The primary role of the New Zealand Cartoon Archive, Alexander Turnbull Library, is to collect and make publicly available New Zealand editorial cartoons.

View this virtual exhibition to sample what is available…. Begin the online tour now The New Zealand Cartoon Archive is based at the National Library of New Zealand in Wellington and is run in partnership by the New Zealand Cartoon Archive Trust and the Alexander Turnbull Library. The Alexander Turnbull Library manages the collection.

What is in the collection:
Over 25,000 cartoons (originals and copies), from the 1860s to the present. The great majority are by New Zealand cartoonists. They cover politics, social issues, economics, sport, culture, history, international issues, etc. Topics include life in New Zealand in general and how New Zealanders view the world.

You can view cartoons in person or on line.

You can search the catalogue.

You can order copies of our cartoons.

You can order our publications including the latest book – Between the Lines: A cartoon century of New Zealand political and social history, 1906-2005 by Ian F. Grant.

The New Zealand Cartoon Archive was launched on 1 April 1992 as a partnership between the New Zealand Cartoon Archive Trust and the Alexander Turnbull Library. It was fully absorbed into the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library, Wellington, New Zealand in 2005. More information.