This photograph was taken by local photographer Jacob Brookie in March 2023 from the dune track leading from the beach carpark down to the sea. It is of the  Waitārere Beach Surf Life Saving Community Facility under construction and the completed building will be the home to the local surf lifesaving clubrooms which can accommodate up to 200 people and host more training sessions. At the time of writing, it will be ready for the 2023/2024 summer season.

Jacob used a 1960 Agfa Flexilette camera to take this photograph. The Flexilette was an unusual camera as it was a twin lensed design built to take 35mm film- not many of these designs have been made! It wasn't all that popular in its day but still takes nice photographs.

The Super Quad Fishing Competition is run by the Manawatu Marine Boating Club, with four fishing days held each year. For 2023, a jetski was the prize, and there were more than 80 skippers and 200 contestants angling to win it. 

Local photographer Jacob Brookie took this photograph of the weigh - in at the final day of the contest- the 7th of April 2023. It was taken in the Manawatu Marine Boating Club's equipment room by the Foxton Beach Boat ramp at around 2pm in the afternoon. Pictured are contestants weighing a kahawai, with a volunteer pictured in the background taking note of the contestant, their boat, the species and the weight.

Jacob used a 1966 Marshal Press camera for this photograph on Ilford black and white film. The metal camera weighed almost as much as some of the fish did! 

This photograph was taken during a very cold morning in June 2022 by local photographer Jacob Brookie. It was taken in the Easton Park sportsgrounds at the back of the Foxton Pools, looking towards state highway one. 

Jacob used a 1990s Seagull 4A camera to take this photograph. The Seagull was a copy of the Rolleiflex camera and was basically unchanged since the 1960s and was made well into the 21st century. During the Cultural Revolution, having one of these cameras in China meant that you were a trusted state photographer (very few owned cameras in China at the time). However, Jacob bought his used online for $90.....

Local photographer Jacob Brookie took this picture in September of 2022- local election season! This scene is of the Seaview Gardens, at the base of the Foxton water tower on Main Street. The signs seen here belonged to candidates for Mayor, Council and the Te Awahou Foxton Community Board. Some of these faces were successful in their bid for office, others less so.

Jacob used a 1956 Lipca Rollop Automatic camera to take this picture.

The 2022 Big Dutch Day Out featured an exhibition of photographer Ans Westra's fascinating glimpses into New Zealand life. Her impact on New Zealand photography and society is far too detailed to do justice in this short description- but it is reasonable to say that she was one of this country's greatest photographers and arriving from the Netherlands as a young women gave her the perspective behind many of her finest works.

Ans Westra was a guest of honour on the day and was part of the line of dignitaries including Members of Parliament and the Race Relations Commissioner who posed for a photograph by the De Molen windmill. Two lines formed- the dignitaries and the people taking a photograph of them.

Local photographer Jacob Brookie was there using a 1950s Yashica 'A' camera from the MAVtech Museum. He noticed the lines forming and thought that this was far more interesting than a front-on photo of notables. He also noticed that Ans Westra (seated in this picture) was taking a photo of the people taking a photo- placing her in both groups at once! 

Ans Westra famously used a Rolleiflex camera for much of her life and the Yashica A had a similar styling. She mentioned to Jacob that the digital camera she was using that day had a folding screen so she could compose pictures 'waist level' like Rolleiflex if she wanted to.

Ans Westra passed away on the 26th of February, 2023.

A feature of Foxton for many years, the 'Foxton Trading Post' second hand shop closed in Winter 2022. Local photographer Jacob Brookie took this photo of the shop's front entrance just before it closed down for good in an effort to preserve this part of the Main Street.

Jacob used a 1934 Rolleicord to take this photograph. The Rolleicord was the budget version of the Rolleiflex camera and was made for amateur photographers. Nonetheless, it was well built and had a quality lens and shutter. 

While not in the Horowhenua District, the Transmission Gully motorway provides an important link between Horowhenua and Wellington City to the benefit of commuters from both regions.

The road opened to traffic on the 31st of March 2022, and Foxton photographer Jacob Brookie took this photograph in May of that year. Jacob used a c.1948 Mamiya Six folding camera to make this exposure from the rear seat of a Mazda SUV. The Mamiya was an advanced camera for its day and was a popular choice of Allied forces stationed in Japan at the time. Jacob's Mamiya has a worn, somewhat cloudy lens which reduces contrast so is used for 'special effects'.

The photograph was taken travelling southbound over Transmission Gully.

Taken with an East German Reflekta Camera.  The lens on this camera had some haze due to it's age and this has created a 'soft focus' look. 

Taken with the East German Reflekta camera. 

This image was taken with a 1956 Lipca Rollop Automatic- One of Jacob's personal cameras. When using an untested MAVtech camera for a story Jacob always brings along a proven vintage camera as a backup! 

