By Michelle Sim, Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Archives Technician
One of the many important things the Air Force Museum of New Zealand does is provide a research service for members of the public and Defence Force wishing to obtain information about New Zealand military aviation. The Research team is part of the Museum’s Collections department, and handles an average of 75 enquiries a month, from throughout the Defence Force, New Zealand, and the world.
Archives Technician
The enquiries we receive are as diverse as the people who send them to us. They can cover anything from Royal New Zealand Air Force units requesting historical service-related information, through to family members researching their Air Force ancestors. We aim to provide a response to each enquiry within three working days, and use the extensive research collection at the Museum to help find an answer wherever possible.
The research collection consists of two archives: paper and photographic.
The paper archive comprises items dating from the 1900s to the present day, and includes:
- personal collections
- manuscripts and ephemera
- log books
- flight authorisation books
- official and unofficial unit histories
- journals
- technical drawings
- publications, and
- maps and plans.
The photographic archive encompasses:
- the official RNZAF negative collection, comprising several hundred thousand negatives dating from the early 1930s, as well as
- the Museum’s ever-expanding collection of publicly donated items, including:
- prints
- albums
- moving film, and
- oral history recordings.
Teamwork
We have a well-resourced public reading room which is available for both local and visiting researchers to use, by appointment, 10.30-12.00 and 12.30-3.00 Monday–Friday.
The reading room consists of a reference library of approximately 3,500 books and publications on military and New Zealand aviation, and is equipped with a:
- study table
- photocopier
- television
- video and DVD players, and
- microfilm reader.
All this is the responsibility of a team of three Defence Force civilian staff:
Simon Moody, Research Officer
Leading our team, Simon is usually the first port of call for enquiries, and is responsible for the smooth running of the research collections. This involves ensuring that public and Defence Force enquiries are dealt with promptly and as fully as possible, the collection is made available to researchers, and is stored and preserved, catalogued and managed professionally.
When he’s not busy answering enquiries and managing the archives, Simon also does a large part of the research for exhibitions and displays within the Museum.
Matthew O’Sullivan, Keeper of Photographs
Matthew has the job of looking after the many thousands of objects in our photographic and audiovisual archive. This collection covers aviation in New Zealand from the very early pioneering days through to the present day, focusing on military aviation and New Zealanders involved with military aviation internationally. There are also a large number of aerial films that contain some early New Zealand survey photography. Matthew is also responsible for the preservation and storage of the Museum’s medal collection.
Michelle Sim, Archives Technician
As well as assisting with enquiries and taking care of researchers using our public reading room, I am primarily responsible for maintaining professional museum standards of care for objects in our paper archive. This includes housing and storing documents, files, and volumes to ensure their long-term preservation.
Public service
It is also my job to catalogue all new objects which come in to the archive, which involves recording the relevant and known details about the object and its history in our Vernon collection management database.
The Best Part
One of the best parts of our job is the privilege of working with the rich history of the RNZAF and its people. Whether it is a diary written by a prisoner of war during World War II, or a pilot’s Antarctic photo collection, we never get tired of sharing these fantastic treasures with members of the RNZAF and wider public.
Our collections provide a rich resource of RNZAF history to the present, but can only grow with continued donations. If you happen to find any military material—whether hidden away in a store on Base, or even in the attic at home—please think of your Museum first.
Donations and Enquiries
If you have a historical enquiry or are considering donating paper or image-based material to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand, please contact Simon, Matthew, or Michelle at info@airforcemuseum.co.nz.