This dataset contains dust mass concentrations dust-laden surface snow from the Franz-Josef, Fox and Tasman Glaciers in the Southern Alps, New Zealand. Samples were collected following a severe Australian bushfire in 2019/2020 that deposited a layer of red dust across the glaciers. Background snow samples were also collected in 2023 to characterise the local dust composition. Trace element concentrations from the 1939 Black Friday Australian bushfire event collected from Golden Downs, Tasman District, New Zealand and potential source area material from Tasman and Fox Glaciers.