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The University of Otago’s Hocken Library will pave the way for influential research surrounding early Māori and European contact in New Zealand from 1808 to 1823. The Marsden Online Archive team will make Anglican cleric Samuel Marsden's personal, transcribed, hand-written letters and journals available on an online achieve, providing accessibility of the high-resolution images of manuscripts for researchers throughout New Zealand.

Nine of Marsden's journals and 593 letters will be digitalised via the archive, which is set to launch in early November. Marsden's letters were to some of New Zealand's earliest missionaries, such as Thomas Kendall, William Hall and John King. These letters and diary entries outline early New Zealand life experiences, such as diet, culture and beliefs. It also includes the earliest written recordings of Māori language.

Critic spoke to Marsden Online Archive Project Manager Vanessa Gibbs about the project.

"The project commenced in September last year ... the project sponsors identified the bicentennial was coming up, so we aimed to have the archives ready by Christmas," said Gibbs. The establishment of the archive is to coincide with Marsden's first New Zealand sermon on Christmas Day, 1814.

The new online archive will allow other researchers to search specific missionary or Māori names, dates, ship and place names to cut down on time spent analysing documents. The tool was made in collaboration with researchers from across disciplines.

Gibbs noted, "We talked to researchers about what they needed from the site and they had some sort of ideas of what they would use it for ... There are some outputs already, for example Professor Tony Ballantyne has been looking into the language that was used. He's been looking at the key language that comes out of these documents."

The project group has been talking to lecturers about using the archive programme in classes, as well as providing opportunities for classes to experience transcribing material. Use of the Marsden Online Archives will be available throughout New Zealand. "It’s completely open; the idea is that there could be people from the North Island who are interested. You don't have to be a researcher, you don't have to be a student to access this," said Gibbs.

Plans for additional features of the database are being worked on, such as a space where academics can contribute to the scholarly conversation. There will also be an exhibit on 6 November at the Hocken Library, with early archaeological objects on show from this time.