Search help for PNCC page
The Ian Matheson City Archives holds the archival records of the Palmerston North City Council (and bodies that it superseded like the Kairanga County Council and selected records of the Oroua County Council). This search platform allows you to search the records that have been processed and are able to view, subject to applicable access restrictions. Most of this material is not available digitally, but you can use this service to find and order materials to be viewed in person at our Reading Room in the Palmerston North Central Library or digitised for digital delivery, if possible.
Please be aware that:
- Some materials may not be able to be accessed due to privacy or access restrictions.
- Some materials may not be able to be digitised due to fragility or cost.
If you have any questions or would like further assistance, the Heritage Team can provide in-depth support and advice at heritage@pncc.govt.nz
Start your search with the search bar by inputting keywords.
You can use keywords to search for records held in the Ian Matheson City Archives by inputting them here and clicking the magnifying glass icon. The default sorting option is “Relevance,” but you can reorder your results to show the earliest or latest records by the creation date and the earliest and latest records added to the database using the sort options.
If you find you are getting too many results that are not relevant, you can tailor your search further by using these tools:
- use quotation marks to create exact search queries
- add subsequent keywords using the + button
- toggle the filters in the sidebar to filter by a date, format, series and more
Exact Search Queries
Adding quotation marks to your keywords limits the results to only those that match your query exactly.
For example:
Will return any results that have either the keyword rate or book in them.
Will limit the results to those with the term “rate book” in them - much more useful if that is specifically what you are looking for!
Exact match searching with quotation marks is helpful for many kinds of searches, including property or land information (i.e. “6 Avenue Street”, “Hokowhitu Lagoon”), specific kinds of materials (i.e. “Report Books” or “Council Minutes”) or searching for people (i.e. “John Smith”, “Jill White”. If you don’t get the results you are searching for, try a general search without quotes to see the format of records you are seeking. The Heritage Team is happy to help with search requests at heritage@pncc.govt.nz
Adding Keywords
Adding keywords to your search allows you to narrow down the results if you want to search by multiple keywords that are not necessarily an exact phrase in the record description.
For example:
A search for Russell returns 201 results, but if you are only looking for subdivision records, you can add subdivision as a keyword.
Adding subdivision as a separate keyword limits the results to only records with both words present.
Adding correspondence as a separate keyword limits the results to only records with both words present.
Keywords can be deleted individually by clicking the “x” next to it.
Using Filters
The table explains what type of information each filter contains, and gives some tips on using them.
| Field Name |
Meaning |
Search Tips |
| Identifier |
PNCC Series code |
Use if you want to search within a specific series or set of series. Your search term must start with PNCC. You can browse and search the series descriptions here. |
| Access |
Access restriction status |
Some materials have access restrictions for reasons such as privacy, commercial sensitivity or security concerns. In certain cases, redacted copies of records can be supplied for restricted material. If you feel a record has been incorrectly restricted, please contact us. |
| Type |
Primary format of material |
Use this field if you know that you are looking for a specific format, i.e. a map/plan. This data is incomplete and may limit your search results if used. |
| Is Associated with Place |
Primary geographic location a record is relevant to |
This data is very incomplete and may limit your search results if used. We are working to make this a more complete feature in future. |
| Finding Aid |
PNCC Series name |
Use if you want to limit your results to a specific series or set of series. Enter a keyword to see the series title, then select this to limit your search. If there are multiple series with the keyword in the title, you can navigate through them using the left and right arrow keys. You can browse and search the series descriptions here. |
| Date |
Creation date for the record or set of records |
Will return results anywhere within the date range of the records. Date is generally limited to a year level, but some records have more detailed information. Not all records have dates associated with them, so if something isn’t returned that should be, try searching without this field. At present, there is no fuzzy or circa date searching - please use the widest range of dates that could apply. |
If you are having trouble locating something or see something you think is incorrect, please contact the Heritage Team at heritage@pncc.govt.nz
