The comprehensive collection of papers detailing Ngai Tahu practices - from food gathering to childbirth - was added to Unesco's Memory of the World New Zealand register on Monday.
The register sits alongside Unesco's World Heritage List and Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and showcases significant documentary heritage to highlight the importance of preserving and providing access to such items.
Hocken head curator archives Anna Blackman said the papers were ''an exceptionally rich collection'', which documented uniquely Ngai Tahu culture and knowledge.
The papers covered traditional stories and narratives, naming of places, things and people, and included food-gathering practices, hunting and fishing, pounamu, weapons and tools.
Beattie used the collection himself for his many publications, and it was also used in Ngai Tahu treaty claims in the 1990s.
Otago pro-vice-chancellor humanities Prof Tony Ballantyne said the papers were a ''remarkable body of materials'', compiled over eight decades.
Starting as a boy of 11, Beattie had been an enthusiastic writer and collector, pursuing those interests alongside his career as a book-keeper, journalist, and bookseller.
His interests as a collector were extensive, and included natural history, particularly birds, place names, and local history, with a particular interest in ''pioneers''.
''He pursued these questions through relentless reading, the production of voluminous clipping-books, interviewing the knowledgeable and the elderly'', and also through ''research trips undertaken by train, bike, and foot,'' he said.
