Q&A November 2021

Questions from kaimahi submitted in November 2021. Email TeAraTahi@dia.govt.nz if you have any other questions.

Answers from Hoani Lambert, Hautū, Te Haumi - Enterprise Partnerships

Can you explain the difference between Te Ara Tahi and Tahuhu. Where they overlap and where they are different.

So Tāhuhu is an infrastructure property programme. It’s focused on addressing the physical storage requirements that we have across our three institutions, manifesting initially in the build of the new Archives building, hopefully a new repository in Taitoko Levin - subject to budget decisions. And also the renovation of the library, as well as the Archives Information Management System which falls within that programme of work. And there’s Wairere House as well. So, it’s largely our physical storage requirements.

However, you’ve also heard me talk about our four pillars of transformation - one of which is Tāhuhu or the property programme. We also recognise that there are other areas of transformation we need, not just to support the property area of work but also to improve our overall delivery of services to New Zealanders.

Many of our customers and partners will not come anywhere near our physical properties, but the large majority of whom will want access to our services primarily through digital services.

So Tāhuhu is one of four programmes that we’re looking to stand up over the next five to six years that need to deliver upon a new future.

Te Ara Tahi is there as a process to help us understand, what is that destination going to look like, what do our properties need to look like through Tāhuhu in order to inform the way that we work in a joined-up way in the future. The way that we work in different ways in the future.

So Te Ara Tahi is like the capstone that sits on top of the four programmes, including Tāhuhu that articulates the long-term vision, that articulates the way that we’re going to work together, and articulates essentially an operating model for the three institutions going forward.

If Te Ara Tahi articulates the operating model, should we be expecting structural changes in our orgs?

The focus of Te Ara Tahi is on developing a shared vision and identifying new and collaborative ways of working to meet the needs of all New Zealanders. One was of expressing this is through a shared Operating Model, which is a method for describing how the institutions might work together, based on ideas our kaimahi have shared.

While structural change is not the intent nor the motivation for this mahi, a consequence of this might be some structural change to enable the delivery of our shared vision. This is not, however, an inevitable outcome of our design process. If structural changes were thought to be needed the proposed changes would be appropriately managed thought the respective institution’s change processes, which would include staff consultation.

Answers from Rachel Esson, Te Pouhuaki National Librarian

What is our collective identity? How are we going to manage our different regulatory roles and legislative responsibilities?

I see our collective identity as what this process is about. And I think you know that’s the exciting part - that we are designing this together and we want your views on what is that collective vision.

While we are developing this collective vision we’ve cognisant of course that we also have different regulatory roles and legislative responsibilities. And to be clear - we will continue to manage those within our institutions. It’s not about bringing all of those things together, however there might be some things across the institutions where we can actually help each other.

As an example - schools have a requirement to keep good records. It’s not always the focus for them. We have an area within National Library that has great relationships with a really wide number of schools. And so perhaps there’s something that we can do there to leverage that relationship and help out?

We will continue to be responsible for our legislative responsibilities while we’re developing that shared vision, and beyond.

Answers from Honiana Love, Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Do you think our visitor experience will be up to the same calibre of some of the great archives around the world?

Our ultimate goal is a great visitor experience that meets a diverse range of visitor needs. Given the population of New Zealand it may not be possible to match the experiences delivered by archives in other more populated countries, but we will strive to meet the needs of New Zealanders with experiences that are professional, authentic and engaging.

Can you give us an indication of when you hope to start showing value from collaboration, beyond the current projects underway.

We expect that we will be able to see clear value immediately in terms of the three organisations getting to know each other and having a much better understanding of how we can support each other’s mahi. With that will come more opportunities for successful collaborations – those that are not just collaborations for the sake of saying we’re working together but ones that really do deliver value to each other and our stakeholders.

Answers from Stephen Clarke, Kaipupuri Matua Chief Archivist

Are there thoughts/plans to think about something similar in Tāmaki Makaurau, our most diverse city, and/or other urban centres?

Not anything over and above the what we are doing for Te Ara Tahi, which is a national approach, at this stage, but we wouldn’t rule it out. There definitely seems to be scope in the GLAM sector in Dunedin to take a more joined up approach to delivering repository services, for example.