The Otago Settlers Museum Archives collection has a genealogical focus strengthened by its close association with the Dunedin Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists.

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The Museum's genealogical archives has a large collection of family histories, shipping lists, newspapers, diaries and photographs. Much of the material collected during the early part of the 20th century was concerned with the European settlers who had arrived pre1862, including letters from settlers collected in 1898 for the 50th anniversary of the Otago settlement. This forms the basis of the collection, which has been built on over the years to cover all immigrants to Otago.

The Archives is open 10am to 1pm Monday to Friday (except public holidays), and has an admission charge of $12 per day (admission is free to members of the Otago Settlers Association, the Dunedin Branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists and students doing course work). For those unable to visit we also offer a written reference service for researchers. We charge $55 per hour for research and provide a written quote on request.

As part of the Otago Settlers Museum Redevelopment, the Archive will close at 1pm on Thursday, 24 December, 2009. Please see our Redevelopment page in the Archive section for further details.