Digitisation of the “A to J’s” reaches 1906

The Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives (AtoJs or AJHRs) are a collection of government related reports including reports documenting the work of government departments and public organisations as well as reports of select committees and commissions of inquiry. The AtoJs have been published every year since 1858, and are important official records of New Zealand’s social, economic and political history. The National Library of New Zealand is managing a collaborative programme to digitise the AtoJs and make them easy to access and freely available online.

With the recent digitisation of more volumes, the coverage of the AtoJs online now extends from 1861 to 1906. The recently added volumes contain reports on coal mining, Parihaka, the Tarawera eruption, the Sweating Commission and the Boer War, to name just a few. A great deal of information about the people of that time is included in lists of civil servants, sheep owners, land purchasers, Māori landowners, petitioners, etc, as the activities of government intersected with people’s everyday lives.

The complete digitisation of the AtoJs is a long-term project, requiring contributions from many stakeholders.

© New Zealand Law Society 2008