Ngā Tapuwae June 2011
Ngā Tapuwae - the Footprints - is the newsletter of Archives New Zealand. It tells the stories of our people, our work and achievements.
Please contact Communications Manager Christine Seymour for further information, email christine.seymour@dia.govt.nz
Message from the Chief Archivist
Archives New Zealand has gone through several major changes in the past year, the most significant of these being our integration with the Department of Internal Affairs and National Library.
Ngā Tapuwae helps us keep our stakeholders and customers up-to-date with developments in our new working environment.
The Government Recordkeeping Forums are excellent opportunities to share information and network with clients from the public sector records and information management arena. At the most recent Wellington forum, attendees were brought up to speed with the Government Digital Archive progress and implications for use.
The Community Archives Group has a full programme of workshops (Introduction to Archives) for community-based organisations and individuals who want to know how to look after their heritage collections and tāonga.
This month we celebrated International Archives Day (9 June) and I took the opportunity to reflect on how archives are connected to our everyday life. As a National Archive, Archives New Zealand is responsible for safeguarding public records and information and making them accessible to all New Zealanders for a variety of reasons. Our repositories are regarded as a treasure trove holding millions of stories, many of which are yet to be told. This issue of Ngā Tapuwae gives readers a taste of the range of stories from our holdings.
The newly appointed National Librarian Bill Macnaught joined the Department last month. Ngā Tapuwae features an interview with Bill and we thank him for sharing his experiences and thoughts for the future of the library sector with us.
On the international front, Archives New Zealand staff recently made presentations at workshops and conferences in other countries including Mozambique, Canada and Tonga. Their attendance at these events was funded by the organising bodies and is an acknowledgement of our recognition in the world of archives and recordkeeping.
Good reading.
Greg Goulding
Chief Archivist and General Manager
Archives New Zealand
Forum up to date with Government Digital Archive
The Government Digital Archive (GDA) took centre stage at Archives New Zealand’s Government Recordkeeping Forum, Managing Today’s Information Tomorrow held in Wellington on 1 June.
“The forum was an excellent opportunity for the Digital Continuity team to bring our public sector recordkeeping stakeholders up to date with the progress being made by the GDA team,” said Evelyn Wareham Manager, Digital Continuity, Archives New Zealand.
Evelyn Wareham outlined the GDA and the steps being made to develop it. Monica Greenan, Senior Advisor, Digital Continuity explained the implications for agencies that store their documents in the archive. Euan Cochrane, Senior Advisor, Digital Continuity presented a case study on the digital recordkeeping work he did for the Crown Research Institution, SCION. He gave a practical demonstration of emulation (a strategy for re-enabling access to data locked inside old digital files, eg, WordStar files, Lotus 1-2-3 files or Word for MS-DOS files) and explained how he used this technique to re-enable access to information for SCION.
Tracey Fenton, Information and Records Officer at SCION spoke about how Euan’s work has assisted the organisation. She said the information recovered from those outdated file types provided important details for data they currently use.
Above: Forum presenters (left to right): Euan Cochrane, Archives New Zealand, Jay Gattuso, National Library of New Zealand, Kevin Mackay, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Paula Smith, Techtonics, Evelyn Wareham, Archives New Zealand, and Monica Greenan, Archives New Zealand.
The forum concluded with a panel discussion on the topic: Why should I care about Digital Continuity? Panel members included: Paula Smith, Techtonics, Jay Gattuso, NDHA Preservation Analyst, National Library of New Zealand, Kevin Mackay, Geologist, National Institute of Water and Atmosphere Research, Tracey Fenton, Information and Records Officer at SCION and Evelyn Wareham, Programme Manager, Digital Continuity, Archives New Zealand.
Kevin Mackay said that in as little as 10 years, the potential loss of so many digital files would be disastrous. In his field, the cost of recreating that kind of information was estimated at $250 million dollars.
Forum Coordinator and Advisor for the Archives New Zealand Government Recordkeeping Programme Karamdeep (Kazz) Sahota said the forum was a success and was attended by over 150 people.
Archiving basics taught in successful workshop
Above: One of the presentations held at Archives New Zealand's Wellington office as part of the Community Archives led training course.
Introducing the community to the basics of archiving is the aim of the game in the new training course hosted by Archives New Zealand’s Community Archives team.
