New Zealand ArchivistVol XI No 4 Summer/December 2000 ISSN 0114-7676

Record-Keeping:Is there a Role for Undergraduate Education?

t

Gillian Oliver and Sarah Welland

Appropriate education and qualifications for records managers and archivists in New Zealand continues to be a topic for debate which polarises participants, particularly within their relevant associations and professions.

Representatives from both disciplines have spent considerable time and energy into trying to achieve progress in this area, with the Ham Report and New Zealand Qualifications Authority Unit Standards being examples of key milestones. Despite these efforts, clearly defined, comprehensive, and recognised New Zealand-based programmes of study currently do not exist for records management and/or archives management.

As well as looking at this issue from the point of view of our own professional development, we also need to recognise the fact that there exists a number of people from outside the profession who also come into contact with archives and records. Often these people do not have the training or the record-keeping knowledge to manage or access them properly, or have to rely on library principles. Although the needs of this group may be different, their introductory training requirements remain essentially unchanged from those of Records Managers and Archivists.

In an attem pt to start addressing existing qualification gaps, The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand (TOPNZ) has developed a level 5 course ('course' equals 'paper' in the university context) in records management. This course is equivalent to first-year undergraduate level and introduces the main principles, concepts and theory of records management from a New Zealand perspective. Principles of Records Management is offered as an elective in the Information and Library Studies programme, and can be credited towards any of the three degrees offered by TOPNZ: the Bachelor of Business, Bachelor of Applied Science and Bachelor of Arts, as well as for the Diploma in Information and Library Studies.

One of the benefits of the records management course being an elective in different degree options is that it is studied by students from a variety of backgrounds. In the year that the course has been in operation many of the students have been enrolled in an Information and Library Studies Diploma, with the next significant group being records managers either seeking form al training or updating and supplementing their "on-the-job" knowledge. There has also been a smaller but noticeable number of students who are studying towards information technology or general management qualifications. Student feedback has shown that these people often go into their chosen careers with a much better understanding and appreciation for records management. This can only help improve the profession's recognition and general status.

Due to the success of this course, we are now being asked "what's next?" There is clear demand from past, current, and interested future students for a well-rounded record-keeping qualification at the undergraduate level, and one introductory records management course certainly does not fulfil this requirement. The Information and Library Studies Section has therefore identified a need for the initial development of two new courses; one being a more advanced course at second year undergraduate level (level 6) focusing on electronic records and their management, and the other a level 5 course on archives.

Developing an archives course may seem an odd choice if you consider that there are not many stand­alone archives institutions in New Zealand, and most of these have in-house training or a requirement for post-graduate qualifications. Where then, does this demand for archives education come from? Again, there is an articulated need from both inside and outside the record-keeping profession: from records managers who are working with archives (either from choice or necessity), and also from existing library studies students. A number of students currently enrolled in our library studies diploma programme are also working with archives, sometimes in a voluntary capacity. Both of these groups often feel isolated and lacking in knowledge when it comes to dealing with the archives in their care.

As well as these two main groups, the course will also be developed with researchers in mind. Paid research is a growing industry and knowing how to access and use archives effectively would be a definite bonus for workers in this sector. Our undergraduate library studies programmes will offer an opportunity for these different types of people to learn more about archives and information management.

The aim of the archives course would not be to produce "an archivist", any more than a single library or records management course would produce "a librarian" or "a records manager". However, in com bination with appropriate other courses, these courses could lead to a broader qualification, specialising in information management. The Open Polytechnic already offers a range of courses that could be combined with records and archives to result in a qualification. Information systems, communication, management, and the humanities all offer possible options- not such a bad thing considering the current trends of multi-skilling and the breaking down of barriers between information management professions.

The Australian Society of ArchivistsConference 2000

David Colquhoun

This year's ASA conference was held in Melbourne, and was called "Beyond the Screen: Capturing Corporate and Social Memory".

The several ASA conferences I have been to have always provided insights and professional contact not always possible in New Zealand, so that was one reason to go. But the main reason was that this conference promised to be particularly relevant to my own work as a collecting archivist, and it is from this point of view that I review the conference. The conference brochure proclaimed that the conference's aim was to address the challenges faced by "archivists, librarians, curators, historians and others involved in cultural heritage" at a time of "dramatic changes in society, economics, politics and technology".

Anyone who has followed the recent debates and developments within the Australian archives profession will realise that issues of cultural heritage have not been prominent lately. The Australians instead have been pioneering new thinking about the role of the archivist in the electronic age. Emphasis has been placed on the need for archivists to be involved at the beginning of records creation. Out of this have come refined definitions of what records are, emphasising that their chief characteristic is as evidence of activity. Holding all this together is the continuum model for recordkeeping, which seriously questions the relevance of the archivist's traditional collecting and preserving tasks. This work has attracted international acclaim. But while it does not ignore the need for the archivist to also preserve social memory, the assumption seems to be that if records are preserved as evidence then social memory will look after itself. The work of the collecting archivist, documenting the activities of those individuals and organisations that cannot or do not wish to keep good records forever, has been ignored.

This conference, then, sought to bring issues of cultural heritage back into the mainstream of Australian archives thinking. Did it succeed? Only partially.

A rousing opening keynote address by Canadian archivist Terry Cook promised much. It was an excellent paper1. Cook took to task the narrow focus on recordkeeping that dominates recent writing about archives, and warned that it was leading to a schism in the profession. He argued strongly that the new em phasis on evidence rather than memory risked forgetting that concepts of evidence are themselves socially conditioned. He discussed appraisal theory, criticising those who saw business needs and organisational accountablity as the sole criteria for appraisal. Such an approach, Cook pointed out, ignores the wider responsibility to reflect the cultural and historical expectations of the wider

society. He also had very interesting comments, for me, about macro-appraisal approaches and the possibility for much more pro-active documentation strategies amongst institutions like my own. Finally, he commented on the records continuum model, which he saw as a powerful tool, that could work to reunite a divided archives world, if its proponents recognised the relevance and importance of social and collective memory within the model.

Cook was provocative and his arguments deserved further discussion at the conference. But there was none, despite several opportunities. I had expected a session titled "The International Great Debate: Does Cultural Heritage have a Future?" to be an opportunity for some exchange of views; perhaps for the proponents of records continuum thinking to say how they see their work as ensuring the protection of cultural memory. Instead there were some good jokes, but no serious discussion. Another session billed as "Contemporary Collection Policy - A Comparative Study" failed to bring out anything new or particularly enlightening from the Librarian, Museum Director and State Archivist on the panel, none of whom appeared to have been aware of Cook's paper earlier that morning. These were certainly opportunities lost. In fact there was a notable lack of any participation at the conference from those who have done most to advance recent Australian thinking on archives2.

There were some very good papers elsewhere in the conference. Archives New Zealand's own Evelyn Wareham gave an excellent and provocative paper about the impact on archives of the growing sense of Maori identity in New Zealand. There were good presentations about the Public Record Office of Victoria's VERS project to preserve the electronic records of Governm ent, and from the N ational Library of Australia and the State Library of Tasmania about their projects to preserve electronic published material.

The other paper of particular note was the presentation by the second international keynote speaker, the English Public Record Office Director of Public Services, Dr Elizabeth Hallam Smith3. Her paper was a pragmatic one, discussing the issues around the provision of online services, based on the PRO experience. She had interesting points to make about the growth of history as popular entertainment, and the opportunity and need for archives institutions to become more visible as providers of quality online services feeding into this popular interest. One of her conclusions was that "to avoid at worst, ultimate oblivion and at best, genteel obscurity in cyberspace we need to work smart, to work together across the cultural sector, and to work fast".

Such a conference presents other ways of learning besides the formal papers. The Special Interest groups

that meet the day before are always a good opportunity to meet others doing similar work, and so it proved again this year. In the past I have also valued the pre-conference reference and access day organised by the Council of Federal, State and Territory Archives (COFSTA). This year's offering was a welcome change. Rather than formal sessions the day was mostly spent on an enthusiastic guided tour of the architectural highlights of historic Melbourne. Not perhaps what my employer expected, but I am sure I can justify it as a working example of archivists' renewed interest in

societal and cultural memory, advocated so effectively by Terry Cook.

