New Zealand Defence Force UAP Files — NZDF Declassification

In December 2010, the New Zealand Defence Force officially released approximately 2,000 pages of classified files related to UAP (referred to in the documents as UFO) incidents investigated by New Zealand military and government authorities between 1952 and 1984. The release was prompted by a series of Freedom of Information requests and represented the most significant New Zealand government UAP transparency event. The files included: Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) pilot observation reports; radar tracking data from New Zealand Air Defence radar stations; witness statements from civilian, military, and police witnesses; official investigation findings from RNZAF Air Staff; and correspondence with Australian and US authorities on shared incidents. The files confirmed that the RNZAF maintained a formal UAP observation recording system. Multiple cases involved simultaneous radar tracking and visual confirmation. The Kaikoura phenomenon — the 1978 filming incident with the Australian TV crew — is documented in the New Zealand files alongside additional surrounding incidents. Several cases were classified as unresolved. The files are available through Archives New Zealand (Te Rua Māhara o te Kāwanatanga) in Wellington and have been the subject of academic research by New Zealand historians studying cold-war era government secrecy.