ALHT John Stacpoole scholar; 7 March 2026
Trustees were among the engaged audience at the Central City Library to hear Dr Sue Bradford's talk on her project to sort and describe materials saved after the closure of the Auckland Unemployed Workers’ Rights Centre (AUWRC) in 1999. A 'dishevelled' collection Sue called it, as she acknowledged the support of the 2025 Auckland Library Heritage Trust John Stacpoole scholarship and the practical guidance of the heritage and archival staff for the project. Sue is uniquely placed to sort the material preparatory to its being accessioned by Auckland Libraries.
Attendees at the talk included friends who had participated in protest action with Sue, and she paid tribute to important figures in initiatives such as the people's centres in Tāmaki Makaurau and across Aotearoa.
Sue provided an overview of the materials (minute books, papers and files, publications, cultural works, photos, posters) and stressed how easily ephemeral items are lost. The value of the AUWRC items is significant for future research examining the cross-sectoral coalitions within the anti-poverty and workers' rights movements from 1983 until 1999. People's assemblies, a people's charter and other models for reorganizing society will be of interest to students from a range of disciplines.
Archival and assessment processes were discussed too. Sue spoke about keeping a journal as she goes ('the ethnographic approach') and commented on the joy and sorrow, the 'humour and small surprises everywhere' inherent in the business of memory triggered by artifacts. She noted the 'overwhelming' scale of it all and reflected on the salutary advice from librarians regarding the hard decisions 'real archivists' have to make.
Although qualified to undertake this project, Sue is also aware of the perils of 'insider' archiving: is she 'clear-eyed enough'? What are the benefits and risks of 'deep knowledge'?
The completion of this project, which is close, creates so many opportunities. Through linkages with other collections, in providing access to materials for academic research and other writing, by establishing educational resources (e.g. the appealing posters) and in making it possible for current and future commentators to draw parallels between the radical community development of the past and contemporary happenings. Sue's work orders items from a pre-online age that can be digitised to enable the sharing of stories across generations.
Sue and Auckland Libraries thanked ALHT for making Sue's scholarship available, and the Trust is certainly grateful to Sue and Auckland Libraries for ensuring the safety and prominence of an important community archive.
