Release
2010
First tranche on 22 Dec; second tranche embargoed to 31 Mar 2011.
41°17′S, 174°47′E · WELLINGTON · ARCHIVES NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand's declassified RNZAF UFO files.
In December 2010, the New Zealand Defence Force released 2,010 pages of previously classified UFO files (1952-2009) to Archives New Zealand. Centrepiece: the AIR 1080/6/897 series on the 1978 Kaikoura sightings. Released after a 14-month campaign by UFOCUS NZ. Source: archives.govt.nz.
§ Headlines · NZDF UFO Files, distilled
Pages
2 010
12 volumes (tranche 1) + 3 volumes (tranche 2).
Span
1952 — 2009
57 years of RNZAF correspondence.
Flagship
Kaikoura 1978
AIR 1080/6/897 — still unexplained.
Custodian
Archives New Zealand
Wellington · master record holder.
Trigger
OIA campaign
14-month campaign by UFOCUS NZ.
§ Records · Catalog gateways
Every official entry-point.
5
Total records
3
Locally archived
2
PDF documents
3
Catalog gateways
NZDF — UAP/UFO/USO OIA response (2023-4763)
NZDF's response to a 2023 OIA request on contemporary UAP/UFO/USO reporting procedure. Confirms NZDF no longer maintains a UFO file but redirects to Civil Aviation Authority.
NZDF — UFO/UAP reporting OIA response (2024-5199)
More recent OIA response on NZDF's UFO/UAP reporting practices — clarifies the post-2010 division of responsibility between NZDF and the Civil Aviation Authority.
National Library of NZ — UFO files record
National Library catalog entry for the NZDF UFO file collection — the public-access master record.
AIR 1080/6/897 — Kaikoura 1978 file (PDF)
The complete RNZAF file on the 1978 Kaikoura sightings — the most famous unexplained case in NZ aviation history.
Archives New Zealand — homepage
Search the full Archway catalog at Archives NZ for AIR 39, AIR 1080, ABFK and related series.