British Parliamentary Papers. Colonies New Zealand

The British Parliamentary Papers represent a significant source of important information about New Zealand in the mid-nineteenth century. They comprise of reports, statutes, correspondence and other documentation sent between the Colony and the Government in Britain and cover all aspects of life and events in the colony at the time.

They began in the late 1830s when no local collection or publication of such material was being made. By the 1850s, the New Zealand Government had started to publish similar documents in their Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives (AJHRs). However, many reports continued to be sent directly to Britain and were not published locally.