Bulletin of the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, 15.1): pg7-10

The Maritime Archaeological Association of New Zealand MAANZ (Inc.)
David Churchill

Introduction
The Maritime Archaeological Association of New Zealand was formally established in August 1989 as the result of a growing awareness of the need to control and direct maritime archaeology in New Zealand. In 1977, Jim McKinlay, Senior Archaeologist for the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, spoke at the First Southern Hemisphere Conference on Maritime Archaeology about the legislation in place in New Zealand which affords protection to marine sites around the New Zealand coast and inland waters (McKinlay, 1977). This legislation has remained largely unchanged, however a greater respect and recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi which is our founding document has emerged.
In McKinlay's summary, he said:

New Zealand has a legislative basis for the control and sponsoring of maritime Archaeology. There is a serious lack of expertise and facilities for an acceptable programme. There is a considerable amateur interest in this work but it is ill-controlled and ill-directed. If marine archaeology in New Zealand is to become a worth while activity and study it will be necessary for the archaeological community to achieve a profitable relationship with those divers who are interested in wreck investigations, and in this the New Zealand Historic Places Trust appears to have a key role to play (McKinlay, 1977:23).
 

Around New Zealand there are over 2000 shipwrecks, the first of which occurred in 1795. About 140 have been relocated. These relocated wrecks have been subjected to commercial salvage and raids by divers for the odd relic. Most of the artefacts that have been removed have not been conserved properly and are now rapidly deteriorating and their relevance to the wreck has been lost. It was through our concern over the loss of these artefacts that led Jack Fry Conservation Officer for the National Museum in Wellington, Paddy Driver and myself, both divers, to hold a seminar on maritime archaeology in October 1983.
One of the guest speakers at that seminar was Jim McKinlay: his address remained largely unchanged to the one he gave in 1977. He mentioned the work of the New Zealand Archaeological Association and their aims stating that those aims would serve admirably as a charter for maritime archaeology in New Zealand.
Following the seminar in 1983, there was no attempt made to control and direct maritime archaeology within New Zealand. It was not until 1988, when I was on holiday in Adelaide and met Paul Clark, Maritime Archaeologist, (now at the Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences), that I discovered the existence of Associations throughout Australia which have contributed to Australia's maritime history by conducting underwater surveys, publishing data and putting on displays. Having discovered just how important these Associations are and the value of their work, 1 decided to establish an association in New Zealand to control and direct maritime archaeology.
After arriving back in New Zealand I approached the Department of Conservation and the Historic Places Trust and gained their support for my proposal. I then wrote to all the dive clubs, dive schools and dive shops throughout New Zealand to gauge and gain support of the diving community. I also submitted an article for the New Zealand community for the New Zealand Underwater Associations magazine, through which I gained the support of the NZUA and a few divers. Although I did not get many replies, I proceeded with my proposal. I then contacted the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology (AIMA), The Maritime Archaeology Association of Victoria (MAAV) and the New Zealand Archaeological Association, told them of my proposal and asked for copies of their constitutions which they kindly provided.
In July 1989 I called a meeting to establish an Association at which an executive committee was elected and given the task of creating a constitution. We combined sections from each of the constitutions provided and created a constitution to suit New Zealand conditions. At a meeting held in August 1989 the constitution was accepted and the Maritime Archaeological Association of New Zealand was formed. On 2nd February we became an incorporated society.
The objects of the Maritime Archaeological Association of New Zealand are:
a) To initiate and organise research into all aspects of maritime archaeology in New Zealand and related in the Pacific.
b) To unite all persons engaged in or interested in maritime archaeology, by holding conferences and meetings for the discussions of maritime archaeological matters.
c) To publish and disseminate information on maritime archaeology and on other matters related thereto, to particular interest groups and to foster by these means community awareness in maritime archaeology, historic shipwrecks, marine relics and sites.
d) To encourage and foster teaching and research in maritime archaeology.
e) To record and catalogue wrecks, relics, artefacts and sites of which it becomes aware of and to make this information available to such fit and proper persons as it may approve to undertake research into any activity or matter relative to maritime archaeology or who wish to further the objects of the Association.
To encourage the use of public museums as the repositories for artefacts and associated materials.
g) To encourage and wherever possible assist with the preservation and conservation of shipwrecks, marine relics and artefacts and to ensure that correct scientific procedures, materials and techniques are used.
h) To offer assistance to maritime museums and to any project relative to maritime archaeology being undertake by any organisation providing that this assistance does not compromise the objects of the Association.
i) To affiliate with, establish relations with, become a member of, co-operate with any Government Department, Association, Society, body or combination of Associations, Societies or bodies in New Zealand or elsewhere having objects in any way similar in whole or part to the objects of this Association.
We has the support of the Department of Conservation (DOC), Historic Places Trust (HPT), New Zealand Underwater Association (NZUA), New Zealand Archaeological Association (NZAA) and the Maritime Division of the Ministry of Transport and the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology. The Department of Conservation and Historic Places Trust has informed me that there are no maritime archaeologists employed by them nor likely to be any in the future.
Although there are no maritime archaeologists in New Zealand, we have experienced people associated with us. Members include:
Sarah Kenderdine, Graduate of the Curtin University Postgraduate Diploma Course in Maritime Archaeology. Jack Fry, Conservation Officer, National Museum, Wellington (retired).
Michael Price, Harbour Master, Wellington Regional Council.
Paddy Driver, Diver involved with the whale-boat in Lake
Waikaremoana.
Brian Rowe, Chairman of the Scientific Committee, NZUA. Three Diving Instructors, Divers experienced in wreck diving and non-divers.
Brian Sheppard, Senior Archaeologist for the Department of Conservation, and one of our main supporters. Brian represents DOC, the HPT and the NZAA when he attends any of our meetings. A great deal of thanks is owed to him. Ken Scadden, Archivist, Wellington Maritime Museum.
Although the Association is in its infancy, I am sure, given the support it has in New Zealand and in Australia it will be able to achieve its aims and promote and protect New Zealand's maritime heritage.