Senior Advisor, Community Archives, Lafaele Lupo said, “this course is part of the wider training plan to build recordkeeping capacity in community organisations, and it has been really well received.
“We have run the course twice so far this year (April and May). This month (June) we will be hosting one in Whangarei, and one in Wellington.”
The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. All participants stated their expectations for the course had been met or exceeded, and many expressed their interest in attending the follow-up training sessions.
One course attendee said that the training was “excellent”, with “lots of practical and theoretical advice that I can use to start setting up my own archive.”
Laefele Lupo explains, “the course outlines the basics of archiving and recordkeeping, and is aimed at people who work in archives, libraries, museums, and businesses, as well as community, Māori and iwi groups.
“Presenters come from Archives New Zealand, other government agencies, and external providers – and all are highly qualified, experienced, and experts within the archival environment,” he said.
One such presenter is David Sanderson, Archives New Zealand Archives Support Assistant (ASA), who spoke on: Things you need to know about digitisation, with fellow ASA, Michelle Jackson.
David Sanderson said, “our session on digitisation was held in the Digital Copying Centre at Archives New Zealand’s Wellington office. This made it really practical and hands-on and we were able to show the participants the actual processes and equipment we use. It was like a behind-the-scenes tour.
“I really enjoyed the whole experience. We provided the basic information, and also tailored the content to what would be the most helpful for them, and what they really wanted to know.
“What proved quite eye-opening was when we said that digitisation can start with a basic digital camera. I think there was an assumption that a digital archive can only be created when you have all the equipment we do – but that’s just not true. Such processes are essential for our work, but when you’re just starting out you can get away with simpler steps,” he said.
Veteran archivist, and current Archives Manager at the Marist Archives in Wellington, Ken Scadden also presented on a number of topics at the two-day training course.
He said, “we wanted to make the course as interactive as possible. To do this we used real world examples, so participants were better able to relate to the concepts. This then led to great discussions on issues and examples from their own experiences.”
Keryn Martin, Community Development and Funding Advisor, Department of Internal Affairs presented on funding and also provided an overview of community work and the not-for-profit sector.
“I had an interactive free flowing session with many questions relating to specific organisations the participants belonged to,” Keryn said.
Dr Susan Skudder, co-owner of SWIM Ltd and former Arrangement and Description Manager for the National Archives of New Zealand (now Archives New Zealand) presented on appraisal, and arrangement and description.
She said, “the group was quite diverse in make-up and the kinds of archival holdings they represented, and all of them were really engaged with the workshop.
“They asked great questions that led to a lot of discussion, and in fact meant that I had to race through the content towards the end. But we got the basics covered and I think it was really important to explore the issues they were raising.
“I really enjoyed working with the group, and I hope they went away with a bit more clarity about the areas I was talking about,” Dr Skudder said.
For more information on the training courses, see The Community Archive website.
Intermediate and Advanced training courses will be developed to follow on from this introductory workshop.
Pacific Recordkeeping Toolkit captures an international audience
A recordkeeping toolkit developed with the support of Archives New Zealand by the Pacific Branch of the International Council on Archives (PARBICA) has captured the attention of recordkeepers worldwide.
PARBICA Secretary-General Mark Crookston (Senior Advisor, Digital Continuity, Archives New Zealand) said, “other branches of the International Council on Archives (ICA) have been paying close attention to the Pacific Toolkit and see it as a strategic solution to common recordkeeping challenges around the world. The practical guidance we've developed is starting to make a real difference in the Pacific so others want to learn all about it."
From left: Mark Crookston with Dr Joel Tembe, Director of the National Archives of Mozambique.
Mark Crookston presented the Recordkeeping Toolkit for Good Governance at two sessions at the Eastern and Southern African Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) Conference on June 6-10 in Maputo Mozambique.
The first presentation was to the ESARBICA executive. Mark Crookston explained the toolkit and discussed a range of approaches for adapting the toolkit to eastern and southern African circumstances. In the second session he delivered a two-hour presentation and workshop to 250 participants showing how one aspect of the toolkit can work to assess recordkeeping capacity within their respective organisations.
At the end of the conference, the members of ESARBICA resolved to "use the PARBICA toolkit to develop recordkeeping guidance which is relevant to the circumstances of each member country".
“It was a very successful trip despite taking 22 hours of travel to get there from New Zealand,” Mark Crookston said.
