Sir John Logan Campbell (1817-1912) is widely regarded as the major founder of the Auckland settlement, where he was one of the earliest merchants, active in establishing many commercial and cultural organisations, and perhaps the main benefactor to the Auckland region. The papers are owned by the Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate, on deposit at the Museum.

The Mansfield collections include original correspondence, notebooks and journals and other documentation relating to her life and works. As a whole they document the writer’s artistic preoccupations, development, influences and methods. They cover her troubled and complex personal life, friendships and family relationships, and her dealings with society and institutions.

The Waipu collection documents a significant microcosm of international migration from Scotland to Nova Scotia, to Australia, and to New Zealand, reflecting the spread of the British Empire of the time, and the movement of its people.

Lancelot Eric Richdale’s papers document his internationally recognised contributions to ornithological knowledge and conservation.