Wreck salvage and survey
As already stated, around New Zealand there are over 2000 shipwrecks, the first of which occurred in 1795. Around 140 of these have been relocated.
The legislation which protects these wrecks are:-
1. The Shipping and Seaman’s Act 1952.
2. The Antiquities Act 1975.
3 . The Historic Places Act 1980.
The wrecks protected by the Historic Places Act 1980 are the ones with which our Association is primarily interested. Under this Act, any vessel that sank over 100 years ago is automatically protected but classification of each site is required. Of the 2000 wrecks, 1125 fall under the protection of the Act. Of these, about 68 have been reported as relocated
Most divers disregard the legislation protecting wrecks in New Zealand and help themselves to anything they find. Salvage rights can be obtained through the Marine Division of the Ministry of Transport. On application for salvage rights, the MOT directs the applicant to locate the current owner of the wreck and cargo through Lloyds of London. If the owner cannot be proved, salvage rights may
be given but with limitations. If the wreck is over 100 years old the applicant is also directed to gain the permission from the Historic Places Trust.
So far there have been 21 applications to the HPT for permission to recover artefacts from wrecks. Of these, there have only been five reports or preliminary reports submitted to the HPT on the work that has been done. The reports received are on the following vessels:
HMS Buffalo - Ship of 589 tons built in 1813 and wrecked in Mercury Bay on 28 July 1840. A report has been received from the Department of Environmental Planning in Adelaide.
Alcemene - Three masted corvette, wrecked off Kaipara on 3 June 1851. A report was received from Nole Hilliam, Director of the Dargaville Museum.
Salcombe Castle - Schooner of 1 15 tons built in 1846 and wrecked at Maunganui Bluff on 15 December 1863. A report was received from Nole Hilliam.
Martha - Barque of 251 tons built in 1805 which became a hulk and was wrecked in Tauranga in 1882. A report was received from Kelly Tarlton.

