Wellington readers can revisit decades of local news, arts and city life as Capital Times joins Agenda magazine and W5 in the Wellington City Recollect digital archive.
Wellington City Libraries will celebrate the three digitised publications at Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui on Wednesday 28 October. Former contributors, publishers and the public are invited to the free launch.
For readers who remember picking up Capital Times each week, the archive brings back a publication that began with a different audience in mind.
Its predecessor, Capital Visitor, started in 1974 as a guide to Wellington’s attractions, restaurants and hospitality venues. Renamed Capital Times in 1982, it gradually became a weekly community newspaper.
John Bristed and Alison Franks bought the paper in 1990. As managing editor, Franks developed its coverage of the city’s arts scene over the following 22 years. The free newspaper ran for more than three decades.
The other two publications offer a view of Wellington in the 1980s.
John Dow and Gayle Page founded Agenda in late 1984, with its first issue appearing in early 1985. It carried news, reviews and event listings over the next five years.
W5 ran in 1983 and 1984. Edited by journalist and local historian David McGill, it included feature-length investigations and sold for $1, unlike the free Capital Times and Agenda.
The launch is part of Wellington Heritage Festival and runs from 5.30pm to 7pm in Ngā Pou Ruahine, Level 2 of Te Matapihi, 65 Victoria Street.
The publications are being made available through Wellington City Recollect. Launch details are available here.