ESARBICA is one of 13 branches of the ICA and a sister branch to PARBICA. He was invited by the ESARBICA Executive and ICA Secretariat to give the workshops at the conference. ICA covered all costs for the trip.
Introducing the new National Librarian: Bill Macnaught
Bill Macnaught is the first permanent National Librarian appointment since the National Library and Archives New Zealand integrated with the Department of Internal Affairs on 1 February this year. He was officially welcomed as National Librarian on 2 May.
Bill Macnaught comes to Wellington after five years as Manager of Puke Ariki, Taranaki’s library, museum and visitor information centre based in New Plymouth. Born in Scotland, he was awarded a CBE for services to public libraries and cultural life in the United Kingdom. He was the Director Libraries and Arts and later Head of Cultural Development at Gateshead Council; served as Chair of the UK Advisory Council on Libraries and was visiting professor (Librarianship) at the University of Northumbria.
During his six years in New Zealand, Bill Macnaught has been actively involved within the library sector: as a Commissioner on the Library and Information and Advisory Commission (LIAC) advising the Minister for the National Library; he is the 2010/11 Chair of the Association of Public Library Managers and the Deputy Chair of Museums Aotearoa; a founder member of the Governance Group for the Aotearoa People’s Network Kaharoa programme; he initiated the discussions that led to the National Library supporting the current Kotui project, designed to deliver the best value for public libraries through the collective procurement of library management IT services.
Above: National Library stakeholder representatives with new National Librarian Bill Macnaught (third from left), and Archives New Zealand Chief Archivist Gerg Goulding (far right).
Meet the new National Librarian
In this issue of Ngā Tapuwae, Bill Macnaught shares impressions gained during his first month as National Librarian, and what his focus is for the National Library under his leadership.
“Coming into the new Department of Internal Affairs, my dominant impression is that we are still in a state of flux; everyone is finding their way in this new arrangement. It is interesting for me, that people who have been for many years in the Department and National Library and I guess at Archives New Zealand, have found the world has moved around them and we are all having to learn new and different ways of doing things.
“There are all sorts of opportunities to be explored within the new Department. During my first few weeks we’ve got examples where there is money to be saved working with colleagues in technology at the Internal Affairs office in Waring Taylor Street. There is also more of an appetite to look at how Archives New Zealand and National Library can work more closely together in the new set up The experience of the shared reading room at Archives New Zealand has shown most people the benefits of working closely together and we will be looking at ways of sustaining this. In the tradition set by the previous Chief Archivist and National Librarian I am working closely with the new Chief Archivist Greg Goulding, building a good platform for future collaboration between our two organisations.”
What attracted you to apply for the position?
“When some of my colleagues in public libraries in New Zealand heard that [National Librarian] Penny Carnaby was stepping down from the position, they encouraged me to throw my hat into the ring. It’s a great responsibility but it also comes at such an interesting time in the development of library sector – with the advent of e-books and the digital revolution, it’s a great time of change and I would like to help the sector to move into this brave new world. This won’t be easy but I've had a habit of picking up challenges that I wouldn’t have if I wanted a quiet life.
“A good example of former challenges would be the Angel of the North at Gateshead (a 20 meter high sculpture with 52 meter wingspan). My arts’ team had the idea for a landmark piece of sculpture and I could have said don’t be so ambitious but I liked the idea of supporting this project. Another project was the Baltic Flour Mills conversion into the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. In terms of libraries I was involved in the People’s Network in the UK. This brought free internet into public libraries across the UK, with 170 millions pounds of government funding for public libraries, at a time that it was unprecedented to get that sort of investment.
“In New Zealand in this time of fiscal restraint, the situation for the National Library is far different. Working on a limited budget, the issue will be articulating why the National Library requires particular funding and presenting the case alongside others – as usual it will be about prioritisation and making the case that our work is important.”
What is the key focus for the National Library in the next six months to one year?
“There are three big things to focus on: The first is to make sense of the fiscal restraint. The budget for 2011-12 is going to be tight and we need to work through the practical implications for that; then there’s the return of the National Library to the refurbished building in Molesworth Street in 2012; and the other big piece of work is to map out a plan for the future, not only for the National Library but as part of our statutory responsibility to help other parts of the library sector. I am committed to revising the strategic framework for public libraries and this will involve getting our partners around the table to think about where we want the relationship with public libraries to go. We are moving toward a digital project, lending e-books over the internet and we need to make clear the implications of this for public libraries.”