Whale-boats
During 1869, the Armed Constabulary under the Command of Colonel Whitmore sent a force commanded by Lieutenant Herrick to lake Waikaremoana in an attempt to quash Rebellion by a Maori tribe called the Hauhau led by a chief called Te Kooti. On one side of the lake were the Hauhau occupying two Pa sites and on the other was Herrick and his men. Herrick decided it would be too difficult to attack the Pa from around the lake and began the construction of two whale-boats with which he hoped to construct a water assault. The whale-boats took about six weeks to construct and were 40 feet (12 m) long with a beam of 10 feet (3 m).
Herrick was about to begin his assault when on 19 June he received a message from Whitmore stating that Te Kooti had fled to Taupo. His job was to destroy the Pa sites to prevent reoccupation by Te Kooti and the Hauhau. Before this was achieved however, the Stafford Government was defeated. Sir Donald McLean the new Defence Minister with a policy of pacification ordered Herrick to withdraw on 27 June.
To prevent the whale-boats from falling into the hands of the Maori, the whale-boats were taken out onto the lake filled with rocks and sank. A survey was conducted in 1981 as an Army exercise commanded by Major Tony Howell, and a report (Howell and Fry, 1981) was submitted to the Historic Places Trust stating that one of the whale-boats had been almost completely removed by divers over the years and that the second boat was in poor condition and should be raised. Jack Fry was invited to dive on the site and he also felt that the remaining whale-boat should be raised and conserved but after attending a conference on the conservation of waterlogged wood, he decided that the expense was too prohibitive.
 
Other than the vessels I have mentioned, most of the other relocated wrecks have been commercially salvaged. In New Zealand waters there are not only wrecks of historical interest but also 'Treasure' ships. They are:
General Grant - Full rigged ship of 1103 tons built in 1864.
It sank on 14 May 1886 at the Auckland Islands with a cargo of gold. Although this vessel is protected by the HPT, it is being treated as a commercial salvage not as an archaeological site. Several searches for this wreck have been conducted but the wreck remains unfound.
Tasmania - Steel - screw steamer of 1265 tons built in 1892. It sank on 29 July 1897 off Mahia. A passenger on this ship was a jeweller named Isadore Jonah Rothschild. As part of his luggage, he carried a suit-case full of jewels, which went to the bottom of the ocean with the ship. This case was recovered by Kelly Tarlton in 1975 (Tarlton, 1977).
Elingamite - Steel - screw steamship of 1675 tons built in 1887. It sank on 9 November 1902 with a cargo of gold and silver coins, half of which have been recovered.
Niagara - Steel - screw steamer of 7582 tons built in 1913. She sank on 19 June 1940 off Bream Head after striking an enemy mine. She was carrying a cargo of gold bars. All but five gold bars were recovered shortly after the incident. Those five bars are still in the wreck.
More important than these 'treasure' ships are the wrecks of historical significance. For example, there is the possibility of there being a 15th-century Portuguese or Spanish galleon off the north-west coast of the North island. If the wreck is proved to be a 15th-century galleon, then this may change New Zealand's history as we know it today.

