New Zealand Defence Force Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO) Files: Reports of UFOs and Ethnology

This document is a compilation of declassified files from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) regarding Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and related correspondence, spanning from 1952 to 2009. The file, designated 1630/2 Volume 2, was declassified in December 2010 and is held at the Headquarters of the New Zealand Defence Force. Access to the original files is restricted until 2080 due to personal privacy concerns, though redacted copies have been released to the public under the Official Information Act. The files contain a wide variety of materials, including reports of sightings by private individuals and military personnel, investigations by Defence and other government departments, newspaper clippings, and correspondence from individuals claiming to be in contact with alien beings or craft. The document also includes administrative records, such as vetting record sheets and internal emails regarding the handling of Official Information Act (OIA) requests. A significant portion of the correspondence involves the RNZAF's policy on UFOs, which is explicitly stated as not routinely investigating such sightings, with the notable exception of the Kaikoura Lights sightings in the late 1970s. The files also contain correspondence from individuals proposing 'inventions' related to flight, weapons, and jet engine silencing, which the RNZAF consistently declined to assist with due to limited resources and a focus on national security. The compilation reflects the administrative burden and the nature of public inquiries received by the NZDF over several decades, highlighting the tension between public interest in UFO phenomena and the military's stance on its lack of responsibility for coordinating or investigating such reports.