Māori Kings and Queens

When Pōtatau Te Wherowhero, paramount chief of the Waikato tribes was announced as the first Māori King in 1858, the foundations were laid and now Koroneihana�is an annual event. All succeeding kings and queens, including the present king are descendants of Te Wherowhero.

Today, Te Koroneihana is a calling together of all Māori to discuss important issues, as well as the bringing together of a continuous and highly regarded genealogy. It is�an open invitation to�visitors from Aotearoa�and throughout the world, to join and to celebrate.

• See Te Koroneihana, a list of resources to help find information on Koroneihana/Coronation and Kingitanga.
• See also our page on the last Māori Queen,�Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu

Just Queens

Those with royal blood aren't the only people entitled to use regal titles, so to mark the 20th Lambda Literary Awards (29 May) and hot on the glitzy heels of Christchurch Pride Week, here are some of our resources for
queer customers (whether queens or otherwise):

• The Lammys - Lambda Literary Awards winners
• Stonewall Book Awards - American Library Association annual awards
• Our guide to Queer Fiction for Adults
• Fiction for gay men - see our catalogue
• Fiction for lesbians - see our catalogue
• General queer resources - from our catalogue
• Our resources for children of gay parents
• If you like...queer reads - booklists and resources for young adults - from The Pulse
• Sexuality advice and resources for teens - from The Pulse

This week in Christchurch history

A handy feature for those keen to find out about local history is the Christchurch Chronology on the library website. Here’s a selection of what happened in Christchurch this week in history:

• June 1, 1862 Hospital opens on site in Hagley Park. But only after the first vigorous “Hands off Hagley” protests by irate citizens.
• June 1, 1961 Television transmission begins from CHTV 3, Christchurch.
• June 2, 1874 "The Press" publishes an evening paper, "The Globe" to compete with "The Star". It became "The Telegraph", then "The Truth", then "Evening News". Publication ceased in May 1917.
• June 2, 1902 Municipal refuse destructor in operation. The destructor chimney, by the present site of the MED, was a dominant city landmark for many years.
• June 4, 1866 Refurbished Royal Princess Theatre re-opens as the first Theatre Royal.
• June 4, 1976 Opera singer Dame Joan Sutherland gives concert.
• June 6, 1905 First electric trams in operation. Unique in Australasia, they had front fenders as a safety feature because of the density of cycle traffic in Christchurch.
• June 6, 1987 $84 million redevelopment of Christchurch Hospital approved.

Take the crown in our new competition - PSPs and iPods up for grabs!

It’s the second term of the school year and we have a new competition that is open to all 13 to 18 year olds in Canterbury. PSPs, iPods and heaps of The Pulse gear is up for grabs to everyone who submits a piece of content between now and the end of Term 2 (Friday, July 4). Easy! We want you to become the media and send us your article, your review of a book, movie or CD, or your original writing and we’ll put you in the draw for:

• A Sony Playstation Portable (PSP), plus The Pulse satchel, 1Gb flash drive, beanie and T-shirt. Four to be won.
• The Pulse iPod kit: An iPod shuffle 1Gb plus a The Pulse satchel, 1Gb flash drive, beanie and T-shirt. Twelve to be won.

Visit ThePulse.org.nz for full competition details.