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Array
(
    [entityType] => ITEM
    [entity] => Array
        (
            [contextId] => aims
            [description] => Array
                (
                    [0] => Government postal services were provided in New Zealand from 1840 although the Post Office was not established as a Department until 1860. The Post Office performed a wide variety of functions on behalf of the Crown, including the provision of postal, telegraphic, telephone and banking services. In addition the Post Office assisted in the administration of associated functions in other areas of government, for instance, pension payments, motor vehicle registration and radio inspection.
                )

            [id] => ADOU
            [idSort] => ADOU
            [name] => Post Office
            [custom] => Array
                (
                    [custom1] => 
1. This agency description was compiled as part of a project to capture the finding aids created prior to 1987 into the GAIMS system. 
2. Agency start and end dates are derived from the dates of holdings. 
3. History of the Post Office archives: 



Until 1860, postal services in New Zealand came under the administration of the Colonial Secretary. When the Post Office was set up as a separate department, it took with it a volume of records, relative to postal matters, from the Colonial Secretary, the Civil Secretary and the Colonial Secretary, New Munster. Only a few of these were incorporated in its own registry, which was a yearly number system and used the symbol PO. 



Very few of its records have survived the fire that burned down the Post Office in 1887, and the fire of 1961, which totally destroyed a Post Office store in Aotea Quay, in which were kept the old records created from 1887. 



The electric Telegraph legislation which was passed in 1865, was nominally independent of the Post Office. It usually had a separate vote in the estimates, though its annual report was presented by the Postmaster General, covering a report on the progress in establishing lines and stations written by the Telegraph Engineer, the chief functionary of the Telegraph Office. 



In 1881, the two offices were amalgamated to form the Post and Telegraph. As the former independence of the Telegraph Office seem to have been more apparent than real, its few surviving records of the pre-1881 period have not been accorded the status of a separate branch. However, in 1901, a separate registry for its records was set up, records of which are listed under the Telegraph Branch. The name of the department has been changed from Post and Telegraph to Post Office but since it retains its telegraph functions, all telegraph records, before and after the separation of the registries (in 1901), are placed under the group symbol PO. Similarly, telegraph records of district offices come under the heading ‘Post Office’. 



The main bodies of records which survived the fires of 1887 and 1961, are those inherited from the Colonial Secretary and those of certain district Chief Postmasters. They received excellent physical care in the custody of the Post Office, and having been carefully mended and mounted, are, with the exception of those damaged by the fires, in excellent repair. Those handed over to the Post Office by the Colonial Secretary, Civil Secretary and Colonial Secretary, New Munster, but not incorporated into the P.O. registry, have been restored to their creating bodies. A list of the Colonial Secretary’s papers, by far the most significant in number of the three, is placed at the back of the series list. Their custodian in the Post Office typed copies of some of them; these are to be found on [Archives NZ] file NA1/39/2. 






                    [custom2] => Archives New Zealand, 2001 Post and Telegraph Department / Post Office (AALE) Agency documentation Robinson, Howard 'A History of the Post Office in New Zealand' Government Printer, Wellington, 1964 Startup, R.M. 'New Zealand Post Offices' The Postal History Society of New Zealand Inc., Hastings, 1977 'The Post Office - Then and Now' (no date)
                )

            [identifier] => Array
                (
                    [priref] => Array
                        (
                            [0] => 1961
                        )

                )

            [agentControlRelation] => Array
                (
                    [0] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Realm of New Zealand
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1947-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1982-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Organisation
                            [relationHasSource] => A0020
                        )

                    [1] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Dominion of New Zealand
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1907-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1947-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Organisation
                            [relationHasSource] => A0009
                        )

                    [2] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Government of Great Britain
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1843-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1848-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Organisation
                            [relationHasSource] => A0006
                        )

                    [3] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Self-Governing Colony of New Zealand
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1853-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1907-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Organisation
                            [relationHasSource] => A0005
                        )

