A set of letters between sisters in Carterton and England provide an extraordinary glimpse into rural life in the 1800s. Samuel and Jane Oates are almost legendary figures due to the Samuel’s first journey to Wairarapa. He brought goods from Wellington for Charles...

At 7 p.m. on Friday 18 March 1853 a well–attended meeting, called by a group of Wellington working men, discussed the establishment of a Society to promote the establishment of small farms. The meeting appointed a committee, three of whom who were to have a major...