Taken with the Reflekta Camera. Black and white film was used in this series. In part, this was for a 'retro' effect but many vintage cameras have early lenses which struggle to take photos outside without lens flare. The effect of flaring is most noticeable in colour! 

Foxton's New World Supermarket was in the midst of renovations when this photograph was taken. The scaffolding, road cones and construction workers quickly became a part of the town's Main Street. 

Local photographer Jacob Brookie took this photograph in June of 2022, looking down the footpath and towards the police station end of the street (towards Himatangi). Jacob used a 1953 Agfa Billy 1 folding camera to make this photograph on Ilford FP4 film.

This photograph was taken on the 14th of August 2022 by Foxton photographer Jacob Brookie. It shows spectators observing the 29th annual Foxton Loop Race- an event organised by 'Welly Paddlers' which sees entrants paddling their boats around the Foxton River Loop.

Jacob used a 1930s Agfa Billy 4.5 to take this photograph. This was an amateur camera whose lens folded into the body using bellows for easy storage. Jacob borrowed this camera from the collection of Foxton's MAVtech Museum which has a range of vintage photographic equipment as part of it's collection of audio-visual technology.

If you came into the library on Wednesday 1 March, you could have been forgiven for thinking you'd taken the DeLorean back to the 1980s. Staff were dressed up to celebrate the opening of the exhibition 'Rewind to the 80's'.

The exhibition was a collaboration between Libraries Horowhenua and MAVtech, the Museum of Audio and Visual Technology (Foxton). It was a nostalgic flashback to the technology of the 1980s, an important decade full of momentum and transformation, with a new millennium on the horizon. Much of the technology we enjoy today stems from innovations from this time.

MAVtech scoured their archives to find some fantastic examples... there's even a space helmet television!

These images are scans of Instax Square photos - actual film photos!

Pictured: Digital Inclusion Coordinator Leala Faleseuga

 If you came into the library on Wednesday 1 March, you could have been forgiven for thinking you'd taken the DeLorean back to the 1980s. Staff were dressed up to celebrate the opening of the exhibition 'Rewind to the 80's'. 

The exhibition was a collaboration between Libraries Horowhenua and MAVtech, the Museum of Audio and Visual Technology (Foxton). It was a nostalgic flashback to the technology of the 1980s, an important decade full of momentum and transformation, with a new millennium on the horizon. Much of the technology we enjoy today stems from innovations from this time. 

MAVtech scoured their archives to find some fantastic examples... there's even a space helmet television! 

These images are scans of Instax Square photos - actual film photos!

Pictured: Digital Inclusion Coordinator Leala Faleseuga, dressed as Erin from the Paper Girls graphic novel series. 

 If you came into the library on Wednesday 1 March, you could have been forgiven for thinking you'd taken the DeLorean back to the 1980s. Staff were dressed up to celebrate the opening of the exhibition 'Rewind to the 80's'.

The exhibition was a collaboration between Libraries Horowhenua and MAVtech, the Museum of Audio and Visual Technology (Foxton). It was a nostalgic flashback to the technology of the 1980s, an important decade full of momentum and transformation, with a new millennium on the horizon. Much of the technology we enjoy today stems from innovations from this time.

MAVtech scoured their archives to find some fantastic examples... there's even a space helmet television!

These images are scans of Instax Square photos - actual film photos!

Pictured: Information, Research and Local History Librarian Kiri Pepene

 If you came into the library on Wednesday 1 March, you could have been forgiven for thinking you'd taken the DeLorean back to the 1980s. Staff were dressed up to celebrate the opening of the exhibition 'Rewind to the 80's'.

The exhibition was a collaboration between Libraries Horowhenua and MAVtech, the Museum of Audio and Visual Technology (Foxton). It was a nostalgic flashback to the technology of the 1980s, an important decade full of momentum and transformation, with a new millennium on the horizon. Much of the technology we enjoy today stems from innovations from this time.

MAVtech scoured their archives to find some fantastic examples... there's even a space helmet television!

These images are scans of Instax Square photos - actual film photos!

Pictured: Collections and Content Librarian Larissa Dixon

If you came into the library on Wednesday 1 March, you could have been forgiven for thinking you'd taken the DeLorean back to the 1980s. Staff were dressed up to celebrate the opening of the exhibition 'Rewind to the 80's'.

The exhibition was a collaboration between Libraries Horowhenua and MAVtech, the Museum of Audio and Visual Technology (Foxton). It was a nostalgic flashback to the technology of the 1980s, an important decade full of momentum and transformation, with a new millennium on the horizon. Much of the technology we enjoy today stems from innovations from this time.

MAVtech scoured their archives to find some fantastic examples... there's even a space helmet television!

These images are scans of Instax Square photos - actual film photos!

Pictured: Library Communications Coordinator Nicky Jenkins

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