1 The paper can be read on the Australian Society of Archivists’ website. Terry Cook "Beyond the Screen: The Records Continuum and Archival Cultural Heritage" http://www.archivists.org.au/

2 At tire time of writing the inevitable debate had finally burst forth on the Australian archivists' listserv, although initial contributions have produced more heat than enlightenment.

3 Elizabeth Hallam Smith "Lost in Cyberspace: Have Archives a Future?". Australian Society of Archivists website. Op cit.

ICA 2000: Archivists of the World Converge in Seville

Evelyn Wareham

Over 3000 archivists, drawn from every corner of the world and every variant of the archives landscape, gathered together from 21-26 September in the vibrant historic city of Seville to extend their professional knowledge, share experiences, and play a part in shaping the International Council on A rchives' programmes for the next four years at the XIVth International Congress on Archives.

New Zealand was represented at the Seville Congress by a trio from Archives New Zealand: Michael Hoyle (head of the New Zealand delegation), Narelle Scollay, and myself. This strong presence was well received, even if it paled in comparison to the sixty Finns and over one hundred Swedes. My main purpose for attending the Congress was to represent PARBICA, the Pacific Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives, of which I have been Secretary General since August 1999. Along with the smattering of New Zealanders, the Pacific region was represented by one Fijian, Setareki Tale (Government Archivist and President of PARBICA) and a contingent of Australians, including PARBICA's Treasurer, Kathryn Dan and numerous other ICA committee members.

An International Congress on Archives comprises an abundance of ceremonial formalities, constant overlapping meetings, and, very much in the background, a series of professional papers from international archives dignitaries. It's an incredible experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone considering attending. The sheer numbers of people, meetings and sessions, and the logistics of transport, catering and conference documentation are overwhelming.

In Seville, all plenary sessions, and the meetings of the General Assembly and the International Round Table Conference on Archives (CITRA), were translated into no less than six languages (English, French, Spanish, German, Russian and Chinese). After an uncertain start, our Spanish hosts coped admirably with the assignment of organising the masses of participants. As well as smoothly arranging sessions

and meetings, they provided magnificent three course served lunches, an organ concert in Seville's cathedral, sight-seeing trips to Granada, Cordoba and other areas, and a closing dinner in a stunning outdoor setting within the arch of pillared arcades and towers of the Plaza de Espana. Seville is the city with one of the highest concentrations of bars in Spain, and probably also in Europe, so most archivists spent many a warm evening enjoying small plates of 'tapas' and fine local wine and beer with the 'Sevillanos' and 'Sevillanas'. Some were even spotted trying out their moves in the old city's flamenco bars in the early hours!

OpeningThe Congress was opened by the King of Spain,

following a welcome to participants from Spain's Minister for Culture and Education and the Mayor of Seville. In his opening lecture, historian Geoffrey Parker praised the custodians of the archival heritage of Spain for their role in preserving and giving access to the traces of Spanish activities in Europe and many other parts of the world over past centuries. Significant originals from that documentary heritage were on display in the Spanish government's section of the vast exhibition accompanying the Congress: Christopher Colombus's 1492 royal contract for his voyage to the Indies, the Arabic deed of cession signed in Granada in the same year, plans of colonial forts and towns, and innumerable treaties. The extreme level of security at the Congress mirrored both the significance of these archives, and the terrorist threat which has dominated the Spanish political scene this year.

Acting President Eric Ketelaar, of the Netherlands, thanked the Spanish government and welcomed delegates. ICA President Wang Gang, of China, although unable to be present, thanked members of the ICA and its Branches, Sections, Committees and Project Groups through video for their work over the past four years. "Archival undertakings at the turn of the century are at a critical juncture of historical development", stated Wang Gang. "How to seize opportunities, advance in a pioneering spirit, employ

correct strategies and tactics and take the initiative to meet various challenges has a direct bearing on the future development of international archival undertakings in the 21st century."

Plenary SessionsThe three-day professional conference "Archives

of the New Millennium in the Information Society" involved plenary sessions shaped around three themes: the management and use of electronic archives in the context of globalisation, the expansion of archival science as a discipline, and the role of archives in the leisure society. Keynote speakers for the three days were Magdalena Canellas Anoz of Seville, Hermann Rumschottel of Munich, and Jose Bernal Rivas of Costa Rica. The themes were addressed by a range of presenters from countries including Italy, Canada, China, Senegal, Singapore and Russia, who discussed initiatives and issues in their own countries as well as addressing the situation of recordkeeping globally.

Among a not very exciting line-up of form al presentations, a highlight was Verne Harris's paper on "Law, Evidence and Electronic Records: A Strategic Perspective from the Global Periphery", which called on recordkeepers to question "the relationship between 'memory' and 'archive', between 'the event' and 'the record', between 'justice' and 'the law' Harris spoke of experiences in South Africa and perspectives on records in other areas of the world which are resource-poor or undergoing political transitions on the "global periphery". All the papers will be published in the ICA's journal and distributed to all ICA members.

Pre-Congress, Exhibits, Presentations & SeminarsA pre-Congress seminar on 18-20 Septem ber

highlighted challenges of access to information for archivists in Latin countries. A myriad of open meetings and seminars hosted by the ICA's sections and committees included successful full-day sessions by the Committee on Archival Education (CAE), Section of Archives for Churches and Religious Denominations (SKR), and Committee on Electronic and Other Current Records (CER). I attended the CER session and gave comment from a New Zealand perspective on draft papers members had prepared on government records in Internet environments, metadata, and recordkeeping issues during government restructuring, outsourcing or privatisation. A stimulating session from the Section of Professional Associations on Ethics and the Internet brought together speakers from the Genealogical Society of Utah, National Archives of Australia and the inform ation and communication technology community. The Association for Commonwealth Archivists and Records Managers (ACARM) held a workshop session to discuss its legislation best practice project, with Dagmar Parer as convenor. New Zealand will be taking a more active role in ACARM in the immediate future with the election of Michael Hoyle to the Executive Committee as Vice-Chairman.

General Assembly and CITRAMichael participated in the three General Assembly

sessions and the CITRA meeting as New Zealand's country delegate, while I sat in on behalf of PARBICA. The location of CITRA 2001 was the key outstanding

issue in Seville, and it elevated international archival diplomacy to United Nations dimensions. In 1997, Israel had been accepted to host CITRA 2001 in Jerusalem , however, ARABICA (the ICA's Arab Regional Branch) had protested this decision due to the political issues this raises for Arab states. A vote left the issue unclear, and the final decision lies in the hands of the new CITRA Bureau. CITRA will be held in Marseille, France, in 2002, and South Africa in 2003. The annual CITRA meetings over these three years will address the relationship of archives with society.

In its three meetings, among other business, the General Assembly approved the• strategic plan and mission of the ICA for 2000-2010• revised scale of dues 2001-2004• full establishment of the Section on Architectural

Archives, and provisional establishment of the Section for M ilitary A rchives and Section for Olympic and Sports Archives

• establishment of EURBICA, the European Regional Branch, and EURASIA, the Eurasian Regional Branch

• changes to the ICA's constitution to give a stronger voice to the Regional Branches by appointing Branch Presidents, including PARBICA's President, to the ICA Executive Committee (this entails the disestablishment of CAD, but the Fund for Archival Development will continue to be administered from the ICA EC on the advice of the Programme Management Commission).

Ms Elisa de Santos was elected President of ICA for 2000-2004. The Assembly appointed eight honorary members including Charles Kecskemeti, John McDonald and Hugo Stibbe, while Wang Gang and Eric Ketelaar were voted honorary presidents. PARBICA President Setareki Tale joined Elisa de Santos and others in Carmona, outside Seville, on 28-29 September for his first meeting as a full member of the ICA Executive Committee.

The XVth International Congress on Archives will be held 23-29 August 2004 in Vienna, Austria, and will have as its theme: "Archives, Memory and Knowledge."

For further information on ICA visit <http:// www.ica.org/>, and for PARBICA see

< h 11 p : / / w w w . a r c h i v e n e t . g o v . a u / archives / parbica / parbica_main.htm>.

