AHI Summer Research Scholarships
Research Articles
From Contestation to Celebration: Community Responses to Arrivals at Auckland Airport, 1965-Present
Part Five From Contestation to Celebration: Community Responses to Arrivals at Auckland Airport, 1965-Presentby Alexandru Cotos* In the iconic opening line of the 2003 film Love Actually, Hugh Grant states that the arrivals section of Heathrow Airport is a place where...
Buried Under the Tarmac: The ‘Pre-History’ of Auckland International Airport, c.1350-1960.
Part Four Buried Under the Tarmac: The ‘Pre-History’ of Auckland International Airport, c.1350-1960.by Alexandru Cotos* In 1955, the southern end of Māngere was chosen to be the site of Auckland’s international airport. The location was considered ideal for aviation...
Flying High or Left Behind? A History of Proposals for an Airport for Auckland, 1929-1959
Part Three Flying High or Left Behind? A History of Proposals for an Airport for Auckland, 1929-1959by Alexandru Cotos* With the strides in aviation technology during the 1920s came a great hope that Auckland could finally break its isolated position in the far corner...
Winging It: Auckland’s First International Airports, 1939-1965
Part Two Winging It: Auckland’s First International Airports, 1939-1965by Alexandru Cotos* As aviation technology continued to emerge and develop in the 1930s, the era of grass paddock airports was forcibly ended. Undeveloped sites like Glenora Park and Māngere...
Getting Our Wings: Early Airports in Auckland, 1911-1945
by Alexandru Cotos*
Auckland International Airport is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s best assets. In the 2024 financial year, it carried 18.5 million passengers to and from 42 destinations by 26 airlines and made $900 million. The airport is undoubtedly one of the bastions of the modern economy, the gateway connecting Aotearoa New Zealand to the world. Its sleek terminals and massive concrete runway create a sense of modernity, and a space disconnected from history. Yet, under closer examination, Auckland Airport is full of history.
Crowning Glory
Part Four Crowning Gloryby Toby West* By the early 1990s, Auckland’s Anglican cathedral had been sitting in an embarrassing half-completed state for around three decades. So far, only the neo-gothic chancel designed by Charles Towle (1898–1960) had been built. The...
Monumental Alterations
Part Three Monumental Alterationsby Toby West* In April 1959, construction work had finally begun on Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell. Two decades had elapsed since the original design competition, in which first-prize had been awarded to Charles Towle for his...
A Splendid Gift
Part Two A Splendid Giftby Toby West* On the morning of the 14th of October 1926, a large group of Auckland’s Anglican community assembled in St. Mary’s – the Victorian timber church which had served as the city’s cathedral for the last forty years. This group, which...
A Noble Site
by Toby West*
Holy Trinity Cathedral is a building familiar to most Aucklanders. Serving as the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Auckland, it stands in a prominent position overlooking the city from the top of Parnell Road. It hosts a variety of events, spiritual and secular alike.
‘The Corpse’s Frequent Kicks’ Auckland Teachers College, 1965 – 1986
Part Three ‘The Corpse’s Frequent Kicks’ Auckland Teachers College, 1965 - 1986by Cameron Gregan* In 1962, the Commission on Education released the ‘Currie’ report, which recommended that changes be made to Aotearoa’s teachers’ colleges to increase academic standards...
‘The Rocks of Indifference’ Auckland Teachers College, 1947 – 1964
Part Two ‘The Rocks of Indifference’ Auckland Teachers College, 1947 - 1964by Cameron Gregan* From 1926 to 1946, the staff and trainees of Auckland Training College endeavoured to perpetuate the collegial atmosphere which they regarded as defining the experience of...
‘We Are Pioneers’ Auckland Training College, 1926 – 1946
by Cameron Gregan*
From 1926 to 1946, the feeling of camaraderie which prompted trainees to dance with their principal would define the experience of attending Auckland Training College. Indeed, the student community of Auckland Training College would thrive despite such challenges as the Great Depression or Second World War.