                    [4] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Crown Colony of New Zealand (I)
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1841-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1848-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Organisation
                            [relationHasSource] => A0001
                        )

                    [5] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Crown Colony of New Zealand (I)
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1841-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1843-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Organisation
                            [relationHasSource] => A0001
                        )

                )

            [agentHierarchicalRelation] => Array
                (
                    [0] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Wellington Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1841-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1966-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADPY
                        )

                    [1] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Palmerston North Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1871-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1975-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADPX
                        )

                    [2] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Picton Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1859-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1864-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADPW
                        )

                    [3] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => New Plymouth Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1842-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1979-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADPV
                        )

                    [4] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Nelson Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1842-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1976-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADPU
                        )

                    [5] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Napier Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1852-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1968-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADPT
                        )

                    [6] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Lower Hutt Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1904-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1965-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADPS
                        )

                    [7] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Blenheim Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1856-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1975-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADPR
                        )

                    [8] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Collingwood Post Office
                            [type] => controlled_by
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1857-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1865-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Agency
                            [relationHasSource] => ADOZ
                        )

                )

            [agentMandateOther] => Array
                (
                    [0] => Local Post Act 1856
                    [1] => New Zealand Post Office Act 1858
                    [2] => Postal Ordinance 1848
                )

            [agentType] => Record group
            [authorityRelation] => Array
                (
                    [0] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => First trans-Tasman airmail test flights (P&T 1933/75)
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => unknown
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1962-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => exact
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 22540
                        )

                    [1] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Registered files - Non-permanent, non-classified and agency post offices
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1887-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1974-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17220
                        )

                    [2] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Staff personal files - Former Heads of Department
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1904-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1982-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17214
                        )

                    [3] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Finance and accounts
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1871-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1974-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17209
                        )

                    [4] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Chief Marine Board - Outwards letters
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1862-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1865-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17208
                        )

                    [5] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Chief Marine Board - Inwards letters
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1862-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1865-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17207
                        )

                    [6] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Chief Marine Board - minutes
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1862-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1865-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17206
                        )

                    [7] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Photographs of early Wellington and early coaching days
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1857-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1911-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17205
                        )

                    [8] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Warkworth Satellite Station photographs
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1969-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1970-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17204
                        )

                    [9] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Savings Bank photographs [Portraits]
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1862-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1938-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17203
                        )

                    [10] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Miscellaneous papers
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1868-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1882-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17202
                        )

                    [11] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Departmental manuals
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1949-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1975-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17201
                        )

                    [12] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Post and Telegraph Office papers to 1901
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1843-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1889-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17200
                        )

                    [13] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Outwards letters - Telegraph Office
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1873-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1873-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17199
                        )

                    [14] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Outwards letters - Post Office
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1862-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [hasEndDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1880-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

                            [itemType] => Series
                            [relationHasTarget] => 17198
                        )

                    [15] => Array
                        (
                            [name] => Registers of inwards letters relating to Post and Telegraph - Offices
                            [type] => controlling
                            [hasBeginningDate] => Array
                                (
                                    [normalizedValue] => 1903-01-01T00:00:00.0Z
                                    [dateQualifier] => Array
                                        (
                                            [0] => approximate
                                            [1] => yearOnly
                                        )

                                )