What are some of the similarities and differences to your previous position at Puke Ariki?
“I have got much less to do with the museum sector than when I was at Puke Ariki. Having been Deputy Chair of Museums Aotearoa I was closely involved in the museum sector. The National Library has a strong connection to museums, with the Turnbull Library material used by most museums and in particular, social history museums. It’s useful to have some background in museums, to understand particularly how Māori view tāonga held here.”
“Since coming to Wellington I have met with Te Komiti Māori and Te Roopu Māori (the National Library Māori staff). They are interested in what my thoughts are for the future and for ways of working.
Who inspires you?
“One of the first people in my professional career who inspired me was Patrick Conway, my previous boss in Gateshead and whom I succeeded. He was very much a strategic thinker about the similarities with colleagues in museums and archives – taking a broader cultural perspective and was also ready to embrace change and adapt technology for the benefit of the wider community through public libraries. He was pretty inspirational as someone who was looking to the future and keen to drive change.
What do you enjoy doing away from work?
“I quite enjoy food and drink, entertaining friends and travel. I get a great deal of pleasure visiting different places. This was one of the reasons why I wanted to live in New Zealand. I came here 10 years ago to visit my niece in Nelson and was greatly taken with the lifestyle and wanted to work in New Zealand.”
Which team will you cheer for in the Rugby World Cup?
“I will be cheering for Scotland in the final with New Zealand but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the All Blacks win.”
What book are you currently reading?
“I am reading Jeffery Deaver’s James Bond novel Carte Blanche. This is set in modern times and is trying to recover the essence of Ian Fleming but transposed to 21st century. It’s a bit of light reading after all the government documents I am going through at the moment.”
It’s all part of the service
From registering readers, to giving community tours and talks, and providing research advice – customer satisfaction is central to everything Archives New Zealand’s Access Services team does, and they are determined to be excellent at it.
Vernon Wybrow, Manager Access Services said, “Access staff interact with customers in a variety of ways. They answer phone, email, and written queries; and are also available in our four Reading Rooms nationwide and the Wellington office Gateway information area to provide archival advice and research assistance.
“We are always looking for ways to improve our services,” he said.
These include:
New research guides and information sheets
Archivist Graham Langton shows researcher Pru Newton the Education reference guide.
Five new information sheets and four reference guides have been added to Archives New Zealand’s resources for family historians. These resources are available in all Archives New Zealand Reading Rooms in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, and in the Wellington office Gateway area.
The topics of the new 12-page reference guides are: Making a Living, Photographs – Wellington, Land – Wellington, and Welfare.
Access Services Archivist Graham Langton, instrumental in developing the new resources, says “each document focuses on groups of records held at Archives New Zealand.
“The guides give general information about our holdings, specific contextual information on the records held within each of the topics, plus a lot of Archives references that can help family historians locate the information they are looking for,” he says.
In addition one-page information sheets on: Police Gazettes, War Art, Deeds Indexes, Women’s Suffrage, and Māori Land Court Minute Books, are now available.
Graham speaks regularly to community groups and says the reference guides and information sheets are great to hand out.
People like to be able to take something away to look at and ponder over.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the public about how helpful this material is,” he said.
Some of these research guides are also available on the Archives website.
For more information on the Reading Rooms.
‘How to’ tutorials for Archway in the pipeline
Another project working its way through the Access Services pipeline is ‘how to’ tutorials on how to use Archives’ online search engine, Archway.
Vernon Wybrow said, “we want to make information as user friendly as possible.”
Working on the Archives New Zealand frontline, Access Services Archivist Claire Ashcroft has seen firsthand how researchers have struggled to use Archway – and she’s volunteered to help change that by creating online tutorials to assist users.
Claire says, “Archway was designed as a tool for archivists – not researchers, and so many people struggle with how to use it effectively.
“We’re going to create four short videos: an outline of what background information is required before research can begin (knowing what you’re looking for is the first rule of research), an overview of what Archway is, and tutorials on how to do simple and advanced searches.
“It’s also important to manage expectations about what can be done through Archway, as a lot of people think of it as a library database – but it’s not. There are different classification schemes, and not all information is always listed in an obvious way – or at all.”
