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The series comprises certificates of service and competency for masters, mates and engineers, and application forms for master and mates certificates. (See 'Finding Aids' for a list of types of certificates of competency and abbreviations used.)

Historical Background

Most of the certificates date from 1872 when, by an Order in Council, Britain began to recognise New Zealand-issued certificates as having equal authority to those issued in Britain.

Before 1872 however, New Zealand had passed a series of its own Acts and Regulations concerning the control of maritime licensing. The most notable of these were the 1842 Harbour Regulations Ordinance regarding pilots, and the 1862 and 1866 Steam Navigation Acts controlling examinations for Masters, Mates and Engineers.

The first woman to gain a certificate of competency was Miss J A McKegg of Otago in 1907, as an engineer of a restricted limit ship. Further information on the certificates can be found in the Marine Department Centennial History 1866-1966 by E R Martin, especially chapter IV.

The Certificates

The certificates are arranged in volumes. They are usually in numerical order by certificate number. Sometimes however, where a person gains more than one qualification, the same certificate number will be issued for all subsequent certificates. As a result volumes for these qualifications do not run in certificate number order. They are, however, in date of issue order and can easily be found by obtaining the date of issue from the index card.

When the date of issue is known the certificate details can also be traced in the AJHR [ Appendices to the Journal of the House of Representatives] in the Marine Department annual report for the appropriate year. This gives the same details as appear on the certificate.

This series contains copies of seafarers' certificates and licences created and maintained by the Marine Department and the Ministry of Transport. Kept in volumes, they include certificates of competency, certificates of service, pilots licences, and exemption certificates.

All certificates were required to be kept in duplicate, with one delivered to the person entitled to the certificate, and one to be kept by the Department/Ministry.

The information contained in the certificates is in most cases identical to that in the card index to seafarers certificates (see series 7463).

Certificates of Competency

Ships operating in or to New Zealand were required to be operated by officers duly certified (as competent) under maritime legislation. To be granted a Certificate of Competency, masters, mates and engineers were required to pass an examination that was conducted by the Marine Department (known as the Marine Branch of the Customs Department between 1870 and 1878) and its successor, the Maritime Transport Division of the Ministry of Transport (known as the Marine Division from 1972 to 1988).

Examination and certification was required under the Steam Navigation Act 1866, the Shipping and Seamen’s Act 1877, and the Shipping and Seamen Acts of 1903, 1908, 1952.

Certificates of Competency were granted in the following grades:

First mate of foreign-going ship;

Second mate of foreign-going ship;

Master of home-trade ship;

Mate of home-trade ship;

Master of small home-trade ship;

Skipper of deep-sea fishing boat;

Skipper of coastal fishing boat;

Master of river ship;

Master of restricted-limit launch;

First-class steam engineer;

Second-class steam engineer;

Third-class steam engineer;

River engineer;

Marine-engine driver;

First-class motor engineer;

Second -class motor engineer;

First-class coastal motor engineer;

First-class diesel trawler engineer;

Second-class coastal motor engineer;

Engineer of local motor ship;

Second-class diesel trawler engineer;

Engineer of restricted-limit motor ship.

Each competency certificate contains the following information:

Front of certificate

Name;

Date of issue;

Signature of Registrar.

Back of certificate

Certificate Number;

Address of Bearer;

Date and Place of Birth;

Signature (not filled in);

Place and date examination was passed;

Port and date of issue.

Exemption certificates detail exemptions from pilotage, from the employment of a certified officer from a vessel, and holding a competency certificate under various pieces of maritime legislation.

Certificates of Service

Certificates of Service were issued by the Secretary of Marine (the Secretary of Customs when the Marine Department was a branch of the Customs Department) to those serving in the Merchant Service prior to the enactment of legislation that required them to undergo examinations for Certificates of Competency. They were granted without examination, with applicants for such a certificate required to be a person of good repute, as well as providing evidence of a certain period of service in charge of a ship.

Service certificates were issued in accordance with the Merchant Ships Officers Examination Act 1870 (as amended in 1871), the Shipping and Seamen’s Act 1877, and the Shipping and Seaman Acts of 1903 and 1908 (and associated amendments).

Each entry contains the following information:

Certificate Number;

Name of Applicant;

Place and Date of Birth;

Where plying trade;

Date of issue;

Signature of the Secretary of Customs/Secretary of Marine.

This series includes ships design approval, registration and survey records from the Head Office of the Marine Department and the Marine Division of the Ministry of Transport. Although the records comprise files arranged by ship's name and some registered files, they have been grouped together as one series because of the nature of the process of each ship's design approval, registration and survey.

Under the 1952 Shipping & Seamen Act, the Marine Department and later the Maritime Division of the Ministry of Transport had to approve designs for maritime craft, register vessels and carry out regular surveys of seaworthiness for certain vessels. Plans and specifications sent to these agencies were given a registered file number, 21/3- , until such time as the ship was named. The file continued as a registration & survey file which was then arranged by the name of the ship.

Files arranged by ship's name contain design approvals, and include records of annual surveys and surveyors' repair memorandum forms which document the surveys of any repairs carried out on the vessel, and registration details. Box files arranged by ships name generally contain only folded plans, drawings and booklets containing specification and design information. The 21/3- files generally only hold construction information and design approvals for vessels operated by central or local government, vessels operated by ports, sea-rescue vessels and waka.

Earlier files from this series, i.e. those transferred to Archives before 1987, are listed in the Record Group [Marine Department Series 22], [M22].