Western Pacific Archives, University of Auckland

About:

The Western Pacific Archives (WPA) contains the records of the British colonial administration in the Western Pacific from 1877-1978 including the records of the Western Pacific High Commission (WPHC), the British Commissioner and Consul in Tonga (BCT), and the New Hebrides British Service (NHBS). The WPA was transferred to Special Collections at the University of Auckland Library by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2002.

The WPA comprises 760 plus metres or about 2,800 boxes of archival material in total. While the bulk of the files contain minute papers or correspondence the WPA also includes maps, photographs, passport applications, probate files and registers of various types.

Please note that the detailed file listings for each collection are based on the inventories compiled by WPA archivists in Fiji prior to the archives’ transfer to the UK. In most cases, the file titles are direct transcriptions of what appears on the original file covers. The language and terminology used reflects that in use when the files were created. Special Collections acknowledges that this includes terms which users may find racist, sexist, outdated, or exclusionary. Please contact Special Collections if you encounter concerning or inaccurate descriptions by emailing: specialcollections@auckland.ac.nz. Staff will review the description and determine what updates or changes can be made.