Local histories may cost $l00,000

Press, 26 October 1989, Page 6

Local histories may cost $l00,000

By

TOM METCALFE

Local Government amalgamation has spawned a number of official histories and publications as different local bodies go out of existence.

While many are still being worked on, and may not be published for more than a year, the total figure for the cost of the publications is likely to exceed $lOO,OOO. Some of that money will be recovered from book sales. Yesterday the Christchurch Drainage Board launched the first version of its official history, titled “Christchurchswamp to city.” The 96-page illustrated book

covers the board’s history from its inception in 1875 until its demise this year. The board’s drainage responsibility passes to the new Christchurch City Council next week.

“Christchurch—swamp to city” has cost a little less than $30,000 for a print run of 2000 books, which will sell for $22.50 each at the board offices, and $2B each in bookshops. A second version will be published in 1991, at a further cost of about $30,000. That version will be a larger, more formal record of the board’s activities. The Waimairi District Council commemorated its 79-year history with a book titled b

“Waimairi Life,” published earlier this month. The book cost a little more than $1 a copy to produce, and was distributed free to each of about 25,000 households in the district.

Instead of a formal history, “Waimairi Life” was a look at some of the highlights and interesting events that had happened in the district since it was formed as a county in 1910, the District Clerk, Mr Peter Chapple, said last evening. Work has started on an illustrated history of the Lyttelton commercial area to be published mid-1990.

The Lyttelton Borough Council’s Town Clerk, Mr Gary

Broker, said last evening that the history had been commissioned by the council to mark the 1990 commemorations and the end of the council. He estimated the history would cost less than $20,000 to produce, some of which would come from 1990 Commission grants and some from book sales.

The North Canterbury Catchment Board is also preparing a history to be published next year. The board’s secretary, Mr Brian Mairs, said research had started on the history, which would cover the board’s activities since it was formed in 1944, as well as some paterial on the V

board’s predecessor authorities. The board had not decided in what form the history would be published, but he estimated it would cost about $25,000 by the time the first run of books was printed. The new Selwyn District Council is looking at a history of the three pre-amalgamation bodies that make it up, Ellesmere, Malvern and Paparua Counties. The new district’s community services manager, Mr Kevin Harmer, said last evening that the history was being considered as a 1990 project. However, nothing had been formalised. The project was still “very much up in the air,” he said.