New Lynn War Memorial Library
library in New Lynn, Auckland
New Lynn War Memorial Library (Māori: Te Pātaka Kōrero o Te Rewarewa) is a public library located in New Lynn, West Auckland, New Zealand. Opening in 1956 as part of a planned community centre precinct and World War I memorial, the original library was demolished and redeveloped in 2005. Memorial Square at the entrance to the museum was redeveloped in 1998 to a design by landscape architect Megan Wraight. The square incorporates brick columns and a sunken waka sculpture, added in 2000 and designed by Te Kawerau ā Maki carvers Sunnah Thompson and Rewi Spraggon.
History
The New Lynn Borough Council began planning a multi-purpose community centre in 1945, which by 1947 had developed into a community centre and war memorial. This centre was envisioned as a complex that would incorporate a public library, council chambers, a kindergarten and courts for sports. Planned in 1954 by Gummer, Ford and Partners, the first section of this community precinct was opened on 28 April 1956 with the construction of Plunket rooms (these were later relocated), followed by the library in May 1957. The New Lynn War Memorial Cenotaph, a memorial to the 16 soldiers from New Lynn who died in World War I, was unveiled by the governor-general, Lord Cobham, on 25 April 1958. The original design included a bronze triptych designed by Richard Gross, and the memorial was originally known by the name Memorial Avenue.
In 1963, further developments to the community centre were made after the opening of LynnMall, the first major American-style shopping centre in Auckland, adjacent to the library.
The public source identifies “New Lynn War Memorial Library” as library in New Lynn, Auckland. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Lynn, Memorial and Library.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “New Lynn War Memorial Library”, the useful work is to connect “library in New Lynn, Auckland” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q111712057. The Library of Congress control number is no2026102969. Authority coordinates are -36.909, 174.683. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1956, 2005, 1998 and 2000.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “New Lynn War Memorial Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.