Maritime Archaeological Association of New Zealand


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New Zealand has a rich and varied Maritime Heritage, our ancestors both Polynesian and European relied on the ocean for transport, food, and trade. Many New Zealanders are unaware not only of the scope and origins of our Maritime Heritage but also its importance.

MAANZ main objective is to be a voice for our Maritime Heritage. Each year many relics and artifacts that reflect our Maritime Heritage are lost forever. Members of MAANZ are working together as an Association and as individuals to bring about a change in awareness.

MAANZ Reports

MAANZ publishes some of its research material and makes this publicly available in report form. The most recent report 'Riddle of the Rifleman' was launched at a MAANZ event in May 2012.

The mystery surrounding the name of this wreck and the artifacts recovered from the wreck site beneath the storm-lashed cliffs of the Auckland Island were primarily responsible for MAANZ's development of its metals conservation laboratory.

Read more about MAANZ reports under the 'Reports and Articles' menu item.

Diver surveying wharf pile

Lecture Series

MAANZ provides a number of lectures each year on maritime archaeological topics. Also, an associate group of MAANZ in Wellington, the Maritime Friends of the Wellington Museum (MFOM) independently host a series of lectures on maritime subjects. Because of our common interest area MAANZ takes pleasure in promoting these talks along with our own. Between the two lecture series we cover a wide range of very interesting maritime subjects.

All lectures are presented at the Wellington Museum and start at 7-30pm. A gold coin donation is requested to cover the cost of a light supper at the conclusion of each event. Any inquiries should be made to Malcolm McGregor - (04) 5660278 (after work hours). The lecture series is expanded or amended during the course of the year.

Most lectures are recorded on video and are available to MAANZ members on DVD. The video library is extensive, see the list here.

2024

Wednesday 20 March
"Wellington's Gold Mine"
- A presentation by Mary O'Keeffe and Michael Grace

The Team discuss gold mining on the South Coast at Cape Terawhiti. This includes the Albion crushing battery, its history, recent archaeology and the current conservation and restoration activities.

Wednesday 17 April
"Alfred Memelink Visit"
- An evening with Alfred at his Petone Esplanade Studio. Great music, company, and subject TBA.

Wednesday 15 May
"Why The Fusilier Went on the Beach"
- A presentation by Mike Johnston.

Mike will entertain us with some fascinating new ideas on why The Fusilier went on the Beach – details will follow.

Diver surveying wharf pile

MAANZ Newsletter

MAANZ Members receive a monthly newsletter, the 'New Zealand Maritime Archaeology Monthly'.

An index of previous newsletter topics is available here. (PDF 4.5 MB)

Patronage

MAANZ wishes to acknowledge the generous support and patronage of Seaworks New Zealand Ltd. Seaworks actively supports MAANZ maritime archaeological and metals conservation activities.

MAANZ is pleased to have Heritage New Zealand as a member. Many of MAANZ's activities relate to historic sites and it is very pleasing to have HNZ's awareness and guidance as we develop maritime archaeological projects that are in both of our areas of knowledge and interest.