These tutorials are planned to be available online by the end of the year.
Customer service training
Vernon says, “last year all Access staff (Archivists and Archives Support Assistants) took part in theory-based customer service training. “Since then we’ve developed a set of principles and a committee to advise on the practical application of the theory. We want to ensure continuous improvement of service.”
If the thank you emails are anything to go by, Access Services are delivering on their promise.
After replying to an enquiry from an Australian reader, Archivist Hannah Bremner received an email thanking her for her “comprehensive response”, and advising that he would be following up on her advice.
Anna talks digital recordkeeping in Tonga
(Left to right) Salote Vuki from Human Resource & Corporate Services Division, Office of the Public Service Commission, Tonga with workshop presenters Helen Walker, National Archives of Australia, Anna Gulbransen, Archives New Zealand, and Emma Buckley, National Archives of Australia.
Anna Gulbransen, Advisor, Government Recordkeeping Programme represented Archives New Zealand and provided training at PARBICA’s (Pacific Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives) first ever workshop in Tonga.
Running from 23-27 May, the Digital Recordkeeping Guidance workshop was attended by 114 Tongan public servants.
Anna Gulbransen said, “the training was part of PARBICA’s Recordkeeping for Good Governance Toolkit project. “Our focus was on phase five of the toolkit – Digital Recordkeeping. This phase was funded by Aus-AID and led by the National Archives of Australia (NAA). “The NAA invited me to assist in facilitating the workshop with Emma Buckley and Helen Walker (both from the NAA).
“We covered the basics of the best practice approach to recordkeeping as well as digital recordkeeping, and the practicalities of email management and scanning
“We also spoke to Chief Executives from different ministries of the Tongan Public Service about how good recordkeeping supports good governance, and provided practical steps to assist their recordkeeping. “On our final day in Tonga we visited a number of organisations to gain insight on work they are doing and the practicalities of recordkeeping in the Pacific.
“PARBICA made several recommendations to the Tongan Government, the most important being the establishment of a National Archives and legislation to support good recordkeeping.
“This was PARBICA’s first visit to Tonga, so the training was an important step for the organisation. We were definitely encouraged by the number of participants who attended and the feedback we received, they seemed really pleased to have us there,” Anna Gulbransen said.
Above: Group shot of the workshop presenters with participants.
The topic of digital recordkeeping will be further explored in PARBICA’s upcoming conference held in Apia, Samoa: PARBICA 14: Evidence and Memory in the Digital Age (22-27 August).
Anna Gullbransen said, “the phase five products (guidelines on digital recordkeeping) are to be launched at this conference and more general training on the guidelines will be given.”
To learn more about PARBICA and the Recordkeeping for Good Governance Toolkit, visit their website.
Rob and Ron: a friendship found in the archives
While vetting the papers of New Zealand’s 31st Prime Minister Sir Robert David Muldoon, Archives New Zealand archivists Tony Connell and Jeff Carr discovered a friendship among the archives.
Archives reference: R23190764 (W4742, Box 24, Item 78)
Among the 29 boxes of photograph albums in the Muldoon political papers, Tony and Jeff found images taken of Robert Muldoon and his wife Thea during their visits to the White House in Washington DC, USA in 1981 and 1984 with then-President Ronald Wilson Reagan, and his wife Nancy.
Thea Muldoon (left) and Nancy Reagan. Archives reference: R23190765 (W4742, Box 24, Item 79)
A certificate commemorating the Muldoon’s visit to the White House was also in this box.
Archival reference: R23190764 (W4742, Box 24, Item 78)
Tony said, “there are two letters from Ronald Reagan in the collection. They include interesting information about what was going on in the world at that time – for instance, the Cold War – but also the relationship between these two leaders.
Archival reference: R23190766 (W4742, Box 24, Item 80)
“Notably the first letter was addressed to Robert Muldoon and signed Ronald Reagan, but in the second they were just ‘Rob’ and ‘Ron’.
Archival reference: R23190766 (W4742, Box 24, Item 80)
“These archives give a snapshot of a relationship,” said Tony.
Archives reference: R23190764 (W4742, Box 24, Item 78)
A number of these records have been digitised as part of the Politicians’ Papers online exhibition.
