For this year's Heritage Festival, Auckland Council Archives created a digital exhibition featuring images and descriptions of the mayoral chains that were worn by the mayors of many of the former councils in the Auckland region. The exhibition is still available via our website - here are a few highlights:

New Lynn Borough Council mayoral chain

New Lynn Borough Council’s mayoral chain is striking in its art deco style design.

The mayor, Mr. A.T Reiman, presented the mayoral chain to the Borough of New Lynn.

Theo Meyer of Auckland made the chain in 1939.

The chain has 21 links, 11 of which bear the names of the mayors from 1929 to 1989.

The pendant suspended from the chain is the borough seal, which depicts a winged Mercury with the word “progress” at its feet.

Pukekohe Borough Council mayoral chain

On 10 April 1953 the Town Clerk of the Pukekohe Borough Council suggested that the council might wish to acquire a badge of office for the mayor and that a mayoral chain would be appropriate.

Quotes were obtained from Messrs. Robert Young and Company and an order was placed for a sterling silver gold plated chain for £22 10s.

Provision was made for a crest but, as the council did not have one, a competition was organised by the Chamber of Commerce and a council crest was chosen.

The mayor wore the chain during the royal tour of Pukekohe on 30 December 1953.

Birkenhead City Council mayoral chain

In 1980 the Birkenhead City Council mayoral chain was stolen and a temporary replacement was made.

This chain was made as a permanent replacement by Worrall Jewellers Limited in 1983.

At the time of purchase the Birkenhead City Council was in the process of acquiring a coat of arms, so a space was left for the coat of arms to be inserted later. The new coat of arms was granted in 1984.

Mount Wellington Borough Council mayoral chain

Once the Mount Wellington Road Board achieved borough status in 1952, it was considered appropriate to purchase mayoral chains.

Approval was given to the Town Clerk to purchase mayoral chains at a meeting dated 9 June 1952.

Following the amalgamation of the Mount Wellington Borough Council and the Otahuhu Borough Council in 1986, two engraved links were removed from this chain and added to the Otahuhu Borough Council chain to form the Tamaki City Council mayoral chain.

Mount Roskill Borough Council mayoral chain

At a meeting of the Mount Roskill Borough Council on 23 November 1954 the Keith Hay Mayoral Campaign Committee announced that it wished to present a mayoral chain to the council.

A function was arranged for the presentation of the chain to the Mayor Mr K.W. Hay at St John's Presbyterian Church, Mount Albert Road on 27 January 1955.

View the Mayoral Chains of the Auckland Region online exhibition

To commemorate the centenary of the First World War, Auckland Council Archives developed an online timeline featuring material from the Auckland Council Archives collections. The timeline will be added to for each year of the commemorations and has now been updated to include information from 1915.

The timeline features excerpts from the official minute books of those local authorities in existence in the Auckland region during the First World War to provide an insight into how Auckland reacted and contributed to the war effort.

An interesting common theme across the local government agencies is the Belgian relief fund and the raising of money to purchase the Lindauer collection of paintings.

This letter to the mayor of Auckland from the Auckland Provincial Belgian Relief Fund dated 25 March 1915, talks about the conditions of the Lindauer Collection being gifted to the people of Auckland.

The paintings were "to be handed over to the people of the Auckland Province and are to remain at the Auckland Art gallery" provided that £10,000 was subscribed to the Belgian relief fund.

Our research into the legacy council minute books shows that many of the local government agencies donated towards the £10,000 needed to retain the paintings, this was on top of other fund raising for the war effort. More information on the collection of paintings is found on the Auckland Art gallery site www.lindaueronline.co.nz

View the Auckland Council Archives World War I Timeline

Another new index database has been added to the Search the Archives section of the Auckland Council Archives website.

This index was created from information transcribed from various lists that are held on a Rangitoto Domain Board file titled Baches and other buildings (RDB 314/3/Box 1). The lists contain schedules of buildings, their rateable value and surveys of the buildings and the occupiers which were used to calculate the rent owed to the Rangitoto Domain Board.

Search the Rangitoto Island Buildings and Occupiers Index 1937 and 1955

Also available online this month, are images of plans of the Rangitoto Island recreation reserve. The plans are survey maps of Rangitoto Island showing the position of buildings, tracks and roads. The survey maps were drawn for the Rangitoto Island Domain Board by John Webster, a registered surveyor, in 1937.

Information from the 1937 and 1955 Rangitoto Island index of buildings and occupiers has been plotted against each numbered bach on the plan images. When you view these plans you can hover over drawing pin icons and pop-up boxes appear with data from the index for that bach, giving the name and address of the occupier and a description of the bach.

View the Plans of Rangitoto Island recreation reserve 1937

Please note our research rooms in Auckland CBD, Henderson and Takapuna will be closed to the public from 5pm, Tuesday 22 December 2015 and will reopen at 2pm, Wednesday 6 January 2016.

Our office in Manukau will be closed to the public from 5pm, Thursday 17 December 2015 and will reopen on Wednesday 6 January 2016. From 18 to 22 December 2015, please contact us on 09 307 7792 or email for any enquiries regarding the South Auckland archives collections.

The Archives Team would like to wish you all a very pleasant and safe Christmas and look forward to helping you with your research in the New Year.

Donations of former council records, publications, plans, photographs and memorabilia from the public and former staff are welcome. For more information, please email the Council Archives team at, archives@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Phone              09 307 7792

Email                archives@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Website            www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/councilarchives

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