

Kia ora. To celebrate Te Reo Māori we are publishing weekly kupu (words).

Kīwaha (colloquialism)

Tuhia ki te rae.
Push the save button.

Kupu (word)

whetū
star

E whitu ngā whetū o Matariki.
There are seven stars in Matariki.

Watch video of someone pronouncing this kupu.
Maori

This week in Christchurch history (15 to 21 June)

VanessacclLeave a comment

15 June 1874
Canterbury College (University) opens. A subsequent public protest prevented its proposed buildings from being sited in what are now the Botanic Gardens.

The Robert McDougall Art Gallery : a profile [7.2MB]
View The Robert McDougall Art Gallery : a profile [7.2MB PDF]
16 June 1932
Robert McDougall Art Gallery opens. The gallery was a gift of R. E. McDougall, Managing Director of Aulsebrooks and Company.

17 June 1843
John Deans lands sheep, cattle and horses at Lyttelton.

19 June 1857
Complaints reported that the Avon and Heathcote Rivers are becoming clogged with watercress. Provincial Council approves £1500 for clearance. Watercress appears to have been introduced by the ship “Compte de Paris” to Akaroa in 1841, and from there to the Avon by William Deans in 1850.

20 June 1928
Canterbury Aero Club formed. The first pilot trained by the club was a woman, Aroha Clifford. She may have been New Zealand’s first woman pilot.

Aroha Clifford
Aroha Clifford. Negatives of the Evening Post newspaper. Ref: EP-0628-1/2-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22823723

21 June 1851
Christchurch Cricket Club formed.

21 June 1851
Road from Christchurch to Riccarton completed.

21 June 1897
Huge celebrations for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee include the official opening of Victoria Park on the Port Hills and the transformation of Market (Victoria) Square by the City Council and the newly formed Christchurch Beautifying Association. The square, once the commercial centre of Christchurch, had contained many early public buildings and services including a prison, immigration barracks, an animal pound and the first post office.

More June events in the Christchurch chronology: a timeline of Christchurch events in chronological order from pre-European times to 1989.