Decades of Ōpōtiki stories, photographs and history are now just a few clicks away, with more than 40 years of the Ōpōtiki News newspaper collection available online through the National Library’s Papers Past website.

The newly digitised collection spans 1938 to 1981, offering an opportunity for residents, whānau and researchers to revisit the people, events and milestones that have shaped the district.

For Ōpōtiki Museum volunteers, making the historic newspapers accessible has been several years in the making, with the project also helping preserve copies of the paper that were becoming increasingly fragile.

The earliest editions, covering 1938 to 1950, were digitised between 2018 and 2019 after museum trustee Sonia Edwards personally paid for the work.

The collection has since proved invaluable to history researchers and others interested in the district’s past.

In 2024, following the closure of the Ōpōtiki News office in Ōpōtiki, the museum took over custodianship of the newspaper collection from 1951 onwards.

Recognising the condition of many of the older papers, museum volunteers and the museum’s trust were keen to see the remaining editions preserved digitally.

The National Library was initially approached but, because of funding cuts, was unable to accept the papers for digitisation at the time.

It recommended contacting the Preserving Local History and Education Trust, which responded positively to the proposal.

With the agreement of Ōpōtiki News owner John Spring, museum volunteers carefully packed the newspapers into a large crate before sending them to Jamie Lean at Micrographics in Wellington.

The Preserving Local History and Education Trust covered the transportation and digitisation costs, with the work completed in July 2025.

A backlog of material awaiting publication on Papers Past meant the community had to wait more than a year before the newly digitised editions became available online.

Now accessible to anyone with an internet connection, the newspapers provide a valuable window into everyday life in Ōpōtiki across four decades, from community events and local achievements to photographs and stories that may help families trace their own histories.

Spring was glad so many old editions were now available to the public.

“We are very pleased to see it digitalised for the future this makes an important part of the town’s history accessible to everyone in the community.

“We really appreciate the National Library and the Museum going through this process and getting it done as well as the Preserving Local History and Education Trust coming to the party as well,” he said.

Lorna Aikman, an Ōpōtiki Museum volunteer and board member, says the collection is already attracting interest.

“One of the best things about this is that it means people can reconnect with family history in the Opotiki area and even see old photos.

“A family I know were delighted to come across a picture of their late grandfather displaying an enormous shark at the Ōpōtiki Wharf from years ago,” she said.

Aikman said although it had been a long process she was grateful to all involved in the project.

“The whole process once we got in touch with the Preserving Local History and Education Trust was just wonderful and they made everything super easy; they organised all the packaging and crates and stuff for the transfer of the documents and were fabulous to deal with. What they are doing for history in the country is wonderful.

“I put together historical resources, and the online editions are so helpful. Also, a historian writing a book on the Tane Whirinaki carvings has been able to find pictures and dates with this new resource for his research,” she said.

The museum has expressed its heartfelt thanks to the Preserving Local History and Education Trust and Jamie Lean for helping bring the project to fruition, along with John Spring, Ōpōtiki News staff and the museum volunteers who helped care for the collection.

The historic editions can be explored free online through the National Library’s Papers Past website at paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.