Kiwi icons brought to life through Archives’ vignettes
Eighty-five years ago this month the School Journal told the story of Pelorus Jack – dolphin and national pet. The stories of both these New Zealand icons are being told once more through Archives New Zealand’s new promotional vignettes.
Greg Goulding, Chief Archivist and General Manager, Archives New Zealand, said the promotional film and the six Moments in History vignettes delve into New Zealand’s culture and heritage.
“The six vignettes each showcase an event or an identity that has made an outstanding contribution to New Zealand’s history and life,” he said.
“Pelorus Jack became famous for escorting ships between Pelorus Sound and French Pass.
“On 26 September 1904, the Governor of New Zealand, Lord Plunkett, issued an order at Government House to make it unlawful to take a Risso’s dolphin in the waters of the Cook Strait. In doing so, New Zealand became the first country in the work to pass legislation to protect a national pet,” he said.
Pelorus Jack’s fame was international, and in the June 1926 issue of another kiwi classic – the School Journal –- his story was passed on to another generation.
Above: A still from the School Journal vignette which shows the June 1926 issue of the Journal that told the story of Pelorus Jack, kiwi icon and national pet.
The School Journal has been a staple of New Zealand education since its first issue in May 1907. Containing information on history, geography, and civics – it replaced the need for separate textbooks.
Greg Goulding said, “the School Journal taught generations of school children about our country and our view of ourselves.
A still from the School Journal vignette showing archived footage of school children reading the School Journal.
“The Archives New Zealand vignettes also tell the tale of that firm New Zealand favourite hokey-pokey, our immigration policy from the 1940s, the political world of Sir Walter Nash and how the first All Black Captain, David Gallaher, made a contribution to New Zealand on the rugby field and ultimately with his life in World War One,” he said.
The new films, plus several films from the New Zealand National Film Unit collection, can be viewed on the Archives New Zealand website, via the internet channel http://www.ecasttv.co.nz/ and on YouTube.
International Archives Day - stories from the archives
June 9 is designated as International Archives Day by the International Council of Archives. On this day, we reflect on how archives tell us where we came from and how we got to where we are today, says Archives New Zealand Chief Archivist Greg Goulding.
“As a National Archive, Archives New Zealand is accountable for the safeguarding of public records and information. We make these documents accessible to all New Zealanders for a wide variety of reasons, including those significant to our nation’s culture and heritage. For example, Māori Land Court records are used by researchers of Treaty of Waitangi claims and by Māori iwi to trace their whakapapa.
“As well as providing a wealth of historical research, our archives have proved a useful source of information to other types of research. The New Zealand Defence Force Military Personnel Files have been used to investigate the spread of infectious diseases, tracing the spread of fatal influenza cases through camps and troop ships.
“The Shipping Lists record the names and details of passengers who came to New Zealand from 1855 to 1973. In more recent times the lists have provided people who arrived as children with information about their arrival, for use as evidence in citizenship applications.”
Archives come in many different forms: paper documents, audio visual, maps, artwork and photographs. Archives New Zealand provides access to archives and records in its reading rooms in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, as well as via the online search engine Archway. Digitisation of many of the archives is making these valuable documents accessible to many more people worldwide.
A taste from the archives
“The archives in our repositories hold millions of stories, connecting New Zealanders to their past,” Greg Goulding said. “Many of these stories are yet to be told and our archivists often find undiscovered and interesting items as they help people research their family histories.”
The following tasters give an overview of the range of stories from New Zealand’s past, being cared for in the Archives.
Hungarian Refugees 1956-1957
Labour and External Affairs Department files record the Hungarian refugees who came to New Zealand after the Soviet Union put down the Hungarian Uprising in 1956. These records include a brief summary of the immigration interview held with each person who was a genuine refugee accepted for the scheme.
Hungarian Drafts 1956-1958 [(ACGV 8814) L 1 22/3/6-14]
Amy Bock
Amy Bock was the con woman who pretended to be a man and who arranged to marry Agnes Ottaway in 1909. This was a famous case at the time and generated a great deal of media interest. Our holdings include the intention to marry notice, the police investigation file and a copyright file for a set of postcards which were sold to the public during the trial. Amy Bock’s Intention to Marry Notice, 8 March 1909 [Archives Reference: BDM 20/74, p365/33]; Police file on Amy Bock [Archives Reference: P 1, 1909/1009]; Copyright files on Amy Bock [Archives Reference: PC 4, 1909/27&28].
