Except for a very few letters from Missionaries dating from the late 1890's, all correspondence between the Synod's Missions Convener and their Missionaries from 1867 to 1901 has been destroyed. Fortuitously, quite a number of pre 1901 letters from Missionaries were published (almost verbatim) in various Presbyterian journals of the day.
There is no Synod Missions photographic collection - all that survive have been obtained from private sources, including descendants of the Bannerman family of whom Rev William Bannerman was the Missions Convener from 1872 to 1901.
Synod Clerk :
All the Synod Clerk's correspondence prior to 1914 has been destroyed.
Otago Foundation Trust Board :
The Board minutes of 14 April 1921 (page 549) records : "Permission to destroy papers prior to 1901 which in his opinion have no reference value". Thankfully this directive was not carried out.