The records of the Going West Trust (1996–2022) make a notable addition to Kura Heritage Collections Online. The library has included an extensive summary record to describe the origins and success of the Going West Writers Festival. It also provides a detailed series listing of the materials that have been arranged, described, digitised and made available via Kura. Series comprise photographs (hard copy, negative, digitised), administrative records, ephemera (festival programmes, tickets, brochures, posters, bookmarks and the like), news clippings, correspondence, sound recordings, DVD recordings and business files.
The 1996 Going West Writers Festival arose from well-known bookseller Murray Gray and Naomi McCleary, Waitākere City Council’s Arts Coordinator, collaborating to create a literary event that would incorporate a West Auckland train trip akin to the steam train journey in Maurice Gee’s Going West (1992) — a case of life imitating art. The festival continued and grew more vibrant year by year. As Auckland Libraries notes, it was where:
'A who’s who of New Zealand writers, musicians, and artists graced the stage and shared their work. The festival always stayed true to its mission to support, celebrate, and enable the sharing of writing, performance, and cultural commentary from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific. It included events for families and children such as Storyfest, a theatre programme, and spoken word poetry slams.'
When the Trust put its collection into the safe keeping of Auckland Libraries, the West Auckland Research Centre undertook some initial organisation and description. Gaps in use permissions were addressed, and two oral histories with the festival founders commissioned.
In June 2024, the Going West Archive Project obtained a Lottery Grants Board heritage grant of $46,000 to arrange, describe, digitise and make available online the materials relating to the festival. Auckland Library Heritage Trust committed one third ($23,000) of the total cost of this project as the basis for the Going West Trust's application to the Lottery Grants Board. The shared funding supported James Littlewood to consolidate items across the collections and undertake more detailed descriptions of the photographs and audio recordings.
When the Lottery grant was announced, the chair of the Going West Trust wrote to ALHT:
'Our heartfelt thanks for that support and for your patience in holding that grant through the many months it took for us to apply successfully.'
ALHT is proud to have supported this important project. David Simcock says, 'Our trustees congratulate the Going West Trust and Auckland Libraries on the delivery of this contribution to preserving our heritage. For a quarter of a century, Going West Writers Festival was a stellar event in the cultural life of Auckland, the country and beyond.'
Go to the summary record on Kura Heritage Collections Online
