2 November 2009 Media release
Archives independence should be protected
Plans by the National Government to put Archives New Zealand under the control of another government department are a
backward step, Labour State Services Spokesperson Grant Robertson said.
The Government is undertaking a review of where Archives New Zealand sits within the public sector. Options being
considered include the State Services Commission, Department of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Heritage and
the National Library.
“An independent National Archive is an important part of our democracy. We can not afford our history to be compromised
by political interference,” Grant Robertson said.
“There was significant debate about this issue in the 1990s, and Labour established Archives New Zealand as an
independent agency in 2000.
“This put us in line with other Archives around the world, and is supported by United Nations guidelines on archives.
“Reversing this position doesn’t make sense. The feedback I’m getting from the Archives community is that Archives New
Zealand is working better than ever.
“If it ain’t broke why fix it?
“Putting Archives New Zealand under the control of another department might provide minimal savings, but will put at
risk the independence of the record of how our government operates.
“The Chief Archivist will be beholden to another public servant, and this could lead to conflict over issues such as
disposal of documents.
“The government also needs to be more up-front about this review. It has only come to light through a leaked memo to
Archives staff. A change to the independent status of Archives New Zealand is a significant change and an open and
transparent process is needed.
“So far it has been anything but a transparent process.” Grant Robertson said.
ENDS