Recommendations of the XIVthICA Congress

Recognizing that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that everyone has the right "to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,"

and considering that the global flow of information focuses increasing im portance on international standards for archival terminology, preservation, appraisal, maintenance, and access to archival holdings,

and acknowledging that the professional education and development of archivists must be continually renewed and refreshed to ensure that the archival community can meet its obligation to the records, to the users, and to society at large,

The XIVth International Congress on Archives recommends that:

ELECTRONIC RECORDS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY1. Archivists ensure continuing access to the content

and functionality of authentic electronic records, recognizing that they cannot be preserved in their original physical format;

2. National Archivists, with full understanding of the urgent need to preserve the electronic records of governance, should provide leadership to ensure the preservation and accessibility of records to secure the rights of citizens;

3. Archivists, welcoming the enhanced access to archives provided by advances in technology, ensure that all citizens, whether or not able to use modern communications technology, have equal access and equal opportunity to use their documentary patrimony;

4. The Committee on Archival Legal M atters of ICA (ICA/CLM) should continuously monitor the development of copyright questions, in particular with regard to the development of copyright of electronic material, and should provide studies and professional assistance to the profession;

STANDARDIZATION5. All ICA committees and sections consider the

terminological and other standards relevant to their areas of professional specialization and promote their use;

6. All archivists should encourage their national standards bodies to participate actively in developing new ISO standards in various domains of archival practice and should adopt policies based on ISO and ICA standards;

7. Archivists, related professionals, and administrators should enhance their understanding of the techniques of quality management in order to im prove continuously the m anagem ent of archives;

EDUCATION OF ARCHIVISTS8. Archival institutions and associations of archivists

should promote awareness of and adherence to the principles of the ICA Code of Ethics as approved by

the General Assembly of ICA at its Xllth Session;9. Archivists should encourage universities to offer

an introductory course in archival science for university students in law, management, social and life sciences, and history, and ICA should develop a model for such an introductory course;

10. Administrators of archival libraries should ensure that free access is guaranteed at all times, with the necessary resources to provide reference service;

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROFESSION11. The Commission on Programme Management of

ICA develop instruments to monitor the needs of the profession, establish an agenda for the delivery of ICA products, and communicate this framework to the membership on a regular basis;

12. ICA establish a body focussing on the essential role of the archivist in outreach and user services;

PROTECTION OF THE ARCHIVAL HERITAGE13. In view of the continuing problem of management

of archives of former repressive regimes and of their importance in the consolidation of democratic systems, ICA should work with UNESCO to develop a programme for preserving such archives as a matter of urgency, taking into account the guidelines of the ICA/UNESCO study of 1995 on The Management of State Security Archives of Former Repressive Regimes;

SPECIAL MOTIONS14. The XIVth International Congress on Archives,

meeting in Seville, expresses its deepest apprecia­tion of the honour conferred upon it by His Majesty, the King of Spain, by His Majesty's acceptance of the Honorary Presidency of the Congress and his active participation in the opening ceremony;

15. The XIVth International Congress on Archives expresses its gratitude to all national and international, public and private, organizations which have supported the implementation of the ICA programme between 1996 and 2000;

16. The XIVth International Congress on Archives records its appreciation to all the colleagues who ensured that the sessions provided stimulating and challenging explorations of professional issues and to the rapporteurs who integrated in the resolutions the concerns expressed during the professional programme;

17. On behalf of the International Council on Archives and all participants, the XIVth International Congress on Archives expresses its deepest gratitude to the Government of Spain, the Junta de Andalucia, to the Mayor of Sevilla, to the Under Director General for the State Archives within the Ministry of Education and Culture, to the Congress Director and her colleagues, and the other Spanish archivists involved for the warm hospitality and organization of the XIVth International Congress on Archives.

Archives New Zealand aka National Archives

On 1 October, National Archives became Archives New Zealand, a new department of state, under its Minister, Hon. Marian Hobbs. The change (though not the name) are provided for in the Archives, Culture and Heritage Reform Act 2000 (no.32), which passed into law on 14 September 2000, and came into force on 1 October.

Under the Act, the functions of the Secretary for Internal Affairs prescribed in the Archives Act 1957, are transferred either to the Chief Executive of the 'responsible department' (i.e. Archives New Zealand) or to the Minister. The term 'Chief Archivist' in the Archives Act means the Chief Executive of the new department. There are a number of consequent amendments to the Archives Act. In section 23B (2), the phrase "under the direction of the Secretary for Internal Affairs" is omitted. This was the phrase that caused strife during an earlier attempt at restructuring National Archives. (See New Zealand Archivist Vol VI No.3, Spring/September 1995, pp 1-2. "National Archives in the Spotlight".)

Chief Archivist, Archives New Zealand

The sudden nature of the State Services Commission's appointment of a new Acting Chief Archivist/Chief Executive at the newly renamed Archives New Zealand, coinciding with the first day of the institution's new status as a government department, aroused suspicion in some quarters, which a longer lead-in time might have muted.

NZSA's Council resolved to write to the State Services Commissioner on the matter. The following is, firstly, our letter, and secondly, his reply. Michael Wintringham agreed that we could publish his letter.

"18 October 2000State Services Commissioner,Wellington

Chief Archivist, Archives New Zealand

While warmly welcoming the new status of Archives New Zealand as an independent government department, the Council of the New Zealand Society of Archivists has asked me to write to you to voice our concern at the sudden appointment of someone other than an archivist as Acting Chief Archivist. This is particularly inexplicable given the length of time that the previous Acting Chief Archivist, Chris Hurley, had been in that post, and given that interviews had already been held for the advertised permanent position of Chief Archivist.

With the new status of the former National

Archives, we believe that strong professional leadership is vital, especially given the statutory duties of the Chief Archivist, laid down in the Archives Act 1957. We believe it is farcical for a non-professional to carry out these duties; the obvious intention of the Act was for a professional archivist to be head of the organisation.

We trust that the appointment of [a] suitable Chief Archivist will proceed shortly, in the form of a person who is a professional archivist, a good manager, and [a] person with qualities to lead and command the respect of the professional staff and of the new department as a whole.

Yours sincerely[signed]Rosemary CollierPresident"

"31 October 2000PresidentNew Zealand Society of Archivists

Chief Executive and Chief Archivist, Archives New Zealand

I am writing in response to your letter of 18 October 2000 on behalf of the New Zealand Society of Archivists. This is a fuller response than I would usually provide in such circumstances because I have seen some surprisingly ill informed comment about both the establishment of this Department and the process for appointment of a chief executive. As a responsible organisation you may be in a position to correct any misunderstandings on this matter held by your members.

By way of background, this is a new government department. It is not the re-branding of a division of the Department of Internal Affairs. Nor should the establishment of the Department be characterised as "freedom" or "independence" as I have seen reported. As a government department, Archives New Zealand has now taken on important statutory and policy obligations in: financial forecasting and financial management; Parliamentary appropriation; Parliamentary reporting; capital planning and asset replacement programming; and human resource planning and reporting. I could probably fill an appendix to this letter with a schedule of such obligations, most of which have non negotiable Government or Parliamentary deadlines.

In my view Archives New Zealand has a long way to go before its management systems are to a standard (or even in place) to meet these obligations satisfactorily.

Given this situation I have two objectives in relation to Archives New Zealand. First, I want to get the best possible Chief Executive and Chief Archivist for the department. Because those roles are combined, the field is narrow. I am exploring as many possibilities as it takes before recommending a suitable candidate. Inevitably I will have to make trade offs in the skills and experience of potential candidates.

My second objective is to ensure that the department's first Chief Executive takes over an organisation that is not distracted from its core function - preserving New Zealand's public record - by crisis management, or has its reputation tarnished by management shortcomings. I have direct experience of the rebuilding of public sector organisations which have failed to remain on top of their statutory administrative and management responsibilities. The cost in terms of their effectiveness, staff morale and ministerial confidence is tangible and long term.

