To celebrate 60 years of the National Library, we’re throwing the doors wide open. We are excited to celebrate with you, your whānau and your communities.

Our curators, librarians, archivists and conservators will share some of their favourite collection items and take visitors behind the scenes of the Library. There will be tours of He Tohu, a chance to help build a replica waka and a kids’ corner to keep the whānau entertained. At 2pm, we’ll be celebrating with cake and speeches at HOME Café. 

Our friends at City Gallery Wellington will be open from 1pm to 4pm, and HOME Café from 9am to 3:30pm. 

Book a spot on our back-of-house tour

Take a special guided tour of our collection repositories and learn more about how we preserve the cultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Don’t miss out on this very rare opportunity to take a peek behind the scenes and see some exciting taonga in our collection stores.  

Tours are 40 minutes. Booking is essential as spaces are limited.

Email us for your spot — events.natlib@dia.govt.nz

https://natlib.govt.nz/events/national-library-60th-birthday-open-home-october-18-2025