Dunedin Public Libraries and the Dunedin Lebanese Community Present
He Purapura Marara | Scattered Seeds
He Purapura Marara | Scattered Seeds
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About He Purapura Marara | Scattered Seeds
He Purapura Marara | Scattered Seeds is a community-driven digital archive that preserves and shares the living history of Ōtepoti Dunedin. Through photographs, stories, memories, oral histories, documents, and audiovisual recordings, the archive brings together the diverse voices and experiences of the people who have shaped our city. By combining personal contributions with treasures from Dunedin Public Libraries' Heritage Collections, the archive provides a space where the past can be explored, connections can be made, and new stories can continue to grow.
The archive was established through a generous gift from the Dunedin Lebanese Community in 2015. Their contribution funded the creation of the Dunedin Lebanese Community Digitisation Centre at the City Library and the development of He Purapura Marara | Scattered Seeds. Alongside this gift, the community donated a significant collection of photographs and documents tracing the history of Lebanese settlement in Ōtepoti Dunedin from the late nineteenth century to the present day. This collection forms an important part of the archive and stands as a lasting legacy for researchers, scholars, and future generations.
Since its launch in April 2016, He Purapura Marara | Scattered Seeds has grown through the contributions of countless individuals, families, community groups, heritage organisations, and volunteers. What began with a single community's vision has evolved into a collaborative record of life in Ōtepoti Dunedin, reflecting the stories of people from many backgrounds, cultures, and generations. Community members have shared photographs, family histories, memories, organisational records, and oral histories, ensuring that experiences which might otherwise be lost become part of our collective heritage.
The archive has been enriched through partnerships with organisations including Southern Heritage Trust, Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature, Taieri Historical Society, Otago Peninsula Museum and Historical Society, Dunedin Gasworks Museum, and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. These collaborations have added thousands of photographs, videos, interviews, and historical records, creating a richer and more diverse picture of our city's history and contemporary life.
Community participation has also played a vital role behind the scenes. One of the archive's largest initiatives involved the digitisation of approximately 191,500 library index cards documenting life in Ōtepoti Dunedin from 1851 to 1993. More than 400 volunteers worked alongside library staff over eight years to make this invaluable resource searchable and accessible online. Their collective effort has opened up generations of local knowledge and demonstrates the power of community involvement in preserving and sharing history.
The archive also provides access to a wide range of material from Dunedin Public Libraries' Heritage Collections, including newspapers, publications, photographs, memorabilia, manuscripts, maps, troopship journals, and audiovisual material. Highlights include selected items from the Reed Medieval and Renaissance Manuscript Collection, which spans the tenth to sixteenth centuries. Through digitisation, these collections can now be explored by people locally, nationally, and around the world.
At its heart, He Purapura Marara | Scattered Seeds belongs to the community. Its purpose is to collect and share the memories, stories, and mementoes of the people of Ōtepoti Dunedin—individuals, whānau, hapū, cultural groups, organisations, and communities whose journeys, experiences, and contributions have shaped this place. Like seeds scattered on the wind, these stories take root and become part of our shared history.
We invite you to explore the archive and discover the people, places, and events that have helped define Ōtepoti Dunedin. We also encourage you to contribute your own photographs, memories, and stories, helping ensure that the archive continues to grow and reflect the rich diversity of our community for generations to come.