Expand Pōneke | Wellington histories in Wikipedia

Wikipedia is one of the most-visited websites on the internet, and is a go-to resource for both people and artificial intelligence platforms. Wikipedia articles are kept reliable and up-to-date by thousands of volunteers across the world, but there’s always more to be done. If you’ve ever read a Wikipedia article that was missing some important context, or looked up a topic that didn’t even have an article at all, then now’s your chance to fix it.

Focusing on local histories, the workshop aims to improve coverage of mana whenua (local Māori people) and sites of significance from across Pōneke | Wellington. This three hour session will introduce you to both editing Wikipedia and the amazing history collections at Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui Wellington Central Library.

The session is coordinated by Wellingtonian Lisa Maule, Vice President of Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand and supported by staff from Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui | Wellington Central Library and Wellington City Archives.

• When: Saturday 31 October, 12:30pm – 3:30pm

• Where: Wellington Central Library – Ngā Pou Ruahine 

• How: Register for free on Humanitix

Please bring a laptop or tablet and charger. Afternoon tea will be provided. 

The workshop is an ‘edit-a-thon’ where a group of people focuses on adding edits to Wikipedia and the sister projects Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata.

How to prepare for the Wikipedia workshop

For this project we are going to explore adding information about Māori history and pā sites to existing articles. Feel free to review the Wikipedia project page to see what areas of interest you have (w.wiki/RuJ$).  

For beginners there are a few small things you can do in advance.

• Important: Please create a Wikipedia account prior to the workshop. You’ll need to create a username and password. We recommend a username that doesn’t include your real name, and is anonymous. While adding an email is optional, we recommend this as it’s very helpful if you forget your password. 

• Watching some short videos to introduce you to Wikipedia editing will help you get stuck right in on the day. Our friends at Wikimedia Australia have some great guidance – there’s even one to help you create your account: wikimedia.org.au/wiki/Training

This event is a collaboration between the Te Mataphi ki Te Ao Wellington Central Library, Wellington City Archives, Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand (WANZ) and Wellington Heritage Festival.