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Christchurch

The Christchurch Regional Office was established in 1985 to deliver Archives New Zealand's services in the Canterbury and West Coast region of the South Island. Since 2003 it has also provided some of these services to the Nelson/Marlborough region.

Functions of the Office include:

• The provision of secure and effective care, control, custody of and equitable access to the archives of Central Government in the region through the provision of a full range of archives services and an appropriate range of recordkeeping services at the local level.
• A conduit for communication to and from the regional community and Archives New Zealand's Head Office; and for the provision of advice to the Chief Archivist and group managers on regional issues and regional views on national issues.
• Uniquely, the Christchurch Office also provides archives services under contract to local authorities: Christchurch City Council, Environment Canterbury and Banks Peninsula District Council.

The services we offer:

The Christchurch Regional Office offers a range of services to the public and to Government.

• Reading room: Our reading room is open to the public between 9.30am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Trained staff are available to help you to access the holdings, which are available for reference only. A photocopy service is available.
• Send a remote reference request via our online form.
• Government loans service: Follow this link to view more information about Government Loans.
• Tours and talks to interested groups. Staff are available to speak to groups on various aspects of Archives New Zealand's work, or about holdings. Guided tours of the Christchurch Regional Office can also be arranged, and tailored to suit the needs of the group. For further details, contact the Christchurch Regional Office.
• Exhibitions: Physical exhibitions held on-site and virtual exhibitions delivered on our website relate a variety of historical and topical themes as a means of promoting awareness of Archives New Zealand's role in the preservation of the country's documentary heritage.
• E-mail us: christchurch@archives.govt.nz

Holdings:

The Christchurch Regional Office houses in excess of 12,400 linear metres of textual public records as well as over 15,000 maps, plans, photographs and other non-textual items.

• Public Archives
  The Christchurch Regional Office holdings come from district offices of central government agencies, and head offices based in the region, as well as regionally based agencies such as schools and hospitals. The archives relate to government activities carried out from the 1840s to the present day, comprising non-current records on activities such as education, agriculture, defence, forestry, health, justice, land administration, mining, police, post office, public works, companies, railways, scientific and industrial research, trade and industry, and transport. Of particular importance are the archives of the Canterbury Association (1848-1853) and the Canterbury Provincial Government (1853-1877).
• Local Authority Archives
  The Christchurch City Council archives include the archives of the current city council and its predecessor boroughs and counties now included in Greater Christchurch. Environment Canterbury archives also include those of 13 predecessor local authorities such as the Lyttelton Harbour Board and North Canterbury Catchment Board.

The Christchurch Regional Office holds a large number of genealogical sources, which are listed in the Family History Research Guide (259 kb). Many of these sources have been indexed and are available to search using our in-house computer database. Some of the more commonly used indexes include: probates, hospital admission registers, hotel licensing records, original land grants, and Canterbury Provincial Government correspondence. Further information about genealogical sources held here and at other Archives New Zealand offices is available in our series of reference guides.

Contact details:

Street Address: 90 Peterborough Street, Christchurch
Postal Address: P O Box 642, Christchurch
Telephone: 64-3-377-0760
Facsimile: 64-3-365-2262
E-mail Address: christchurch@archives.govt.nz
Open: 9.30am - 5pm Monday to Friday. Closed on Public Holidays.