Chief Executive and Chief Archivist
Archives New Zealand
Wellington
New Zealand
Dianne Macaskill will be presenting on The Second Act: from archives to records on Tuesday
In 2005, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Public Records Act. This Act replaced the Archives Act 1957. In my presentation I will be showing how flexible, modern public records legislation supports the changing face of recordkeeping in both public and private organisations.
The presentation will come two and a half years after the Public Records Act was passed and will show how public recordkeeping has progressed over that time. There is much evidence to show that the importance of good recordkeeping now has a high profile in agencies and that it is recognised as good business practice. Audits of recordkeeping will start in 2010 and I will also provide some detail on preparation for audits.
This “Second Act” provides a framework to meet the needs of modern recordkeeping. It is also intended that it will address future, unknown recordkeeping challenges. This is done by setting expectations for Archives New Zealand while putting the accountability for effective recordkeeping with the public organisation.
This flexibility has meant that Archives New Zealand has also had to adapt to the needs of organisations by being flexible and providing a pragmatic, practical approach to many recordkeeping challenges.
My presentation will cover Scene One of the Second Act. As Archives New Zealand has changed to adapt to the challenges of modern recordkeeping and information management we recognise that we are still learning and that there are many scenes still to be written. This is the story of our journey so far.
