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Archives NZ Wellington, 10 Mulgrave Street, Thorndon
http://www.archives.govt.nz/index.html
Hours: 9am-5pm Monday to Friday
Introduction	Disclaimer


From the beginning
Three genealogical must do's
Reference Guides and Key Indexes
The Finding Aids: Series Lists, GAIMS and ELMS
The Register Room
The Keys to Archives: Working out where to look



Where to start before you visit.
1. National Library, NZ Society of Genealogists, Registrar General's
Office, museums, historical societies, cemeteries, local authority 
records, schools and churches.
2. Genealogical section of the Archives NZ website
3. Archives NZ Publications

Family History at National Archives (1990) - out of print
Guide to Women's Sources at National Archives, Wellington (1993)
Beyond the Book (1995)
Civilian Government Employees: Sources at National Archives (1995)
Hard Labour, Hard Fare and a Hard Bed: NZs search for its own Penal 
Philosophy (1995)
He Pukaki Maori: A Guide to Maori Sources at National Archives (1995)
Gavel & Quill: A guide to court records at National Archives (1998)
Reference Guides (1-28)

What to bring with you:
1. Appropriate dress for handling potentially dirty and dusty archives.
2. Tissues if you are a sinus sufferer or have a cold. The building is 
air-conditioned.
3. $2 coin for storage of bags and coats in a locker. Refundable on 
returning the key.
4. Paper, pencils and money for pre-payment of photocopying (before 4.45pm)
5. Pre-prepared questions and/or list of resources to be consulted.
6. Detailed notes containing as many names, dates and places as possible.

When you arrive:
1. Obtain key from the front security desk.
2. Sign the register at the main enquiry desk - for fire purposes.
3. Request assistance from an archivist and/or register as a new user.

Etiquette
1. Pencils only are allowed and the reading rooms are "policed" by the 
security guards.
2. Please do not disturb the order of any papers on a file or in a box.

In the event of a fire alarm:
People are requested to exit via the front entrance as soon as 
possible and to congregate at St Pauls. As researchers are not allowed 
to return to their lockers to retrieve personal items it is prudent to 
keep car keys and any other important items with you.

Digital media:
Archives request that the noise features of cellphones be turned off.
Power points are available for laptop computers.
Digital photography is prohibited, as copying facilities for all 
archive types are available.


Three Genealogical Must Do's
Intention to Marry, Death related records and Police Gazettes.

1. Intention to Marry record
1856-1956: (card index in main reading room - up to 1880)
- 1856-1920 gives length of residence in NZ (3 days was the legal minimum)
- if a minor, the name of the person granting consent is recorded
- from 1927 both parents had to give consent (and reasons given if not)

1881-1920: Index to unfulfilled Intentions to Marry


2. Death related records
1867-1876: Succession, Legacy and Residuary Duty Registers.
- 3 duties had to be paid from the estates of deceased persons.
- A district register was kept for each kind of duty.
- A person's name is entered in all three registers even if only one 
duty applies.
- Some entries appear in the registers until 1910 for people who died 
before 1876.
- Details from the district registers were copied into central volumes 
called "Colonial Registers". Information added included where duties 
were paid.
- From 1867-1873 the registers are not indexed. Search chronologically 
by district.
- 1874-1876: only the colonial legacy duty registers are indexed. The 
entry number can then be used to trace similar entries in the 
succession and residuary registers.
- Snippets of information may be recorded in one register but not in 
the others.

1876-1921: Testamentary Registers (also known as Death Duty registers)
- Registers for the period 1922-1962 are restricted as required by 
Statute.
- records details about a single death duty which replaced the three 
previous duties
- duty was payable on all estates for which probate was granted.
- every administrator of a will was required to give particulars of 
all the personal property which belonged to the deceased at the time 
of his or her death. This included debts due and the value of all real 
property.
- central registers cover the whole of NZ and refer to at least half 
the deaths in NZ.
- District registers provide more detailed information.


3. Police Gazettes
- 1863-1877 Canterbury
- 1864-1877 Otago
- 1877-1977 New Zealand wide - restricted from 1931? - 70 year rule?
- Indexed annual volumes - includes perpetrators and victims and possibly witnesses



The Keys to Archives - Working out where to look

Official Publications provide the best indication of where records can 
be found. These include Appendices to the Journal of the House of 
Representatives (AJHR), Appendices to the Journal of the Legislative 
Council, Journal of the House of Representatives, New Zealand Gazette, 
Parliamentary Debates, Statistics and Statutes. Of these the Statutes 
are the most important as they determine where and what records were 
to be kept.

Government Departments report their activities to:
The people weekly		NZ Gazette
The government annually		AJHR

Notices in these publications frequently include the relevant statute 
and the government department administering the record. With this 
knowledge you can access the correspondence registers and check for 
other records under the relevant record group or in GAIMS.


Disclaimer
The author of these pages is NOT an employee of Archives New 
Zealand. Extracts from letters included in this site are only partial 
transcriptions and it is important that the original source is 
checked.