It is for these reasons I have appointed an acting chief executive whose focus, over the next few months, is to get good management systems in place. At the same time she will ensure that the staff continue to preserve the public record, and maintain access to that record, as seamlessly as possible during this transition. I assume that is an objective that would be supported by the staff of Archives New Zealand as well as the Society of Archivists. I have every confidence that Mrs Provost has the skills to ensure the set up of the new organisation is carried forward to a high standard.

In the meantime I am continuing to discharge my statutory function of finding a suitably qualified person as Chief Executive and Chief Archivist in terms of Section 35 of the State Sector Act.

I consider that the steps outlined above will help get this new department off to the best possible start.

Yours sincerely [signed]Michael Wintringham State Services Commissioner"

Your President has had a frank and fruitful meeting with Lyn Provost, the new Acting Chief Executive, and is reassured by her modus operandi, her openness to input from staff and stake-holders, and her view of the future. Among other things, she explained the process of appointing a new chief executive, as opposed to the procedure for appointing a Chief Archivist when under the wing of the Department of Internal Affairs. This is a much more lengthy and high-level affair.

Subsequently, we received another letter from Michael Wintringham, prior to the advertisement appearing, advising us that the position was being re-advertised. He said: "While the delay in making a substantive appointment is disappointing this has been a very difficult position to fill. The person who takes on this role must fulfil two important functions; ensure that the public record is properly maintained and, at the same time, meet all of the requirements of a chief executive under the State Sector and the Public Finance Acts. I must weigh these two aspects very carefully and be satisfied that the candidate can meet both those requirements." Applications close on 29 January.

Electronic Listing System forArchives

Researching at the newly named Archives New Zealand will become a lot easier following the introduction of an electronic record management system.

The Electronic List Management System (ELMS) was launched on Monday, October 2 at a ceremony at Archives New Zealand in Wellington. The former National Archives became a stand-alone government department on October 1,2000.

ELMS is the first step towards a fully automated finding aids system. Then (25 September) Acting Chief Archivist, Chris Hurley, described ELMS as a significant advance in promoting public accessibility to the public record. It will help in making available records of the actions of government, through their preservation for accountability and posterity at Archives New Zealand.

National Archives has been developing a prototype system for managing lists of transferred records over the last year. These lists are primary tools, enabling researchers and government offices to locate records of past government actions.

"Forty-three years' worth of accumulated paper lists, occupying 70 metres of shelving in the Archives public reference area, make the research process similar to an archaeological dig", Chris Hurley said.

ELMS will permit searches by keyword, governm ent office, record form at (e.g. maps, photographs) and date range. Initially, there will not be a great deal to search, as the system is being launched as a 'day one' prototype system. All new transfers of records from government offices will be added to it, but the backlog of paper lists to be entered into the system will take considerable time.

Obituary: David Charles McDonaldRosemary Collier

The death occurred suddenly in Dunedin on 13 November of a person, if not known to all archivists, certainly known to all historical researchers: David McDonald, reference librarian at the Hocken Library. David had worked at Hocken for 30 years; his knowledge of the holdings of the library was astonishing, and it was constantly at the willing service of readers. It is as hard to imagine anyone having greater knowledge of the holdings of their institution as it is to imagine Hocken without David. I valued him as a good-natured colleague, much given to teasing, during the two spells I worked at Hocken, and in the years since. His memory for detail was phenomenal, and through that characteristic he was responsible for putting me in touch with a Cornish cousin whom I had not heard from in years, and who has just recently stayed with me.

Those whom he has helped over the years would run into thousands, and the number of times his name appears in glowing terms in the 'Acknowledgements' at the beginning of books and theses must be in the hundreds.

Very much a committed Dunedinite to whom places further north were to be viewed with suspicion,

David was a quiet person who nevertheless touched the lives of many people, as was demonstrated by the large crowd at his funeral at First Church, Dunedin, on 18 November. These were not only colleagues and people whom he assisted through his work. There were also his Harrier Club friends; David was a keen runner. He graduated MA from the University of Otago, in historical geography, and gained the diploma of the New Zealand Library School.

Michael King's reference to him as 'a national treasure' during his speech at the launching of his biography of Janet Frame in Dunedin recently was generous and apt, but would have highly embarrassed David. It was gratifying to see that David's services were appreciated by the publication of obituaries in Wellington's Evening Post and Dominion newspapers and in the Sunday Star-Times, as well as in the Otago Daily Times; there may have been others also. Seldom are librarians so honoured. This was fitting recognition that David's work was not confined by the fact that the Hocken Library is located in Dunedin, but was national and international in its reach. He was just short of his 54th birthday.

Friends of the Turnbull LibraryRosemary Collier

The Friends of the Turnbull Library have been active lately in organising meetings, in addition to all the work they put in to ensure that earlier- announced draconian changes to the functions of the Turnbull Librarian and the tasks of the Library did not happen.

On 21 September the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, addressed a Friends function marking the eightieth anniversary of the opening of the Library to the public. Speaking on "arts, culture and the role of the national institutions", she outlined the Labour Government's policies in this area, and noted the high priority given to arts, culture and heritage, signalled in her decision to take the portfolio of Minister of Arts and Culture herself.

Helen Clark stressed the intrinsic benefits of the functions arts and culture may perform in a civilised society: to entertain, enlighten, act as critic and conscience of society, stimulate insight into the past, and enable talented people to express their creativity for the benefit of audiences and themselves.

She said that arts, culture and heritage had yet to reach their full potential to contribute to the wealth of New Zealand; their potential to provide more employment and to boost GDP and export earnings was yet to be realised, despite the growth in these

sectors, especially through cultural and heritage tourism, in other countries. She pointed to the growth in earnings from film and television in New Zealand. Popular music was cited as one industry with great growth potential. The encouragement of creative people would be of both economic and intrinsic benefit.

Thirdly, Ms Clark stated that arts and culture are part of the definition of "New Zealand as a unique, dynamic and creative nation which stands tall in the world." Globalisation, labour mobility and instant communications offer benefits and challenges, the latter particularly where national and cultural identity were concerned.

The G overnm ent's commitment to national institutions, as the largest part of the cultural sector in New Zealand, has seen extra funding for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa, New Zealand on Air, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the Historic Places Trust. While these institutions may be seen to benefit mainly Wellington residents, the government requires that they deliver to the rest of the country as well.

The Film Commission, the National Library and the National Archives are the other arts, cultural and heritage organisations for which the government

has responsibility. Ms Clark said that the latter two were "under very great pressure in the 1990s from philistines who wished to narrow their collections and functions." She referred to the proposal by Treasury a number of years ago, to have the Library sell the early printed works of Milton.

Underfunding and undervaluing had characterised the sector in recent years, and Ms Clark acknowledged that investing more in arts and culture brings what she called "small-minded and mean-minded criticism". She also demolished the 'e litis t' argum ent, and noted that research suggested "that more New Zealanders participate actively and passively in arts and cultural pursuits than in sports - contrary to public perception."

Nowhere in the Western world did the arts flourish without government support, so it was inevitable that there needed to be public funding here. Ms Clark looked forward to a higher profile, value and support accorded the arts sector, raised morale, more employment opportunities and revenue, and a stronger sense of New Zealand identity.

Like NZSA, the Friends responded to a request for submissions on the National Library Act; specifically upon the status of the Alexander Turnbull Library in relation to the National Library. If you wish to have a copy of the Friends submission, write to President, Friends of the Turnbull Library, PO Box 12-349, Wellington. For a copy of NZSA's submission, write to President, New Zealand Society of Archivists, PO Box 27-057, Wellington.

On 9 November, the M inister Responsible for the National Library, Marian Hobbs, addressed the Friends. She recalled the concerns that there had been in the community about directions which had been taken by National Library, and said that had been answered by the internal review and other government action. She announced that there had been a substantial increase in the acquisitions budget for the Turnbull, and that work on the revision of the National Library Act was under way, with particular attention to the role and position of the Turnbull Library within the National Library.

Ms Hobbs summarised some of the history of the library, and spoke of the use of digital technology to "bring the collections... to a wider world", while "continuing to provide scholars with the resources and services to work deeply and intensively with their collections."

