Te rapu i ngā mauhanga mō Seacliff
Finding Seacliff records
Read about finding the records of the Seacliff Lunatic Asylum, later known as the Seacliff Mental Hospital, which are held in the Dunedin archive. It also provides information about related mental health institutions, including the Dunedin Lunatic Asylum, Orokonui Mental Hospital, The Camp Mental Hospital, and Cherry Farm Hospital.
Content warning
Archives can contain sensitive content that may be distressing. Some items may include medical details, graphic images and language now considered outdated or offensive. Take care when accessing them.
Know before you start
If you’re having trouble finding a record, try as many different spellings of a name as you can think of as these were often changed or incorrectly copied.
Some patients had several admissions recorded under different patient numbers, which means there may be more than one record for an individual.
Restricted access
To protect personal privacy, patient files are restricted for 100 years from the last date on file, and staff or student records for 75 years. In addition to this, individual patient archives will not be listed by name in our finding aids, nor will information confirming the existence of the public archive be made available, during the period the public archive is restricted.
To give you access to a restricted record, we need to see written permission from the agency responsible for the restriction.
Requesting access to restricted files
This is how you can request access permission to restricted records:
Contact us
Contact us and we will refer you to the relevant government agency.
Contact Health New Zealand
Get in touch with the relevant government agency to obtain written permission to access the records. You'll need to get access permission from:
Chief Executive
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora - Southern
Private Bag 1921
Dunedin 9054
Email Corporate Records team at Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora Southern.
In your request, include:
the information required (for example, Archives NZ code R12345678)
reasons for wanting access
copy of your current photographic ID (e.g. driver licence or passport).
Access the record
If you obtain permission in written form, there are two ways to access the record:
the government agency you've obtained the permission from will organise access to the record, or
you’ll need to contact us again with your permission letter, and we’ll enable access to the record.
What’s digitised
We’ve digitised the Seacliff Mental Hospital Medical Casebooks (series 19956) and you can view it online.
We also have digitised several of the earliest Seacliff Mental Hospital Statutory Admission Papers (series 19850), up to and partially including records created in 1880.
What you can find
The Seacliff records we hold include:
individual patient files and medical casebooks
registers of admissions, discharges, deaths and other occurrences
staff and administrative records
photographs, maps and plans.
'Seacliff' has become something of an umbrella term for a series of different but interrelated mental health institutions.
The first of these was the Dunedin Lunatic Asylum (AAIR), established in 1863 at the site now occupied by Otago Boys’ High School.
The Seacliff Lunatic Asylum (DAKH), later renamed Seacliff Mental Hospital, was established in Seacliff, a small village north of Dunedin, in response to overcrowding at the Dunedin Lunatic Asylum. By 1884, all the patients from the Dunedin Asylum were accommodated at the Seacliff site.
In addition to Seacliff Mental Hospital, the Orokonui Mental Hospital (DAKI) was established near Waitati in 1902 as a specialised hospital for the treatment of alcoholism. The hospital was closed due to financial reasons, with the last patients moved to Cherry Farm Hospital in 1983.
In 1905, The Camp Mental Hospital (DAHN) was established at the site now known as Larnach’s Castle, which was used to relieve overcrowding at Seacliff Hospital until 1918.
Cherry Farm Hospital (DAHM) was established just south of Waikouaiti in 1952, offering ‘villa-type’ accommodation for patients. Several patients were transferred from Seacliff Hospital when its main building was declared unsafe for habitation, and demolished around 1960, while others had to be sent to hospitals in other centres.
In 1964 Seacliff Hospital ceased to take new admissions and finally closed in 1972, with the remaining patients being transferred to Cherry Farm.
Cherry Farm Hospital was closed permanently in 1992 following the transfer of psychiatric services to Wakari Hospital in 1990, and the shift toward community-based care for psychiatric patients and the intellectually disabled.
Archives codes and terminology
When you use our research guidance, you might find a string of letters and numbers next to a title. These are our archival codes or references. You can search the letters or numbers separately on Collections search. They can also be useful if you visit our reading rooms or contact us to access a record, as they help our archivists find records quickly.
The numbers and letters in the codes can represent the records:
agency code
series number or accession number
record number
R-number.
To familiarise yourself with the records terminology, check out our Definition of archival terms guide.
For help with searching — including how to use advanced searching and filtering— read our tips on how to use Collections search or ask an archivist for advice. For more information on referencing the archives, check out the Copying and citing archives page.
Browse the archives
Go to Collections search for all open-access records. Some restricted records are also listed, and the access authority will appear either under the record description or the series tab.
We’ve included links throughout this guide that will take you directly to the item or series on Collections search. Scroll to the bottom of that page and click on ‘Record hierarchy’ for individual R-numbers (item codes). These are useful for ordering items to view at the relevant reading room.
You might not be able to access everything online. While some records have been digitised, for others you will need to visit the reading room they’re held in to access them.
If you are unable to find any records for your person, the files may still be restricted. Any access to restricted files or information requires the written permission of Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Southern.
If you still can’t find what you are looking for, contact us.
Patient files
The Seacliff Mental Hospital Statutory Admission Papers (series 19850) contained the documentation relating to the committal, admission, and discharge of patients at Seacliff, as well as the Dunedin Lunatic Asylum, The Camp Mental Hospital and Orokonui Home. The statutory paper series ran from 1862 to 1912.
The Seacliff Patient Admissions Files (series 19851) replaced the Statutory Papers series when the Mental Defectives Act 1911 came into force, which changed the regulations for the admission of patients. At Seacliff, all patients at that time had their papers moved to the new series of patient admission files.