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            [history] => 
Government management of postal services in New Zealand began in 1840 with the establishment of the first official post office at Kororareka.  One of the first appointments made by the new Governor was of an official Postmaster to take responsibility for the collection and distribution of mails.  However the British Post Office, unaware of the existence of the appointment, sent out instructions for the establishment of a postal service.  The new service was to be controlled from London, and implemented in New Zealand by the Collector of Customs.  Consequently, acting control of the Post Office passed to the Customs Department in 1843.
The Post Office collected and delivered mail around New Zealand, and despatched mail overseas. Post Offices were established in the main centres, generally with very limited facilities.  Most post offices during this early period shared a government residence, for instance with the local police station or customs office.
New Zealand became a self-governing colony in 1847.  Subsequently in 1848, on the recommendation of the British Postmaster-General, control of the New Zealand Post Office was handed back to New Zealand.  An ordinance “for regulating the Conveyance and Postage of letters” was issued in that year.  The ordinance authorised the Governor to fix postage rates, provided they did not exceed existing rates.  It also empowered him to establish post offices and mail routes, and to appoint officers.  The position of Postmaster-General as head of the Post Office was briefly revived in 1853, before its abolition in 1854, in conjunction with greater delegation of powers to provincial councils and their local postmasters.  
In 1855 the Post Office introduced and distributed prepaid adhesive postal stamps, which proved immediately popular.  Post office establishment was a rarity for the first fifteen years of postal services, with only 20 post offices and sub-offices in the country by 1855.   However the Local Post Act 1856 promoted provincial development of this, and by 1860 there were 107 post offices around New Zealand.  
One of the main difficulties experienced in postal services during this period was the slow communication and transportation in New Zealand.  Inter-provincial mail was dependent on infrequent and sometimes unreliable shipping routes.  Shipwrecks were a regular occurrence, and it was not unusual for mail to be delayed or lost in transit. Vessels were often sail rather than steam-powered, and might convey mail from Wellington to Auckland only once in three months.  Overland mail between the same centres was despatched only once a fortnight, and would take two and a half weeks to reach its destination.               
The Post Office Act 1858 authorised a substantial reform of postal services.  It conferred a number of powers on postal authorities to improve the provision of postal services.  For instance, ship’s masters’ were required to notify the Post Office of their voyages and departure times, and to carry mail if required.  Failure to do so could result in a £100 fine.  Similarly, the Act implemented measures for the security of mail, including a potential punishment of life in penal servitude for any person convicted of stealing or destroying letters.
This increase in the powers of postal authorities, along with a large increase in the volume of mail, contributed to the establishment of the Post Office as a separate Government Department in 1860.  The Post Office had previously been administered by the Colonial Secretary’s Department.  The Minister in charge of the newly formed Department held the title of Postmaster-General. 
In 1862 the first Secretary of the Post Office was appointed.  The holder of this position became the head of the working staff, and ultimately became known as the Director-General of the Post Office.  The Secretary was a public service rather than political appointment, and had responsibility for the direct management of the Post Office.  The Postmaster-General, as ministerial head of the Department, retained overall responsibility for the policy direction of the Post Office.
Another change experienced by the new Department during its early years was relocation.  The Post Office headquarters moved from Auckland to Wellington in 1865 following the transfer of the capital to that city.    
The Electric Telegraph Department, established in 1865 by the Electric Telegraph Act, was amalgamated with the Post Office in 1881 to form the Post and Telegraph Department.  The two depatrtments had been already been closely linked prior to formal integration. Although the Telegraph Department usually received a separate funding vote from Parliament, the Postmaster-General of the Post Office typically presented the Telegraph Department's annual report. 
Telegraph technology had been adopted rapidly in many countries around the world, and it was equally popular in New Zealand.  The first public telegraph line was introduced in Christchurch in 1861, and by 1874 cables had been laid across both the Cook Strait and the Tasman Sea.  Telegraph management constituted a significant proportion of the Telegraph Department’s workload.  The Department also took on responsibility for telephones as they were introduced, with the first telephone exchange being installed in Christchurch in 1881.
In 1884 the minister of the newly amalgamated department became the Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs.  The ministerial rank was frequently altered during the history of the Post Office, sometimes combining the two titles, sometimes separating them as two distinct positions.
As the government took responsibility for new functions, many of these were handed to the Post Office for administration through its wide network of post offices.  Thus when old age pensions were introduced in 1898, initial applications were to be made in post offices, and if entitlement to a pension was established, the payments were also made from post offices.  Similarly, motor vehicle registrations were added to Post Office responsibilities as they were introduced.  Functions that the Post Office administered at various times included: postal, electoral, banking, telephone and telegraph services, as well as electoral registration and radio inspection.
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