Auckland records lost to fire and shipwreck

Records Destroyed

Auckland.

In November 1872 the Provincial Government Buildings in Auckland were completely burnt.  In this fire practically all the records of the Superintendent's Office were destroyed, including all correspondence and the minutes of the Executieve Council.  The records of the Provincial Treasury do not seem to have suffered so badly, being either saved during the course of the fire or salvaged from strongrooms afterwards.  Nearly all the Treasury records before this date show signs of fire or water damage.

Lost in the Wreck of the Steamer 'White Swan' reported July 1862

Colonial Secretary's Department Records, various but including the general register of incoming correspondence received since about Oct or Nov 1861

Letter Book          Registrar-General, from Jan 1869

                                Legislative, from 28th May 1860

                                Ecclesiastical, from Jan 1855

                                Medical, from Feb 1856

                                Commissiioners of Crown Lands, from Nov 1855

                                Postmasters from Jan 1856

                                Sub-Treasurers from Jan 1855

                                Customs from October 1859

                                Inspectors of public works from Jan 1858

                                Registrars of Supreme Court from Jan 1842

                                Military from Jan 1856

                                Letters to other depts from Jan 1859

                                Resident Majestrates from Oct 1859

                                Meterorological from Nov 1861

                                Superintendents, from Dec 1861

                                Returning Officers from Feb 1862

                                Foreign from March 1861

                                Misc from Oct 1861

                                Private Secretary from July 1850

                                Secretary for Crown Lands

                                Deputy Adjutant General

                                Judicial.

Including the whole letters of the department, from 1st January to 30th June 1862, with such of a previous date as were attatched in the usual way.

Plus other records, stated but  not recorded here.

Lands and Survey Department Archives

A disastrous fire in 1852 at the Hope Gibbons building destroyed all Land Department yearly numbered files from 1858 to 1894 except for about eight feet of charred salvaged material.

History of the Post Office Archives

Very few of its records have survived the fire that burned down the Post Office in 1887, and the fire of 1961, which totally destroyed a Post Office store in Aotea Quay, in which were kept the old records created from 1887

The main bodies of records which survived the fires of 1887 and 1961 are those inherited from the Colonial Secretary and those of certain district Chief Postmasters.