Publications
ARANZ Submission on Local Government and Environment Committee Local Governemnt Act 2002 Amendment Bill (12 June 2010)
Organisation’s aims
ARANZ is an incorporated society established in 1976 with the aim of promoting the understanding and importance of records and archives in New Zealand. ARANZ is administered nationally by a Council of elected members. < >
Our members include: archivists, recordkeepers, librarians and other information managers; genealogists, historians, teachers, museum and art gallery curators, professional associations, historical societies, businesses, local and central government agencies, and many others interested in the preservation and use of archives and records.
The objectives of the Association are:
- To foster the care, preservation and use of archives and records, both to public and private, and their effective administration.
- To provide an authoritative voice on matters of concern relating to archives and records.
- To maintain and increase public awareness of the importance of archives and records in all matters affecting their preservation and use.
- To co-operate or affiliate with any other bodies in New Zealand or elsewhere with like objectives.
- To promote professional competence in the administration and preservation of archives and records; by providing advice to the appropriate authorities on levels and standards of professional education and training, and by promoting the training of archivists, records keepers, curators, librarians and others by the dissemination of specialised knowledge.
- To encourage research on the care, preservation and use of archives and records and to promote the publication of the results of this research.
- To promote the standing of archives institutions and those working with archives and records.
- To advise and support the establishment of archives services throughout New Zealand.
- To publish a journal and other publications in furtherance of these objectives.
Who has been consulted
ARANZ Council and a number of ARANZ members have been consulted over the content of this submission.
Submission
ARANZ is pleased to see that cultural facilities are to be considered core activities for local authorities, with the inclusion of the following statement:
Clause 5 inserts new section 11A. The new section provides that in
performing its role, a local authority must have regard to the contribution
made to the well-being of its communities by specified core
services.
We are concerned, however, that potential problems will be created by the specific inclusion of some and exclusion of others. The definition of core services includes the following:
New section 11A inserted
The following section is inserted after section 11:
“11A Core services to be considered in performing role
In performing its role, a local authority must have particular regard
to the contribution that the following core services make
to its communities:
“(a) network infrastructure:
“(b) public transport services:
“(c) solid waste collection and disposal:
“(d) the avoidance or mitigation of natural hazards:
“(e) libraries, museums, reserves, recreational facilities, and
other community infrastructure.”
In relation to section 11A (e), there is a risk that local authorities will consider they have met their core cultural responsibilities by supporting only libraries and museums, while archives are neglected.
Archives are the documentary heritage of the community and an important part of its collective memory and identity. They frequently exist outside libraries and museums. The Ministry for Culture and Heritage links cultural well-being directly to identity[1]. In defining cultural well-being for the purposes of the Local Government Act, the Ministry explicitly states that it includes:
Protecting and interpreting our past, linking us to who we are today and to our future. It is about providing our communities with an ability to access a wide range of media such as libraries, archives and museums for information, learning and pleasure.[2]
The importance of local, or community, archives was acknowledged in the Local Government Act until the introduction of Public Records Act in 2005, with specific provisions allowing councils to purchase or accept as gifts or on deposit, archives of general, local or regional interest (S. 258 (1), (2) and (3)).
We believe that, because the nature and role of community archives is very different from the holdings and purposes of libraries and museums, it is important to include “archives” in section 11A (e). If it is not included, the risk is that local authorities will ignore the documentary heritage of their communities in their focus on museums and libraries as institutions.
ARANZ therefore seeks to have the word “archives” inserted in Section 11A (e) between “libraries” and “museums”, in order to make it clear that these essential repositories of community cultural heritage and identity are to be supported by local authorities.
If this is not possible, it would be preferable to remove the term “museums” and replace it with a more encompassing description such as “cultural heritage institutions”.
Note, we consider archives in this context to refer to community archives, as the archival records of local authorities themselves, and services related to those, are covered by provisions of the Public Records Act 2005.
Joanna M.A. Newman
President
Endnotes
[1] Ministry for Culture & Heritage (2008). Cultural well-being and local government report 1: Definitions and contexts of cultural well-being
[2] Ministry for Culture & Heritage (c. 2005). Cultural well-being: What is it? Retrieved July 21, 2009 from www.culturalwellbeing.govt.nz/node/1