Ms Hobbs also spoke on her Broadcasting portfolio, "and its place in reflecting/conserving New Zealand's cultural identity, just as the National and Turnbull Libraries do." She expressed the governm ent's desire to get some 'public service' functions back into broadcasting. Currently, submissions on the charter for state-owned broadcaster TVNZ were being analysed.

Thanks to Rachel Underwood, President of the Friends of the Turnbull Library, for supplying the papers summarised here.

NR AM NewsRosemary Collier

Entries keep coming, though rather more slowly than earlier in the year. The number of hits and visits to our website (www.nram.org.nz) continues to increase with every month.

NRAM is a hit! I have been perusing the Annual Review 1999-2000 of the H istorical M anuscripts Commission in the United Kingdom, which operates their National Register of Archives. The review gives figures for hits on their website. During the year, they had 2,686,069 hits. Taking NRAM's number of hits for October (admittedly a 'high') as an average, I found that hits for the year would be 840,000. If we multiply by 12 (the population in UK is actually more like 16 times New Zealand's), our rate equates to 10,080,000, close to five times the UK hit rate!

The Taskforce is continuing its work on the future governance of NRAM. But it is sad to announce that Nicola Frean is terminating her contract with NRAM, at the beginning of December. Without Nicola's professionalism, enthusiasm and initiative, it is very doubtful whether NRAM could have got to where it is today. Her administration, training, database

maintenance, contact with contributors and regional representatives, and fund of ideas for improving and promoting NRAM have made it what it is. It also needs to be mentioned that NRAM has benefited hugely from the voluntary services of her husband, Rhys Owen, on the technical side of database management and inputting of data from various formats.

We wish to fill the vacancy as soon as possible. So if you, or someone you know would be interested in the position, please contact the NRAM Taskforce through Rosemary Collier, 43 Gordon Road, Plimmerton 6006, telephone 04-233-8155, fax 04-233-2031. It is not essential that the position be in Wellington, but it is highly desirable.

The Adm inistrator/Trainer position requires someone with archives experience and knowledge, com puter skills, in itiative and enthusiasm , and preferably training skills. The position is part-time and temporary. Hours can be worked largely at the appointee's discretion, but regular reporting is required.

Council NewsNZSA is to hold a Conference next year,

immediately prior to the ARANZ Conference, in Wellington in August. The principal speaker will be Thomas Wilsted, remembered by many as a former Curator of Manuscripts at the Alexander Turnbull Library. Tom was the prime mover behind both ARANZ and NRAM. He currently works as Archivist at the Thomas Dodd Center, University of Connecticut. He will speak on the appraisal of electronic records. Tom wrote for New Zealand Archivist an article on the McDermott Miller report on National Archives: "Managing The National Archives of New Zealand Into The Twenty-first Century", Vol VI No 4, Summer/ December 1995.

Storage and management of LINZ records from offices which are due to be closed has been the subject of much consideration by LINZ and National Archives (Archives New Zealand). NZSA put in a submission on the matter, entered into further correspondence,

and attended a meeting at National Archives earlier in the year. National Archives drew up a disposal schedule for many classes of LINZ records in May. Now LINZ has decided on a records storage company to hold paper records not to be held at LINZ regional offices. Those no longer required by LINZ are offered to National Archives.

Existing branch offices are not to close nor records to be moved until external access to the Landonline database is available in that branch's region. LINZ has put out detailed documents describing the system and how to access it. However, as News Items in the last issue of New Zealand Archivist described, the new system has created problems and is behind its project dates.

We are seeking to organise Edukit basic archives training workshops in 2001, in conjunction with Museums Aotearoa.

Publications ReceivedAmongst the regular publications received by

NZSA, are the Australian Society of Archivists' Bulletin for October 2000, with an insert of the programme brochure for the Records Management Association of Australia's Conference, 3-6 December 2000, the June and October 2000 issues of recordsarchives, published by State Records of South Australia, memento News from the National Archives of Australia and Bulletin no.50 (2000-1) of the International Council on Archives.

Amongst items in ASA Bidletin, was a note under 'Issues', from a July New Yorker article concerned at the deaccessioning of newspapers by the British Library, Library of Congress, New York Public Library and others, consequent upon microfilming. This engenders a sense of dejd vu amongst those of us involved in ARANZ's campaign on the same matter, in the early 1980s. This is extensively written up in Archifacts issues in 1981,1982 and 1983. The Bulletin piece ends with the question 'can the provision of microfilm or other preservation copies be allowed to take over from consultation of original sources?' The answer finally arrived at in New Zealand was "No!".

State Records of South Australia's publication describes several projects, including one to improve access to archives for Aboriginals, and one to create a disposal schedule for Ministerial offices.

memento no. 15 (September 2000) contains some w ell-illustrated stories, including several on a Centenary of Federation grant to digitise 99 key constitutional documents and put them on a website. Another documents the closing showing of an exhibition "Between Two Worlds" on part-Aboriginal children removed from their homes. A Stop Press records the impending retirement after ten years of the Director-General of National Archives, George Nichols. Some of the uses of the new online database, RecordSearch are described; another article harks back to the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.

The ICA Bulletin includes technical data on the threats of degradation to video-tapes and the doubt

that CD-R provides a suitable preservation medium 'for sound recordings, still images, text and digital data, unless appropriate checking procedures based on relevant parameters are run.' Another item records that the United States Department of Justice concluded twenty years of litigation with Richard M. Nixon and his estate by agreeing to pay $18 million for the White House tapes and papers seized after Nixon's resignation in 1974. The money, after legal fees, will go to the private Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace Foundation in California, while the National Archives will retain the collection of about 44 million items. A description of the German Archives School (Marburg) courses is given, in an article noting the School's 50th anniversary. A lengthy note on PARBICA (Pacific Regional Branch of ICA) activities is amongst other articles of interest.

If you would like to borrow any of these publications write to Rosemary Collier, 43 Gordon Road, Plimmerton 6006, with s.a.e.

Not quite publications, but the discussion of ideas nevertheless: there continues to be lively interchange of ideas and inform ation about record-keeping (including in July about published record-keeping standards) on the New Zealand records listserv. Address: nzrecords@hoover.topnz.ac.nz

Past issues of New Zealand Archivist are available, at $10 per copy. Write to the Society at PO Box 27-057, Wellington, specifying which issues you would like. Or you may wish to order a copy of one of the two published Indexes: 1990-1994, or 1995-1999, at $5 per copy.

Advertise in your journal! Exhibitions, vacancies, publications, meetings and conferences, job-seekers... $50 for half-column, $100 full column, $200 per page. Write to the Treasurer at our box no., for further information.

Engineer v ManagerA man in a hot air balloon realised he was lost.

He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."

"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist."I am ," replied the woman. "How did you

know?""Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you

told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still

lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."The woman below responded, "You must be a

manager.""I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you

know?""Well," said the woman, "you don't know where

you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

What are the professional characteristics of archivists? Answers please!

NEWS ITEMSANU leaves priceless

heritage to rotA unique and irreplaceable segment of Australia's

documentary heritage is being placed at risk by cost­cutting at the Australian National University.

The Noel Butlin Archives Centre at ANU, home to Australia's pre-eminent collection of historical records of Australian business and trade unions, will effectively be mothballed if the ANU proceeds with its plans to cut funding and access to the Centre. From January next year, staff of the Archives will be halved from 4 to 2 and physically relocated away from the records to another part of the campus.

The plans have been slammed by the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA), which represents 800 professional archivists, and which has called on the ANU to provide the Archives with sufficient funds to ensure the ongoing viability of the Archives. According to ASA spokesman, Adrian Cunningham, the ANU's decision, if implemented, will mean the death of the Noel Butlin Archives Centre and will endanger the 13 kilometres of unique research material held by the Centre.

"Not only will it be very difficult, if not impossible, for researchers to gain access to this internationally recognised archival collection, there is a very grave risk that the records themselves will be lost to future generations of Australians", said Mr Cunningham.

"In any other country an extensive collection of documentary heritage of this kind would be revered and jealously protected and promoted. Yet in Australia our university bean counters seem to place more importance on a car park than on preserving access to our history" Mr Cunningham went on to say.

