Sandringham Stories

Combining interviews with original and archival photographs, Sandringham Stories follows the lives of eight Sandringham residents set against the backdrop of an evolving community.

When Hugh Anderson’s grandfather arrived in New Zealand in the early 1900s, he settled in an Auckland suburb known as Edendale, which was then little more than flood-prone farmland. In the 1920s, with the arrival of drainage infrastructure, a school, and a tramline down Edendale Road, the area was renamed Sandringham. It is here that our story begins.

Sandringham Stories is a narrative history project that explores the suburb's history and celebrates the people who make up our community. The book is grounded in the recollections of eight past and present residents of Sandringham: Alison, Fay, Helga, Hugh, Mark, Rānana, Robert, and William. Some of their families have lived in Sandringham for generations; others moved here from small farming communities and railway junctions. What they have in common is a strong sense of the way this community has shaped their lives.

This project is made possible by funding from the Albert-Eden Local Board's Neighbourhood Arts programme, with support from the Sandringham Project in Community Empowerment (SPiCE). Copies of Sandringham Stories are being sold at-cost.