About Tāhuhu

The Tāhuhu: Preserving the Nation’s Memory (Tāhuhu) Programme grew out of a property review conducted by the Department of Internal Affairs. The review identified over 60% of Archives and National Library buildings in the North Island are not fit-for-purpose. Archives Wellington has been full since 2017 and the National Library will be close to capacity by 2030.

Archives and the National Library are the official stewards or kaipupuri of our nation’s documentary heritage and taonga, valued at $1.5 billion and growing. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) on behalf of the Crown have statutory responsibilities to collect, preserve, protect and make accessible this heritage for all New Zealanders.

Together, the valuable collections include government records, publications, books, manuscripts, artwork, scientific data, images, films and much more. Across the entire portfolio, these physical records total over 271,000 linear metres (271km) and are continually growing through transfers of public records from public sector organisations, donations to the Alexander Turnbull Library and purchases of New Zealand taonga.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, Aotearoa New Zealand’s audiovisual archive, has been included in the scope of Tāhuhu since 2018. In September 2019 Ngā Taonga moved into the National Library’s Molesworth Street building which brought the organisation physically closer to both National Library and Archives New Zealand.

In June 2021 the Ngā Taonga Board confirmed the organisation’s commitment to participate as a full partner in Tāhuhu, joining the National Library and Archives New Zealand in the planned documentary and recorded heritage precinct, as natural partners with similar values. Tāhuhu will provide many opportunities for collaboration across the three agencies, through shared preservation spaces, technical workspaces, storage repositories and public spaces. This in turn will make it easier for New Zealanders to find and access material of historical significance across the collections of the three agencies.

These roles have been created to make sure requirements for the building designs meet the needs of staff, public and our documentary heritage. The SMEs will work closely with Project Managers and Functional Design Advisory Group representatives. They will collaborate with staff across National Library, Archives and Ngā Taonga where needed.

The Tāhuhu Programme SMEs cover:

• Reading room operations

• Public spaces

• Māori Tikanga

• Staff facilities

• Flow of items, Conservation and AV Laboratories

• Repositories and storage operations

• IT systems

• Digitisation and digital preservation

• Facilities management and security