A War Time Love Story
This is the transcript of an interview with a New Zealand soldier who was left behind on Crete during World War Two. He was discovered by a Cretan girl whose family hid him before he was arrested by the Germans. He returned to Crete after the war and married the young woman bringing her back to New Zealand. When the document was shown during a tour of the Wellington respository, one of those present turned out to be related to the two people and was able to report that they married and lived happily ever after.
Interview – E. Nathan, [Archives Ref: WAII 1 DA 447.2/34 (Box 348)].
New Zealand Convicts Transported to Australia
Between 1843 and 1853, New Zealand sentenced 120 people who had come before the New Zealand courts to transportation "across the seas to whichever place the Governor sees fit". They were sent to Tasmania. It appears that about 20 had their sentences commuted as the Tasmanian records record the arrival of 100 convicts from New Zealand.
Timothy O'Meara was one of those convicts transported to Van Dieman's Land from Wellington in 1846. [Archives Reference: IA1, 45/1773 with 1846/453]. The files include the following details:
- On May 3, 1845, Timothy O’Meara was arrested for forgery. He was 30 years old and a labourer, although a subsequent gaol return listed him as an architect.
- He was tried on 2 June 1845 in the Wellington Supreme Court, found guilty, and sentenced to 10 years’ transportation.
- In his pocket at the time of his arrest, O’Meara was carrying a Certificate of Freedom from March 1840 in the name of Dudley Morris who was born in 1817, was a labourer in Mayo and was tried at Sligo, being transported on the ship Norfolk 3 in 1832 . The physical description and tattoos led to the conclusion that Timothy O'Meara was Dudley Morris.
- On 13 December 1845, he was transported on the ship Cheerful, arriving in Hobart on 8 January 1846 – his second time of service "at His Majesty's Service".
To find out more about the archival holdings visit Archives New Zealand website or call into one of our offices and talk to our friendly and well-informed Access Services staff.
Record numbers gather for disaster preparedness forum in Auckland
Record numbers attended the forum, Are You Ready? Planning For and Responding To Disasters, held in Auckland on 25 May.
Forum coordinator and Government Recordkeeping Adviser Kazz Sahota said, “we had 71 attend – the average for an Auckland forum is around 30 – which just shows how important this topic is in response to the Christchurch earthquake.
“The aim of the forum was to encourage attendees to develop or revise their disaster plan, and the presenters spoke on why this should be done and how to go about this,” he said.
Speakers included Mike Chapman, Information Manager, Porirua City Council, David Ashman, Conservator, Auckland City Library and Mick Crouch, Adviser/Analyst, Digital Continuity, Archives New Zealand.
“Mike Chapman spoke about why organisations need a disaster plan and how to create them, and how to share this knowledge with others in the organisation,” Kazz Sahota said.
David Ashman covered what damage can occur to physical records, and how to help prevent and manage such damage. He gave some essential basic advice on what to have in disaster kit – for example, plastic sheets to enclose paper records.
Mick Crouch presented on the importance of having a plan. For example, he said that backing-up digital information was a must as even if all paper records are lost, the business will still be able to continue operating.
The workshop will be presented to recordkeepers in Dunedin on 29 June.
For more information, see the Government Recordkeeping Forum section (http://archives.govt.nz/advice/training-and-events/government-recordkeep...) on the Archives New Zealand website.
Wellington seminar talks information overload
Information Overload was the theme of a seminar held during Information Awareness Month (May)
The seminar run by the New Zealand branch of the Records and Information Management (RIM) Professionals Australasia was held at the Archives New Zealand Wellington office on Tuesday (31 May).
Formal presentations and discussion between key speakers and participants focused on how the development and use of standards supports information management and reduces the load.
The key speakers included Trish O’Kane, Director, Left Field Solutions, Stephen Clarke, Principal Advisor, Information Management, Inland Revenue, and Wendy Duff, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto.
Hywel Williams, Archivist, Arrangement & Description, Archives New Zealand helped coordinate the event. “It was a good turnout, with over 50 people attending,“ he said.
Seminar speakers (left to right): Wendy Duff, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, Stephen Clarke, Principal Advisor, Information Management, Inland Revenue and Trish O’Kane, Director, Left Field Solutions.
