Hon Judith Tizard
Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand

26 August 2008 Media Statement

New record keeping standards announced

EMBARGOED TILL 6:30PM 26/08/08

Archives Minister Judith Tizard announced two new recordkeeping standards today, the Create and Maintain Recordkeeping Standard and the Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard.

"Information management is an essential and important legacy," said Judith Tizard when launching the two new recordkeeping standards for government and local government agencies.

“Well-kept information lets us bring our past into the future and ensures government is transparent and accountable,” Judith Tizard said.

"The Create and Maintain Recordkeeping Standard and the Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard provide a sound basis to achieving this. The Create and Maintain Standard identifies the key requirements for successful information management for recordkeeping and is mandatory for government and local government organisations.

The standard sets the minimum requirements for an organisation’s information to remain usable, reliable and available.

Similarly the mandatory Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard gives us a systematic approach to managing information in business systems. This ensures information has meaning; it can be found when needed; it can be relied on to be what it sets out to be; and it can be moved safely from one system to another.

“We will be able to answer the questions as to who created a record, when and for what purpose and importantly whether it has been altered," said Judith Tizard.

“This has tangible business benefits. We cannot underestimate the benefits and business efficiencies of having useful, well organised, reliable and sustainable information.”

Judith Tizard said the standards are consistent with international ISO standards and developed in cooperation with the e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF) and consultation with government and local body agencies.

The standards complement the 2007 Standard for the Storage of Records and Archives, the first mandatory standard which set the requirements for physical records storage in both central and local government.

“Together these standards give teeth to the Public Records Act 2005 and help form the basis for the independent audits of central government recordkeeping that begin in 2010,” Judith Tizard said.

“These robust standards support open and accountable government and provide us with a sound way to ensure records with business and cultural value are created, managed effectively and survive for New Zealand’s heritage.”

ends

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