New Zealand & Polynesian Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1838-1958 - Key Data

New Zealand & Polynesian Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1838–1958 was curated in association with the Bodleian Library.

This collection contains records compiled by the United Society Partners in Gospel (USPG), a UK-based Anglican missionary organisation that operates globally. From the eighteenth to the early twentieth century the USPG went by the name of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG). 

Anglican missionaries first arrived in New Zealand and Polynesia in the seventeenth century. Their mission was to spread the gospel to the indigenous Māori and Polynesian people. The arrival of Europeans disrupted traditional ways of life.

This collection includes letters, journals, and supplementary material composed by the SPG’s New Zealand and Polynesian branches during the period 1838–1958. These documents contain a wealth of information, including: progress of the mission, relations with the indigenous Polynesians, the geography of the land, and insights into how monetary grants were spent.