First survey: Mahanga Bay
The site of a dismantled wharf in Mahanga Bay in Wellington Harbour was the site of the Association's first survey. This site was proposed as I had dived there before and knew that there were some remains of the wharf, bottles and a variety of other artefacts which could be recovered to give us some experience in conservation techniques. The wharf lies in the, centre of a sheltered bay with a depth of around 7.6m at high tide. This would enable us to dive in almost any weather and gain experience in underwater survey techniques.
It was not until archival research of this site was begun (Churchill) that it was realised that the wharf may have been built around 1885 to 1886(Public Work Files, PW231 118 and PW 2316, National Archives, Wellington). This date coincides with the construction of Fort Ballance which was constructed as part of Wellington Harbour's defences.
Fort Ballance is located on an isolated part of the coast and, at the time of construction, road access was very poor. It is my belief that the wharf was built prior to the fort, to supply building materials for the fort's construction and later supply the fort with arms, munitions and general supplies. The plans and contracts for the wharf were apparently destroyed and the earliest date we have found that mentions the wharf is 31 October 1887.This report states that a vessel named Despatch damaged the wharf while trying to berth.
Other dates located are:
1888 Vessel named Ellen Ballance damaged the wharf and the Public Works Department (PWD) requested the owners of the vessel to effect the repairs.
1905 PWD signed a contract with McKechnie and company, Wellington contractor for extensions to the wharf.
1917 Electric lighting installed to the wharf.
1924 Request from the Defence Department to the PWD for the installation of a tramline for the safe transfer of munitions from the wharf to the fort.
Up until 1945 extensive works were carried out in the bay and on the wharf.
By 1962 the wharf had fallen into a bad state of repair. Various complaints were made as to the safety of the wharf and it was not until a two-year-old boy fell through it that the decision was made to dismantle the wharf. This was done by the Navy and the Army Department using 609.6 m of Cortex and bulk explosives. The demolition was completed on 16 October 1962.
As the wharf was in use in 1887, this brings the site of the wharf under the protection of the Historic Places Trust. With this in mind, a preliminary report was submitted to the Historic Places Trust, Department of Conservation, Wellington Regional Council and Raymond Ahipene-Mercer who represents the descendant of the last Maori occupants of the area, to obtain permission to undertake an underwater survey. The site has not yet been given an Historic Places Trust classification, but we have gained permission to undertake an underwater survey. From photographs of the wharf, we have been able to estimate the size of the area to be surveyed. This will be an area of 25 metres by 25 metres. A baseline will be set from the remains of the wharf buttress and with the method known as 'trilateration' we aim to locate each of the stumps of the piles. With these measurements we will then have an accurate dimension for the wharf.
We hope to recover some of the copper sheathing which protects the piles which may provide us with the manufacturer's name and the date of manufacture. This information may then provide an accurate date for the construction of the wharf. We also aim to recover samples of the piles and wharf timbers to determine the identity and origin of the timbers used in its construction.

Conservation
All artefacts recovered from the site will be taken to the onsite conservation laboratory, where each artefact will be logged, identified, photographed and the 'first-aid' treatment started. On the completion of each day the artefacts will be taken to our conservation laboratory where a full conservation treatment will be started. Each artefact recovered will be treated using the latest conservation techniques. The conservation of the artefacts will be under the supervision of Jack Fry, who, as previously stated, is a MAANZ member and is the retired Conservation Officer of the National Museum Wellington.

Summary of the Mahanga Bay Wharf survey
The principle aims of the survey of the Mahanga Bay are to gain practical experience in survey and conservation techniques; to measure and date the wharf’s construction., and determine the identity and origin of the timbers used in the construction. Further research has yet to be done in the National Archives and at the Wellington Maritime Museum where they are about to make their archives open to the public.
On the completion of the underwater survey we will be writing a comprehensive report which will be made available to the public through libraries and when the artefacts have been conserved they will be put on display.

Conclusion
Although the Maritime Archaeological Association of New Zealand is in its infancy, we have the contacts in New Zealand and Australia through which we will gain experience and be able to contribute to New Zealand's maritime heritage.
Once New Zealanders can see the result of our efforts, I am sure that we will gain their interest and support and more divers will join our Association which will enable us to establish subgroups throughout the county. We will then be in a position to control and direct maritime archaeology in New Zealand, factors Jim McKinlay said were lacking.

References
Howell, A. G., and Fry, L, 198 1, Te Maunutanga 0 Te Mgaro. Government Print, Wellington, New Zealand.
Ingram. C.W.N., 1977. New Zealand Shipwrecks. A.H. & A.W. Reed Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand.
Locker-Lampson, S. and Francis, I., The wreck book. Millwood Press. Wellington, New Zealand.
McKinlay, J.R, 1977, The New Zealand Historic Places Trust and the laws covering Marine Archaeology in New Zealand. In: Green JN. (ed.) Papers from the First Southern Hemisphere Conference on Maritime Archaeology. Australian Sports Publications, Melbourne.
Public Work Files, PW 231118 & PW 2316, National Archives, Wellington.
Tarlton, K., 1977, Salvage of Rothschild’s jewellery from the wreck SS Tasmania 1897. In: Green, LN. (ed.) Papers from the First Southern Hemisphere Conference Maritime Archaeology. Australian Sports Publications, Melbourne: 53-60.