The announcement yesterday by Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin that a new Archives New Zealand building in
Wellington could also accommodate Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision is a welcome acknowledgement of the importance of our audiovisual taonga, says Ngā Taonga Acting Chief Executive
Honiana Love.
Minister Martin announced that plans were one step closer for the development of a new Archives New Zealand building on
the site of the former Defence building on Aitken Street, Wellington, adjacent to the National Library. In her media
release Minister Martin said: “The decision and funding also allows us to consider the possible inclusion of Ngā Taonga
Sound & Vision, which manages nearly one million audiovisual collection items. This will support a truly connected and
collaborative recorded heritage system.”
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision will move into office space within the National Libraryin late September. This move was agreed and planned in
2018 and is unconnected to today’s announcement.
“It is understood that design and construction of the new Archives New Zealand building will take several years and no
details of possible sharing have yet been confirmed, but Ngā Taonga looks forward to discussing the possibility in the
coming months,” said Honiana Love.
The announcement is also separate from the Government’s National Archival & Library Institutions (NALI) review that began in June 2018 with the intention of strengthening the contribution that
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, Archives New Zealand and the National Library make to the culture and heritage sector. The final conclusions of
the review are still awaited.
ENDS