Trish O’Kane, and Stephen Clarke represent the New Zealand recordkeeping community on the International Standards Committee TC46/SC11 on records management. They gave a report on the latest international and New Zealand initiatives in standards development. They explained how ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) works, and the mechanisms around drafting and approving standards.
Wendy Duff spoke on how recordkeeping and archival metadata standards complement each other.
Hywel Williams said, “Wendy has spent this semester teaching and researching at Victoria University of Wellington. She discussed why archivists describe archives and how they can use all the metadata captured when records are being created and used. She also suggested greater collaboration between those who set different standards.”
The seminar was sponsored by Objective and Standards Australia.
These events are held around five times a year in Wellington, and are geared at anyone in the recordkeeping, archival and information sectors. Information about upcoming events is on the RIMPA website.
Archives Council meeting in Auckland
A visit to Archives New Zealand’s Auckland Regional Office was on the itinerary of the Archives Council meeting in Auckland on 18-19 May.
Above: Council members talk with Archives New Zealand Auckland Office staff and volunteers.
Chief Archivist Greg Goulding accompanied the Council members on the visit where, the members viewed the holdings and talked to staff and volunteers. Council Chair Richard Nottage praised the Auckland staff and volunteers for their very good work.
The Council members also visited the Auckland University where they were shown archives of the South/West Pacific; they also saw a special collection at the Auckland Library and visited the War Memorial Museum.
Below: The Council look at valuable documents of the Grey Collection with Georgia Prince at the Auckland City Libraries.
Below: (left to right) Archives New Zealand Chief Archivist Greg Goulding, and Archives Council members Ani Pahuru-Huriwai, Stuart Strachan and Richard Nottage with Librarian Bruce Ralston at the Auckland Museum.
News Bytes
End of entity report
The report on the last seven months of Archives New Zealand as a separate entity is available on the Archives New Zealand website. The report covers the seven months (from 1 July 2010 to 31 January 2011) prior to Archives New Zealand’s integration into the Department of Internal Affairs on 1 February 2011.
Statement of Intent
Archives New Zealand main objectives and outputs are included in the Department of Internal Affairs Statement of Intent 2011-2014.
Recordkeeping courses July 2011
Limited spaces are available on Archives New Zealand recordkeeping courses to be held during July 2011:
5 July Introduction to the Public Records Act 2005 (Wellington) 6 July Recordkeeping in Business Systems - Tools & Strategies (Wellington) Please note this replaces the Transfer Course
14 July Recordkeeping in Business Systems - Tools & Strategies (Auckland)
20 July Recordkeeping Metadata - (Christchurch)
21 July Recordkeeping in Business Systems - Tools & Strategies (Christchurch)
To hold these courses a minimum of eight people is required per course.
Further information is on the website: http://archives.govt.nz/advice/training-and-events/government-recordkeeping-training
International networking
Archives' Group manager, Government Recordkeeping presented a paper at the Association of Canadian Archivists conference in Toronto on 1-4 June and met with colleagues at Library and Archives Canada and the Canadian Treasury Board Secretariat in Ottawa on 6-8 June. Strategies and priorities for recordkeeping programmes in the two countries are very similar, and there is a strong desire to extend the exchange of information and work collaboratively.
UNESCO New Zealand Memory of rhe World Register
The UNESCO NZ Memory of the World register will be officially launched on 30 June. Archives New Zealand and National Library are represented on the Memory of the World committee.
The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi and 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition, housed in the Constitution Room at Archives New Zealand in Welllngton, will be added to the New Zealand Register (these two documents are already on the UNESCO international Memory of the World Register).
The first nominations for New Zealand register closed on 8 June and a decision on those that have been chosen will be announced 30 June.
Transfer of School Publications artwork
A transfer of artwork from the School Publications was received into Archives New Zealand’s Wellington office from Learning Media, on 8 June. The 16 pieces of artwork by some well-known New Zealand artists, include a selection of prints by Dick Frizzell that featured in the school publications in 1978.
The artwork will go through the process of being listed and shelved in Archives New Zealand’s Wellington repository and will be available for public access in the next few months.
The School Publications feature in Moments in Time – a series of 6 vignettes promoting the Archives holdings and can be viewed on Archives TV on the Archives New Zealand website.
Above: From left to right: Arrangement and Description Archivists Glen Humphries and Paul Nelson with the Dick Frizzell prints from the Learning Media artwork transfer.