Karori Historical Society

Published annually since 1973. Members receive a copy as part of their membership. Most issues are available for purchase ($10) from the Society. To read all issues online click here.

Will Chapman & Kitty Wood (Revised & updated by Judith Burch)

First published 1991. Revised and updated by Judith Burch in 2019.

The streets of Karori are named after its pioneering settlers. The original Karori Streets 1841-1991, published in 1991, described how Karori was sub-divided and how the streets were named. Judith has revised and updated the original text, including new roads and subdivisions. Many new photographs are also included. Karori Streets is the definitive account of Karori’s pioneers and how this podocarp forested valley became Wellington’s largest suburb.

Judith Burch & Jan Heynes

Published in 2011. Out of print. Also available at the Wellington City Library.

This major 368-page history vividly describes Karori’s growth from rural outpost in the 1840’s to the thriving community it is today – one of NZ’s largest and most significant suburbs.   Some of Wellington and New Zealand’s most influential and creative citizens have come from Karori: builder Samuel Parnell, instigator of the 8-hour day; Wellington’s first judge, Henry Chapman, and first woman mayor, Fran Wilde; the young Katherine Mansfield and many other exceptional individuals and families.  Now it is also the home to the Zealandia sanctuary.  This book is packed with stories and pictures of the people who have made – and continue to make – Karori such a vital place.