History Write Now: South Auckland Writers at the Papakura Museum

Ever wondered about the history of objects in a museum? If they could talk, what tales could they tell?

South Auckland writers were invited into the Papakura Museum to see if they could find out. These stories and poems of love, loss, triumph, new beginnings and changing times include actual events and memories as well as fiction. All are inspired by real taonga (treasures) in the museum.

Aotearoa New Zealand has been peopled by waves of migrants over the land's last millennium. Recurring themes in History Write Now are the fears, hopes and dreams of all migrants - some told from the perspective of the few but precious possessions brought with them. Papakura and South Auckland form the backdrop but not always - these 'flights of fancy' have sometimes taken off to land elsewhere.

The 18 writers in this publication, many of whom are new to writing, were selected from the 2015 History Write Now project. Their stories and poems were edited by author James George, who was the project's writing coach and mentor.