This enables searches to be made across all categories and under many diverse subject headings. W e are all the joint custodians of a unique and irreplaceable collection of historical images dating from as early as 1861 being primarily a visual witness of local parish communities, ministers, deaconesses, individuals and groups, a snapshot record of special events, and the wider work of the Church over many years. As these images show a past world almost totally lost now to new values and westernisation we can now look as excitedly at these tantalizing images as did our forbears, viewing for the first time an unknown world. Likewise, the Archives has held one major public photographic exhibition and a number of interesting images are shown on our website, as well as the related First Church of Otago website. St. Paul s, Wanganui, YMBC picnic, 1903.
Parishes continue to send in new material as well as material being received from private sources.
We are now pro-actively encouraging all parishes to deposit their photographic collections with the Archives Office in Dunedin, if they have not already done so. Sadly, the discovery of an almost total absence of images is often the unavoidable end result. Ownership of all material remains with the parish and no mandatory charge is made. The HRC is now designated a Resource Group. T he ongoing presence of the HRC on-site in Dunedin ensures the archival functions of the Archives Office are developed and managed efficiently.