Record

LevelSub-sub-sub-fonds
Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure)CMS/B/OMS/N
TitleNew Zealand Mission
Extent40 vols. of letter-books, mission books and precis books, 2 boxes of original papers and 4758 docs. (including journals)
Date1809-1914
DescriptionPre- and post-1880 papers of the New Zealand mission. This mission covered work in Australia [intially 'New Holland'] as well as New Zealand.

There is much material throughout the correspondence relating to the Maori wars and the controversy over land claims. These subjects, therefore, have only rarely been mentioned in the catalogue entries.
ArrangementAt the right hand top of each page there is laid out the reference for the series being catalogued on that page. In left hand margin there are given the necessary additional reference for the particular volumes or divisions of the papers within that series.
Access StatusOpen
Physical DescriptionThe main alterations comprise the reconstitution of the Corresponding Committees' papers (with the removal of the mission secretary's papers to the A-Z individuals section)* and the redistribution of the statistics and medical certificates to the relevant individual papers.** Listed as follows with the old reference number followed by the equivalent current catalogue reference: 1=1-3, 2a=10, 2b=1-2, 2c=3, 3=13, 4a-e=4-7, 4f=8, 4g=9, 5a=1,3,10A, 5b=1-3, 6=4-7, 7=*, 8=1-3, 9=12, 10=**, 11=**, 12=10, 13=53, 14=14, 15=11, 16=16, 17=15, 18=16, 19=17, 20=18, 21=19, 22=20, 23=21, 24=22, 25=23, 26=24, 27=25, 28=26, 29=27, 30=28, 31=29, 32=31, 33=32, 34=33, 35=35, 36=34, 37-52=37-52, 53=54, 54=55, 55=57, 56=56, 57=58, 58=59, 59=14, 60=60, 61=61, 62-83=62-83, 84=17/54B, 85=84, 86=85, 87=86, 88=87, 89=88, 90=89, 91=90, 92=91, 93=92, 94=93, 95=94, 96=95, 97=96, 98=97, 99=98, 100=36, 101= removed to H/H5 archive series.
At the right hand top of each page there is laid out the reference for the series being catalogued on that page. In left had margin there are given the necessary additional reference for the particular volumes or divisions of pages within that series. The post-1880 papers are each individually marked in red ink. This number, plus the year, comprises the reference for each item [e.g. G3 N/1909/63].
Administrative HistoryThe Mission to New Zealand was established in 1814/15 through the passionate efforts of Rev Samuel Marsden (1765-1838), senior chaplain to New South Wales [Australia], supported with funding by the Church Missionary Society (London). In 1892, the first step was taken towards the formation of the New Zealand Church Missionary Society (NZCMS) when the New Zealand Church Missionary Association was formed and began to select, train and send out missionaries not only to CMS missions (ie under the parent society) but to the Melanesian Mission, the Maori Mission and the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society. The name NZCMS was adopted in 1916.

Initially Church Mission Society presence in Australia was through CMS (UK) undertaking mission work in the country: missionaries were sent out to Australia to work amongst Aboriginal people from the early 1820s. From 1892, local Church Missionary Associations were established across Australia; the Associations selected and trained Australian missionaries for work in CMS missions in different parts of the world; the missionaries were supervised by CMS (UK) and the local governing bodies of the overseas missions. In 1916, the 'Church Missionary Association of Australia and Tasmania' (later Church Missionary Society of Australia) was formed out of the various Associations with branches serving different parts of the country.
Custodial HistoryIn 1903 Dr. Thomas Morland Hocken acquired from the CMS Secretaries four volumes of letters and papers of Samuel Marsden, together with material for some other New Zealand missionaries. These were later deposited in the Hocken Library, University of Otago, Dunedin.

A note of the original New Zealand mission material now in the Hocken Library [copied from the microfilm catalogue]: Butler, John, letters and journals, 1818-1824; Clarke, George (senior and junior), letters; Colenso, William, letters and journals 1834-1854; Davis, Richard, letters and journals 1824-1863; Hall, William, letters and journals 1813-1832; Hamlin, James, journals; 1835-1852; King, John, letters and journals 1815-1853; Kendall, Thomas, letter and journals 1813-1832; Marsden, Samuel, material including letters from other missionaries and CMS Secretaries; Miscellaneous letters and journals.

Papers catalogued by Rosemary A. Keen 1980-1981.
CopiesEarly in 1959 the material left in London, together with much material relating to New Zealand in other archive series, was microfilmed and copies of the film were deposited in the National Library of Australia, the Public Library New South Wales and the Alexander Turnbull Library Wellington. Unfortunately much of this material was out of order and some items totally misplaced The present catalogue, which is confined to the main mission series [ref. C N and G3 N] has corrected this.

A list of the old and new references has been compiled, but some items described in detail in the microfilm catalogue may be difficult to find in the document catalogue. As each individual document now has its reference there should be no confusion between the two catalogues, provided careful note is made of whether the original or the microfilm copy is being cited
Related MaterialThe local committees' working papers have been reconstituted as far as possible, but the minutes and accompanying papers have not been described in detail. As this material includes missionaries' quarterly and annual reports it is essential (for those studying individuals) to look at the relevant documents in the O 1-16 section as well as the main A-Z sequence [O 17-98]. Moreover, although much of the original archive is now in New Zealand, the copies in the mission books [/M q.v.] help to fill the gap.