The New Zealand Archaeological Association is the national organisation for archaeology with a membership spanning professionals, amateurs, students, organisations, businesses and institutions involved or interested in New Zealand archaeology and heritage. We actively aim to unite all persons engaged in or interested in archaeology by holding an annual conference and other seminars and workshops, for the discussion and further advancement of archaeological knowledge and practice.

Our objectives are to promote and foster research into the archaeology and history of New Zealand and further afield. Our archaeological record may be short in timespan by old world standards, but New Zealand has a rich heritage of archaeological sites which illustrate its 800-year history. We publish the Journal of Pacific Archaeology, a monograph series and the Association’s quarterly newsletter, Archaeology in New Zealand.

As part of our national role, we lobby government and local authorities for the recognition and protection of New Zealand’s cultural heritage through planning consultations and direct engagement. The Site Recording Scheme, initiated by the NZAA in the 1950s and today managed by the Association through its online portal, ArchSite, contains the records of over 60,000 archaeological sites in New Zealand. The records are used for the purposes of research and for the protection and management of archaeological sites.

紐西蘭考古學協會(NZAA)是國家的考古學組織，會員身份含括對紐西蘭考古及遺址有興趣的專家學者、業餘人士、學生、組織、企業和學術單位等。NZAA以舉辦年度論壇、研討會和工作坊等形式，積極致力於集結對考古有興趣的人士，一起討論考古學知識理論與實務操作的未來展望。

NZAA成立的宗旨是為了提升並促進紐西蘭與其他地區的考古學和歷史學研究。紐西蘭的考古歷史跟其他遠古文化相較來說不長，但是仍然擁有八百年之久的豐富文化及考古遺址。除此之外，NZAA還發行系列學刊《太平洋考古學刊(the Journal of Pacific Archaeology)》以及協會季刊《紐西蘭考古(Archaeology in New Zealand)》。

對於紐西蘭國內，協會的角色是遊說中央及地方政府，希望藉由規劃諮詢協商和直接的介入參與，協助紐西蘭的文化遺產受到保護和認定。例如，紐西蘭的遺址列冊計畫(the Site Recording Scheme)在1950年代由NZAA發起，就保存了超過6萬筆的紐西蘭考古場址紀錄資料，作為研究以及保護、管理考古場址之用。