The Statutory Papers and Patient Admission Files series are listed individually by name, which makes it much easier to locate the records of your ancestors who may have been there in the 19th or early 20th centuries. Enter the name of your person in a ‘simple search’ on Collections search or expand the ‘Record hierarchy’ tab on the series page linked here to see a list of all patients in the series.
The Seacliff Mental Hospital Medical Casebooks (series 19956) provide further medical information relating to a patient, and sometimes even a photograph. These casebooks have been digitised but are not yet listed individually by name, which means that individual patients will not appear in a ‘simple search’ on Collections.
The casebooks are organised chronologically by patients’ numbers, which are included in the record title for each volume. Use the links in the left side bar to navigate through the digitised record more easily. For some volumes, these links have been named according to either page or patient number, which will make your search faster. For others, finding a patient’s entry may require some trial and error.
You may be able to find the patient number of the person you are looking for if their Patient Admission file (series 19851) is open access. In these listings, the patient number is identified under ‘Record number’.
If you are unable to find a patient number, you may still be able to find the entry for the person you are looking for by using the indexes located at the beginning of each volume. The indexes provide a list of patients included in the casebook (organised by surname) and their patient numbers. It is helpful if you know the approximate admission date for the person, but you may still need to check the indexes of several different volumes to find their entry.
Registers of admissions, discharges, deaths, and others
Dunedin Lunatic Asylum – Register of patients, 1863 to 1868 [DAHI 20104 D264/93]
Index to Seacliff Mental Hospital Patient Admission Registers, 1863 to 1920 [DAHI 20103 D264/91-92]
Cherry Farm Hospital Patient Admissions Registers, 1863 to 1961 [DAHI 20105 D264/94-98, D266/523]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Registers of Discharges, Removals and Deaths, 1868 to 1922 [DAHI 19990 D264/100-104]
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum Register of Admission for Dipsomaniacs, 1884 to 1892 [DAHI 20113 D264/109]
Cherry Farm Hospital Registers of Mechanical Restraint, 1897 to 1968 [DAHI 19824 D264/78d-88e, D266/513a-i]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Registers of Voluntary Boarders, 1912 to 1929 [DAHI 19989 D264/89-90]
Seacliff Voluntary Boarder Admission Files, 1912 to 1949 [DAHI 19855 D266/346-358]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Registers of Escapes, 1912 to 1915, 1936 to 1969 [DAHI 20110 D264/99, D266/518]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Registers of Deaths, 1917 to 1969 [DAHI 20106 D264/107, D266/527a-b]
Cherry Farm On Remand Patient Files, 1920 to 1969 [DAHI 19854 D266/337-346]
Cherry Farm Hospital Admission Books, 1920 to 1930, 1936 to 1950 [DAHI 9155 D342/1f-1k]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Registers of Discharges and Transfers, 1922 to 1969 [DAHI 20108 D264/105-106, D266/524-526]
Cherry Farm Hospital Morgue Registers, 1939 to 1983 [DAHI 20372 D266/516]
Cherry Farm Patient Discharge Files, 1950 to 1970 [DAHI 19852 D266/144-336]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Discharges Index Books, 1952 to 1972 [DAHI 20244 D266/514c-514e]
Cherry Farm Hospital Log of Admissions, 1964 to 1971 [DAHI 20391 D266/515a-b]
Cherry Farm Hospital Probation Register for Patients Absent on Trial, 1947 to 1963 [DAHI 20277 D266]
Cherry Farm Voluntary Patients Discharge Files, 1950 to 1969 [DAHI 19856 D266/359-427]
Cherry Farm Hospital Observation Books, 1957 to 1957 [DAHI 9154 D342]
Other records that may include patient information
Dunedin Lunatic Asylum Provincial Surgeon's Daily Reports, 1863 to 1881 [DAHI 19825 D264/1b-1d, 35c]
Dunedin Lunatic Asylum Keeper's Journal, 1863 to 1867 [DAHI 19827 D264/1a, D265/2]
Cherry Farm Hospital Inspection Books, 1870 to 1973 [DAHI 19826 D264/1e-2b, D265/3, D266/514a-b]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Medical Superintendent's Outwards Letterbooks, 1882 to 1916 [DAHI 19828 D264/3a-17a]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Post Mortem Books, 1930 to 1958 [DAHI 20374 D266]
Staff and administrative records
Seacliff Mental Hospital Staff Register, 1864 to 1949 [DAHI 20102 D264]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Salaries Outward Letterbooks, 1897 to 1920 [DAHI 20236 D264]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Miscellaneous Outwards Letterbooks, 1902 to 1915 [DAHI 20232 D264]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Requisitions Outward Letterbooks, 1902 to 1926 [DAHI 20235 D264]
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum Contributing Patients' Ledgers, 1882 to 1892 [DAHI 20112 D264]
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum Ration Books, 1901 to 1902 [DAHI 20242 D264]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Fish Book, 1901 to 1905 [DAHI 20243 D264]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Maintenance Outward Letterbooks, 1903 to 1914 [DAHI 20233 D264]
Seacliff Lunatic Asylum Farm Manager's Outwards Letterbooks, 1907 to 1908 [DAHI 20227 D264]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Exhibition Archives, 1867 to 1984 [DAHI 20266 D266]
Cherry Farm Hospital Sound Recordings, 1960 to 1969 [DAHI 20276 D266]
Seacliff Mental Hospital Patients’ Outward Letterbook (cover only, dates unknown) [DAHI 20234 D264]
Amalgamation files - Otago Hospital Board and Cherry Farm-Seacliff Hospitals Group, 1969 to 1974 [DAHI 28397 D274]
Photographs and plans of buildings, patients and staff
Seacliff Mental Hospital Photographic Collection, 1862 to 1989 [DAHI 20271 D266]
Cherry Farm Hospital Maps and Plans, 1906 to 1957 [DAHI 9156 D342]
