Leslie Adkin: Local History Discussion

Wellington Libraries’ Local & NZ History Specialist Gábor Tóth will discuss the book Leslie Adkin: Farmer Photographer with author and Te Papa Curator Photography, Athol McCredie.

This free talk will explore in detail the rich history of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, the Wellington region, in the early 1900s, and the lives that Adkin captured in his remarkable photographs.

Leslie Adkin (1888–1964) was a Levin farmer, photographer, geologist, ethnologist and explorer, a gifted amateur and renaissance man, of sorts, who used photography to document his scholarly interests, farming activities and family life. His much-loved and exceptionally beautiful photographs taken between 1900 and the 1930s are one of the highlights of Te Papa’s historical photography collection, and an exhibition of these photographs is currently on display.

Athol McCredie is Curator Photography at Te Papa, where he has worked since 2001. He has been involved with photography as a researcher, curator and photographer since the 1970s. His publications include Brian Brake: Lens on the World (2010), New Zealand Photography Collected (2015), The New Photography: New Zealand’s first Generation of Documentary Photographers (2019), Leslie Adkin: Farmer Photographer (2024), shortlisted for New Zealand's National Book Awards, and New Zealand Photography Collected: 175 Years of Photography in Aotearoa.

Gábor Tóth is the Local & NZ History Specialist for Wellington City Libraries. He has been involved in researching & documenting the region’s history for over 30 years, as well as digitising heritage materials and developing new resources to help communities engage with their past.

Please note: This event is at Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui | Wellington’s Central Library.