A few years ago the Noel Butlin Archives had a staff of eight and a thriving cohort of researchers who came to Canberra from all over Australia to conduct original research for books, articles and television documentaries. Since 1996, however, the ANU has

drastically reduced funding for the Centre. This has greatly impaired both access to records and the ability of the Archives staff to maintain an ongoing program of acquiring new records.

A public outcry in 1997 forced the ANU to postpone plans it had at that time to close the Archives, but these plans have now been resurrected in the guise of yet another round of massive staff and budget cuts. "This decision demonstrates a deplorable disregard for the obligations the ANU has to support research and scholarship in Australia. Perhaps more importantly, the decision represents a breach of good faith and a cavalier abandonm ent of the legal and moral obligations the University has to those organisations that have deposited their records with the Archives over the past 50 years", said Mr Cunningham.

In a media release issued earlier this week the ANU claimed to have committed to the Butlin Archives. "This claim is absolute nonsense" said Mr Cunningham. "If a 75% cut in staff and funding represents commitment, then I shudder to think what a lack of commitment might look like. ANU's claims simply do not stand up to scrutiny and are an insult to the intelligence of those who support the archival endeavour".

"The U niversity 's decision has been made in disregard to the professional advice it has received from its own archival staff and expert advisory assistance from the ASA, which is concerned to ensure that unique and irreplaceable records are managed and preserved according to internationally accepted standards of best practice" said Mr Cunningham.

"It seems that in his last weeks as ANU Vice- Chancellor, Professor Terrell is determined to be remembered as the person responsible for abandoning one of the nation's most important historical treasure troves. I call on the Vice-Chancellor and the University Librarian to recognise the lunacy of this action and to secure the future of the Noel Butlin Archives for the benefit of all Australians" said Mr Cunningham.

Press Release, 22 Nov 2000.

Hocken makes headlinesPublic access to a computer index of more than

237,000 headlines in the Otago Daily Times from 1946 to 1980 is now available at Dunedin's Hocken Library.

This was announced at a library function this week, at which the voluntary work of a group from the Friends of the Hocken Collections Society was commended by society president, Ian Farquhar, and Julian Smith, managing director of Allied Press, publisher of Otago Daily Times.

The volunteers, led by Shirley Hay, spent five years transferring the headlines from newspaper card indexes to computer disk.

The information, under 3100 different subject headings, can now be accessed through a computer server or hard copy volumes of the headlines at the Hocken Library.

Work is continuing on the indexing of headings from 1980 until 1995, when the newspaper started its own computer-indexing system.

Staff Reporter, Otago Daily Times, 14 Oct 2000.

Handover Ceremony: Ngata papers entrusted to National

LibraryThe Ngata family said goodbye to a part of

themselves in Gisborne yesterday.After 50 years they had reached an agreement for

the personal papers of prominent former Maori leader the late Sir Apirana Ngata to be given to the Alexander Turnbull Library.

But family spokesman Sir Henare Ngata made it plain to the library representatives that it was not something they had done lightly - and he stressed the papers should be treated with respect.

Sir Henare also said he hoped that the family's decision would encourage other Maori families to entrust precious papers to libraries. It had taken 50 years since the death of Sir Apirana for the family to reach this point. One of the reasons that made the decision so hard was that these were more than papers to them, they embodied the man. One of the key factors that had persuaded them to give the papers was that the library had promised to provide copies.

At first it was thought this would take two or three years but after further negotiations that might now be reduced to 12 to 18 months.

"I hope some time the copies will find a home here in Gisborne and be available to be looked at on the same basis as those in the Turnbull library." They hoped the decision would encourage other Maori families to do the same because there was a large amount of valuable material held by them. He hoped those people who would have access to the Ngata papers would treat them with the respect they deserved.

He accepted there could be some criticism arising from the papers but said the family would accept this as long as they were given the appropriate respect. His father was a politician and the papers reflected both the plaudits and the criticism a politician received.

When the tide turned as it inevitably did and the criticism exceeded the praise his father said it was time for a politician to go.

Speaking on behalf of younger members of the family, Mr Wayne Ngata gave the library due notice they would be watching to see the papers were treated with respect. If not they would be hearing from them.

Sir Apirana's daughter Mate Kaiwai said it made her sad to think that although her father was such a busy man, he spent so many hours working on these papers. While sorry to see the papers go, it was good to think they would be together.

The Turnbull Library's research services librarian for manuscripts and archives Mr David Retter said he realised the great significance of the papers to the whanau. They had filled 29 boxes that morning, he said. The papers would be taken to the library today where there would be an appropriate ceremony. They would be sealed in acid free boxes and kept in special storage conditions that controlled temperature and humidity. He assured them they would be treated with respect by researchers.

Fifty years had passed since the death of Sir Apirana and it was a great achievement that the family had made this decision. The library was grateful to them for it.

A prayer to mark the occasion was said by another family member, the Rev Patsy Ngata-Hills. She blessed the papers.

John Jones, The Gisborne Herald, 17 Oct 2000.

History loss. 'Denuding the district of cultural richness'

The impending closure of the local Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) branch and the transfer of original surveyors' and Maori Land Court maps and records will "denude" the district of its cultural richness, says local amateur researcher Garry Clapperton.

"History which belongs to this district, which the old people left 100-120 years ago, and hasn't yet been tapped into is going to be removed".

The Government intends to close LINZ offices in Gisborne, Invercargill, Nelson, Blenheim, Hokitika, Napier and New Plymouth by September 2001 and transfer all paper records to the main centres.

Mr Clapperton said the paper records included Maori Land Court maps and surveyors' notes and records dating back to the 1860s. The records also hold whanau names, unsurveyed Maori land blocks and lists of original ownership.

LINZ said moving more than 30 million land records to regional offices would be more economical, and the records would be readily accessible to everyone throughout the country on the internet.

But Mr Clapperton said the original Gisborne maps were "a treasure house of history".

Researchers would have to travel to Wellington to see the maps and LINZ staff, who did not possess any local knowledge of the region, were reluctant to hand out originals. If a researcher decided to see other maps or records, they would have to make a booking and perhaps wait another 24 hours. The planned move would make it more expensive and difficult for researchers, surveyors and tangata whenua to access the original material. Mr Clapperton said many original place names had been written on the maps in pencil back in the 19th century. These names had never been made public or official. In the 1970s, before

microfilming, a decision was made to "clean up" the maps and names were rubbed off. There was research done on the validity or origin of the names, he said. The rubbed out names could not be seen on the microfilm records.

"As most historians would tell you, it's the notation which adds flesh to the bone". Researcher Charlie Pera said he was disappointed with the move. A LINZ spokeswoman from Wellington came to Gisborne to explain the proposed changes, set in her mind what was going to be the process, said Mr Pera.

Gisborne Museum and Arts Centre director Mike Spedding tendered to keep the older core records at the museum and available on a restricted basis to surveyors and researchers. "And yet they haven't even got the grace to go and look at his storage facilities".

Steven Coombes, Gisborne branch chairman of the NZIS, said the museum was advised "quite rudely" that its modern, climate controlled electronically guarded earthquake-proof archive storage was substandard. The tender applications of museums, district councils and surveyors in all other districts to store records were also rejected.

Roger Bell, secretary of the local branch of the NZIS said surveyors were not so concerned about the maps being online. But access to original surveyors note books and traverse books was imperative in case maps were incorrect. Copies of the note books were too difficult to read. The decisions made by surveyors affected the integrity of title to land and surveyors operated under unlimited liability to remedy any errors in their work.

Tokorua Te Kani, chairman of the Turanganui a Kiwa Kaumatua Council, said he was concerned at the changes. 'There is a heck of a lot of information not shown in the microfilm records. At our next kaumatua council meeting I'm going to bring this up so we can lead the charge in putting a hui together. It's too important for us to let it go".

Parekura Horomia, the Minister of Maori Affairs, was aware of the issue and would be invited, he said.

Mr Clapperton said the Maori Land Court maps covered the area from Ohiwa down to Frasertown- Waikaremoana and all points east of the Waimana River.

