Story summary
Archives contain documents and other records that are kept permanently for future reference. They are often used for historical research.
Government archives
Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, is the largest archive in New Zealand. It includes records of Parliament, government departments and courts. Formerly the National Archives (until 2000), it is based in Wellington, and has branches in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Local councils usually have their own archives.
Other archives
There are many other archives, both large and small, around New Zealand. Three of the most significant are:
- the Sir George Grey Special Collections at the Auckland Libraries
- the Hocken Collections at the University of Otago in Dunedin
- the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington.
Some archives collect specific kinds of material, such as the Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, which specialises in audiovisual archives. Many organisations such as churches, universities, schools, Māori tribal authorities and large businesses have their own archives.
Digital records
Since computers became widely used, many records have been ‘born-digital’. Collecting and preserving these electronic records has been a challenge for archives. The National Digital Heritage Archive, part of the National Library of New Zealand, has been gathering digital records, including entire websites, since 2008.
Archivists
Archivists can train at Victoria University of Wellington, or in Australia. The Archives and Records Association of New Zealand was started in 1976.
