The first step towards obtaining authorisation for public records disposal is appraisal to determine the records’ value. Public offices can either undertake appraisals themselves or contract records management consultants to undertake this work on their behalf. Appraisals can be for either a one-off authorisation or an ongoing authority to dispose of records.
Completed appraisal reports are submitted to Archives New Zealand. Our staff will then review them for clarity and to ensure that disposal recommendations are appropriate.
Once the review process is complete, the report will be placed on our website for public comment, in accordance with the Public Records Act 2005. The Chief Archivist must post these ‘intentions to dispose’ for a minimum of 30 days. Once this period is up, all comments will be assessed and this analysis, with a summary of the comments made, will accompany the appraisal report to the Chief Archivist. At this point a final disposal decision will be made.
We will keep public offices informed as their appraisal reports move through this process to authorisation. Please note that this whole process can be expected to take a maximum of 12-14 weeks from initial submission in most cases.
For many offices, our General Disposal Authorities can be used for the disposal of particular classes of records without having to go through this process.
For more information, see the Disposal Factsheet or contact rkadvice@archives.govt.nz.
NB. Archives New Zealand has specific requirements for the transfer of archives. In the Wellington office there is a planned transfer programme, where agencies book their transfers in advance. To discuss the timing of your transfer, and to ensure that all the transfer requirements can be met, you should contact us as soon as possible when considering transferring your records.
Contact rkadvice@archives.govt.nz.