Mr Te Kani said Ngati Porou, Turanganui a Kiwa, Te W hanau-a-Apani, Ngai Tam anuhiri, Rongowhakaata, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Whakatohea, Ngati Ruapani and Tuhoe of Waikaremoana, Ngati Pahauwera of Mohaka, Ngati Kahungunu of Wairoa, and Rongomaiwahine of Mahia were all concerned and would also be convening a hui.

East Coast MP Janet Mackey said she supported the retention of core records in the district and would be writing to the Minister of Maori Affairs.

Wynsley Wrigley, Gisborne Herald 24 Oct 2000.

Musicians rush to save old Maori songs

A unique part of Maori musical history is being saved from almost certain oblivion by the work of the musicians' committee of Creative New Zealand.

The committee, Puatatangi, [a committee of Toi Maori, not of Creative New Zealand] is compiling an archive of more than 800 waiata from a deteriorating

collection of old sound reels.Spokesman Hirini Melbourne said the reel-to-reel

tapes had been donated by an unknown benefactor to the Waikato University's Maori and Pacific Island Research Centre but had sat in the basement for years. "We looked at our own records and, to our amazement, found more than 300 tapes. The technicians in the archives noticed they were deteriorating and brought about the urgency to save them", he said.

Included in the collection were traditional Maori songs, hymns, modern cross-culture music where Maori lyrics were matched with European melodies, sacred songs "some of which are absolutely amazing".

It is not only music which is being rediscovered either.

"There's also whaikorero (formal speech making), which is a dying art, interviews and people talking".

Most of the tapes had been recorded between the 1940s and early 1970s, he said. Because of their poor condition, it was often only possible to play them once and transfer the sound to CD.

A Creative New Zealand grant had made the project possible and over the next three years a proper database would be created.

Joanna Tarnowska of Waikato University who deals with the technical aspects of the work, said the quality of the tapes caused some problems. A single hour of tape could take an entire day to copy to CD, depending on its quality. Copying was "a very tricky thing to do".

Tracey Cooper, Waikato Times, 24 Oct 2000.

Historic films show at Otaki and Levin

The Bank of New Zealand Travelling Film Show will be in Levin and Otaki this week during the nationw ide celebration of a century of NZ film making.

The film show will be screened at the Regent 3 Cinema at Levin tonight at 6 pm and Otaki Civic Theatre tomorrow at 6 pm.

Several early films shot in Otaki and Levin are included in the show. Many of the films were among the 8000 given to the NZ Film Archive during the Bank of New Zealand Last Film Search. Local films in the show include Events in Levin History by amateur film maker WL Clark in 1952 depicting the opening of the Waiterere Surf Lifesaving Club and other memorable moments and sporting events. Another shows the opening of Fairfield School in 1963.

The Film Archives produced the 1950 film Rangiatea NZ Royal Gift to the Maori Church, the presentation of a new altar frontal for Rangiatea Church and another the rare footage of the tangi of Heeni Te Rei, niece of Te Rauparaha, who died in 1921. Other films include The Wahine Salvage shot over five years by Paraparaumu's Jack Donaldson on an 8mm Bolex camera. Free tickets can be obtained from the Otaki Service Centre and the Levin, Waikanae and Paraparaumu branches of the BNZ.

Margaret Andrews, Kapiti Observer 26 Oct 2000.

Archives New Zealand in the News

photo New Zealand HeraldMark Stoddart, Auckland Regional Archivist.

Unseen slice of past ours to view

The place smells faintly of milled wood. Rows and rows of cardboard boxes, some polished with age, fill the vast space like dominoes. In this Mt Wellington warehouse you will find a good chunk of New Zealand history, a catalogue of Government records and other material collected by the National Archives' Auckland office.

Maps and photographs, things wrapped in tissue and concealed in buff envelopes - together they are valued at more than $460 million. Run together, the files would stretch for 23 kilometres. And all this is largely unseen by anyone save researchers, historians and genealogists, although, says Auckland regional archivist Mark Stoddart, "they're all available to the public to view."

"It's such a fascinating, fascinating place." Founded in 1957, the National Archives agency is responsible for preserving around 10 per cent of Government records - those deemed important historical documents such as parliamentary debates. The Wellington archives department handles most records, while the Mt Wellington office preserves Auckland and Northland documents - all available for viewing on request.

From flying-saucer reports to traditional Maori childbirth techniques, there are thousands of gems hidden inside the boxes. The stiff pages of a Carrington Hospital patient logbook crackle and resist. There is a photo of 34-year-old Edith Jane Lowry, admitted to the mental institution in 1909 suffering from acute melancholia following the death of her baby. Edith's occupation is "housework," according to the record.

"She is very emotional and untidy in her dress, her housework has been neglected" it states. Other patients, including a 4-year-old boy, were admitted to the asylum suffering from "idiocy."

The final will of NZ painter Charles Frederick Goldie lies in another box, handwritten in 1922 on Petty's Hotel stationery and witnessed by servants. The small writing, in a firm, sloping hand, requests that his possessions be left to his wife, Olive, after his death (in 1947).

In a 1902 letter to the Secretary for Education, a Hokianga teacher writes of the health risks posed by the use of modelling clay in schools. "After two or three trials of clay I am convinced that in a very short time the piece I possess will be charged with bacteria of pus, to say nothing of other disease to give great cause for alarm," he writes. Other education files reveal photos of children travelling to Maori schools via horseback and boat. A cigarette droops casually from the corner of a teacher's mouth as he helps a student with her lessons in the 1940s.

These archives are lovingly cared for by the Auckland office's eight staff, who handle the documents like delicate puff pastry. While searching the records, Auckland archivist Wendy Goldsmith becomes immensely vexed. "Some wicked person looks like they've stolen a stamp," she says, flicking past the ripped page of a booklet. It's an old wound, however, and the archives are now protected by modern security surveillance. Cameras watch over the public reading room, which are empty apart from desks, chairs and shelves. Ink pens are forbidden - pencils are the only acceptable writing implements here.

"Please mind the tip of your pen," says Ms Goldsmith, as a journalist's ballpoint hovers carelessly. "Pencil marks we can erase, but ink is there for life."

New Zealand Herald, 14 Sep 2000

Archives law changes 'best thing'

Law changes guaranteeing the autonomy of National Archives are the 'best thing' to have happened to the archives for more than 40 years, Hocken librarian Stuart Strachan says.

Under the Archives, Culture and Heritage Reform Act, the renamed Archives New Zealand becomes a stand-alone Government department on October 1.

Providing increased Government resources was also a positive, he said.

School pupils undertaking research, genealogists and other users of Archives New Zealand Dunedin regional office in George St would all eventually benefit considerably.

The planned introduction of computerised finding aids would make archives resources throughout the country more readily accessible, he said.

National Archives Otago regional manager Peter Miller said Dunedin-based staff were positive about the changes, which would bring significant benefits for users at the city office. The electronic finding aids would be phased in from next month, Mr Miller said. The Dunedin regional office was opened on September 1, 1993 and houses Government archives from Otago and Southland.

The office has five staff and holds more than 4500 linear metres of archives dating from the 1840s to the 1990s.

John Gibb, Otago Daily Times 26 Sep 2000.

Govt department formedArchives New Zealand becomes the country's

newest government department today.Culture and Heritage Minister Marian Hobbs said

National Archives of New Zealand would leave the Internal Affairs Department because its constitutional function required independent status.

Archives New Zealand will continue to be responsible for record keeping within the public service. It holds documents such as the Treaty of Waitangi and the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition. It also stores the National Film Archive, artefacts from royal commissions of inquiry, court exhibits, "out-takes" from censored movies and the country's most extensive collection of photographs, maps and war memorabilia.

Acting chief executive Chris Hurley said Archives New Zealand is "fundamental to the preservation of our national memory and the maintenance of our democratic process".

M aking it independent would give the chief archivist the authority needed to ensure the archives maintained a full record of government activities.

A Public Record Office was in the New Zealand Company [plans] as far back as 1839 and in 1848 the systematic collection of birth and death data committed the government to keeping records on a large scale.

The archives were originally part of the Colonial [Secretary's] Office, before being transferred to the General Assembly Library in 1926 and then on to the Internal Affairs Department.

