Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Manatū Aorere, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has released over 500 previously classified historical files relating to Viet Nam, and further files following requests from the public.
The Viet Nam files date from the 1940s to 1980s and address topics covering the range of Aotearoa New Zealand’s involvement in the South East Asian nation and wider topics, such as:
- Republic of (South) Viet Nam political affairs and external relations
- The Viet Nam War
- Paris Peace Talks
- Aid; technical and economic assistance.
From an historical point of view, there are particular items of interest, including:
- Application of the Geneva Conventions and of the SEATO Protocol to Viet Nam and Cambodia
- The full range of New Zealand economic & technical assistance (much of it under the Colombo Plan) to Viet Nam over the period including New Zealand Surgical Team at Qui Nhon and Medical Services Team at Bong Son, Sir Walter Nash Children’s Ward and many other projects
- Detailed New Zealand Embassy reporting on the war, including the 1968 Tet Offensive. Many contemporary reports from long-serving NZ Ambassador in Saigon Paul Edmonds.
- Some papers about the New Zealand evacuation from Saigon
- Key documents about New Zealand’s military assistance.
Other historical files released in 2022 and 2023 were reviewed and declassified by MFAT in response to requests from members of the public. They cover a diverse range of countries, topics and periods including:
- A number of different World War II and post-war era files, including on post-war Poland, Korea and Japan and a biographical file on Peter Fraser, including messages of condolence following his death in 1950 (1940s-1960s)
- Canadian and Chilean warship and aircraft visits (1950s-1970s)
- Reports and booklets on Guam (1960s-1980s)
- Western Samoa’s independence celebrations (1960s)
- Establishment of the Asian Development Bank (1960s)
- The South Pacific Commission, predominantly health related (1950s-1970s).
The full list of files can be seen here [XLSX, 68 KB].
This file release is part of MFAT’s regular declassification programme, which sees records 25 years and older reviewed and declassified, subject to a process to ensure New Zealand’s interests are protected.
The original files will be available to access at Archives New Zealand, Wellington. Use the release list [XLSX, 68 KB] to identify files of interest, and their Archives references. The files can then be requested using the pre-order form(external link) available on the Archives New Zealand website, and viewed at Archives House, 10 Mulgrave Street, Wellington. Researchers can also request files in person in the public reading room of Archives House.
If you have any queries about requesting or viewing the files, please contact the Archives Research Services team using the 'Ask an archivist' form<(external link) on the Archives New Zealand website, or telephone them at Archives New Zealand Wellington on +64 4 499 5595.