The National Library of New Zealand ( The National Library of New Zealand is the national cultural library of New Zealand, formed by the merger of the Alexander Turnbull Library, the Parliamentary Library (supplemented in 1985) and the National Library Service, established in 1920. The library has 28,250 square meters of space and a prestigious music and audio-visual center.

The National Library of New Zealand was established over 30 years ago under the National Libraries Act. Established in 1965, the National Library of New Zealand has been one of the leading libraries in the Asia-Pacific region for over 30 years. It is a government department in its own right and has been an independent government department since 1988, with a director appointed by law, which facilitates the implementation of national policy in the information field. The Library is accountable to the government and directs policy proposals for library and information adoption to the Minister who administers the National Library. Under the New Zealand National Library Act, three copies of each book published in New Zealand must be submitted. The collection of special documents and the National Library's Genealogical Society Archives is one of the features of the collection that helps the current 80% of the country's English-speaking population to scrutinize their own genealogy and to identify traces of European immigration, that is, the history of the British settlers who have been on the island for nearly 200 years. The National Library is a member of IFLA, the New Zealand Library Information Association and the International Federation of Documentation.

The National Library of New Zealand collects, preserves and provides access to intellectual records, especially those relating to New Zealand studies, such as books, photographs, letterheads, paintings, maps, scores and recordings that document local history; provides effective assistance to other libraries in New Zealand and promotes the development of New Zealand libraries; and enriches New Zealand libraries. The library business development; enrich the cultural and economic life of New Zealand; and cultural exchange with other countries.

The National Library of New Zealand's extensive collection includes materials from several libraries and private collections that were later incorporated into the collection. Among them are the 55,000 volumes of private books collected by the great entrepreneur Alexander Turnbull during his lifetime, all rare and antique books, manuscripts, newspapers and magazines, watercolours, prints and photographs, which reflect the life of not only New Zealand but also Australia and the neighbouring islands of Polynesia and Oceania; and the John Milton Collection. Also in the Library's collection are books from the Library of Parliament from 1965-1985, and the Library of Parliament has been accepting sample submissions of New Zealand publications since 1903.

The National Library of New Zealand Collection:

5,200,000 volumes; 12,000 current titles; 22,500 maps; 218,500 photographs; 16,700 recordings; 12,000 cartoons, disks, and audiovisual materials; 314,700 negatives; 1.7 million microfilms; 40,000 works of art; 8,400 posters; and 2,600 meters of manuscripts.