NZPA, Otago Daily Times, 2 Oct 2000.

Memory LanesOur history is filed rows of neat cabinets at Archives

New Zealand. But open the drawers, the boxes and the books, and the past comes to life.

There's not even a whiff of age in Archives New Zealand. Even fat old leather-bound books on shelves seem to have lost their smell. The pasts of prime ministers and miscreants are levelled by temperature control, metal cabinets, glass covers.

Here, on five packed floors, the pick'n 'm ix of history is measured in height and weight and numbers - 300,000 maps and plans, 500,000 films, glass negatives and transparencies, 750,000 photographic prints. Stacked vertically, paper records would be three times as high as Mt Everest.

A small handle on one of dozens of huge, red floor-to-ceiling cabinets pushes them soundlessly along their tracks. "You've actually moved the weight of a big red bus", says Tony Connell, head archivist (acting) reference. "Biggest shelves in the Southern Hemisphere".

Connell's "bag of tricks" is to reveal the extent, and a taste of the content, of the archives at a barely- controlled gallop. He dashes through the silent, antiseptic gloom, opening one cabinet after another, one box after another. Usually he wears gloves, not for this exhaustive potted tour. And each time he opens something other than worthy records, the genie leaps out of the bottle and fires the imagination.

Here is the beautifully written registration of the

1909 marriage of Percival Leonard Carol Redwood to Agnes Ottaway. "N ew Zealand's first lesbian marriage", jokes Connell. And it was a marriage of two women, though poor little innocent Agnes didn't know it at the time. Percy Redwood was actually Amy Bock - early conwoman extraordinaire - who, posing as a wealthy sheep farmer, had paid court to Agnes, daughter of an Otago boarding house proprietor.

Four days after the fairly lavish wedding, Bock was arrested at the Ottaways' boarding house on two accounts of false pretences and one of forgery.

Literally out of the bottle comes the sad tale of Douglas Donald who killed himself in 1922 with a small bottle of prussic acid - "self-administered during a period of mental depression". The very bottle which contained the deadly draft of Cathedral Brand Lysol is attached by a piece of string to the coroner's report. It's just a few centimetres high, corked, poisonously green, the label worn, the word poison inscribed on a red panel at its base. Poor Donald apparently had bouts of depression for 20 years. His wife was taking steps to legally separate from him. Nearly 80 years later the record of his broken heart is piled neatly in a cardboard box, his humanity reduced to faded coroner's notes and the nasty little bottle with which he doused his grief.

All is not serious. There's a Monty Python touch in government records which mainly weigh heavily on shelf after shelf in room after room, saved only by the patina of age and the beauty of early handwriting.

There is a beautifully made and inscribed map of Wellington showing what will happen if an atomic bomb explodes precisely 800m above Wellington's railway station. The city is divided into four zones by concentric circles, the centre of the compass on the railway station. People in Brooklyn, Newtown, Karori and Ngaio suffer moderate damage, Oriental Bay suffers heavy damage, and people in the city had better make for the hills before the bomb hits. The inner circle fate is "very heavy" damage. People in Island Bay and Seatoun would be able to carry on as normal - damage would be "slight". If the bomb explodes 600m up and over some other landmark, who knows what will happen. The bizarre map was prepared for the New Zealand Government in the era of the Cold War when people feared the Soviets could blow up the world with a few slips of the button.

Wellington in this mid-20th century map is very different from the settlement proposed in a grid map by the New Zealand Company in London in 1839. The settlement was to be in the Hutt Valley and called Britannia. When the planners discovered the valley flooded heavily, the plan was abandoned and the proposed town transferred to Lambton Harbour, as Wellington.

The oblong grid of the plan has a fort and cemetery on each corner and a prison next to two of them. Fighting, capturing and interring would be all dealt with in a conveniently small area. Provision is made for a fish market (Billingsgate), combined public baths and library, a president's palace, a legislature, a royal exchange and a college of surgeons, guilds of law - and a public record office.

Strange but true, in chronicling a national obsession of a few decades ago, is a hefty flying saucer file. It was begun in the 1950s when public terror of being

zapped from the sky was joined by anxiety about visitors from outer space. Contributors to the file are not just oddballs seeing airborne saucers and little green men. Responsible people made serious reports. A pilot on a commercial flight between Paraparaumu and Whenuapai recorded an unusual light in the south west in the vicinity of New Plymouth. Initially he thought it was a planet but it was moving in a circle. It was red and three quarters of the size of the sun "when viewed with dark glasses".

Connell whips open a cardboard box containing the unbattered leather satchel of Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage, leader of the first Labour Government in the 1930s. "We've got hundreds of boxes of Savage's stuff", he says. "And this", he adds, as he pulls it alarmingly out of its scabbard, "is a kris, a Malaysian squiggly job given to [former Labour Prime Minister] Sir Walter Nash by Tunku Abdul Rahman."

There is another sharp little dagger, in a creamy scabbard Connell suspects is ivory. "Poor elephant". Savage's satchel and the two peace-offerings of weapons are closed up again, genies back in the bottle.

Side-by-endless-side, each entombed in its own vertical drawer, are war pictures. There is a mass of Peter McIntyre's paintings, G E Butler, A B Bams- Graham, C V Mitchell, D Cornwell. A Cornwell oil of two European soldiers and a tattooed Maori drinking Coca-Cola, painted during the Second War, was commissioned by Coca-Cola. "They did a whole lot with soldiers of different countries", says Connell.

The heavies of New Zealand's documented history are in a room of their own, suitably resting on marble slabs in heavy glass-topped cases which, Connell says, are probably bomb proof.

Exhibit No 1 is the Treaty signed at Waitangi, or what's left of it. It's written on vellum and Connell suspects it was chewed by rats. It hasn't always been cared for. "It was in a drawer in Government House, originally rolled up somewhere".

There is no chance of anything in Archives New Zealand being chewed up by rats.

National Archives became Archives New Zealand, an independent department, this week. It is based in Mulgrave Street and is open to the public. Regional archives are in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Diana Dekker, The Evening Post, 24 Oct 2000.

In this IssueRecord-Keeping: Is there a Role forUndergraduate Education? Gillian Oliver & Sarah WellandThe Australian Society of Archivists Conference 2000. David ColquhounICA 2000: Archivists of the World Converge in Seville. Evelyn WarehamArchives New Zealand; ELMS.Obituary: David Charles McDonald. Rosemary CollierFriends of the Turnbull Library. Rosemary CollierNR AM News. Rosemary Collier Council News.Publications Received.Engineer v. Manager.News Items: ANU leaves priceless heritage to rot;

Hocken makes headlines; Handover Ceremony: Ngata papers entrusted to National Library; History loss. 'Denuding the district of cultural richness'; Musicians save old Maori songs; Historic films show at Otaki and Levin.

Archives New Zealand in the News: Unseen slice of past ours to view; Archives law changes 'best thing'; Govt department formed; Memory Lanes. Hank Driessen

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About the ContributorsRosemary Collier is a semi-retired consultant

archivist, President of NZSA and NZSA representative on the NRAM Taskforce

David Colquhoun is Curator of Manuscripts and Archives, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington

Hank Driessen is Manager Outreach Services at Archives New Zealand

Gillian Oliver and Sarah Welland are tutors in Information and Library Studies, The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, Lower Hutt

Evelyn Wareham is Senior Archives Analyst, Statutory-Regulatory Group, Archives New Zealand

New Zealand Archivist (ISSN 0114-7676) is the quarterly journal of the New Zealand Society of Archivists Incorporated. It is published each year in: Autum n/M arch; W inter/June; Spring/Septem ber and Summer/December. It is compiled by the Editorial Committee: Rosemary Collier, Hank Driessen. The Australian correspondent is Michael Hodder. Copyright © NZSA and contributors, 1999. Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the NZSA. The editorial address is PO Box 27-057, Wellington, NZ. All other correspondence to Secretary, NZSA, at the same address. Contributions for publications are invited. The journal is available through membership of the Society (personal $45.00 in NZ, $55.00 overseas, or institutional $100.00) or separately by subscription at the same rates. Overseas rates include airmail postage. All charges payable in New Zealand dollars only.