People value a vibrant, trusted national archives. We will be a trusted regulator of government information through the Public Records Act; experts in how to create, manage, preserve and discover information; and a gateway providing access to the nation’s history, connecting people to their stories, rights and entitlements. The precise future of Aotearoa New Zealand is difficult to predict. We do know there will be successive governments that interact with the people and make decisions on their behalf. The record of those interactions will need to be created and managed. A trusted, independent institution is needed to ensure all government information is created and managed effectively. and central government information must be open if appropriate and able to be used for the benefit of all. We do not know exactly what technologies will be prevalent by 2057. We do know that the digital service expectations of the next generation will be high. Modern infrastructure and digital building blocks such as metadata, will enable users to discover, understand and trust government information across the system. 1 We will continue to and care for, our physical holdings. New Zealanders will still come to see and experience New Zealand’s most precious founding documents and records of pivotal moments in time. Some physical access to our holdings will continue but the availability of information digitally will meet the majority of user needs. A robust, transparent, accurate and well preserved record of the New Zealand government also shows the world who we are. We are bold in our aspirations. Change is upon us and is an exciting future. 1 Metadata, which is data describing context, content and structure of records and their management through time, is vital in assisting users to locate and understand information.
Case study He Tohu, a new permanent exhibition The launch of our new permanent exhibition, He Tohu, will see three of New Zealand’s most important founding constitutional documents (the Treaty of Waitangi, 1835 Declaration of Independence and the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition) showcased through physical and digital platforms. The vision for the exhibition is “talking about our past to create a better future” and He Tohu, for this exhibition simply means the signs, in reference to the unique signatures on these taonga. The new exhibition has three objectives: Preserving our fragile and priceless documentary heritage for future generations; Improving access for all New Zealanders and visitors to our country; and Enhancing learning opportunities for young New Zealanders. This is just one example of an opportunity to showcase Archives’ holdings, increase access to these important founding documents while continuing our role as kaitiaki of these precious taonga.
The future environment As we move towards 2057, there will be global conflicts; climate change impacts; changing migration patterns and challenges for the New Zealand economy to maintain living standards with an aged population. Central and local government decisions on spending limited resources may become increasingly difficult as the population demographics change. We have considered the many challenges and opportunities on the horizon, particularly in relation to government information, our core business. The importance of trusted information The internet allows anyone to publish information viewable by millions. The down-side of this includes the widespread dissemination of misinformation has the potential to cause public harm. The public will increasingly have to ensure the information they consume is from trusted sources. People lose trust in government if there is poor recordkeeping, difficulty accessing information or privacy and security breaches by agencies. Archives has the opportunity to build trust in the record of government by ensuring the creation and maintenance of records and information meets necessary standards. Changes in technology and how information is used by government Major technological changes over the next forty years will alter how decisions are made, services are provided, and even what information and the record of government will look like. We can see such changes already with the rise of machine learning and increased use of computational analytics to interrogate, and make decisions from, large datasets. We must understand these types of advancements as they emerge and ensure that appropriate records of government activity are created, maintained and can be accessed. At an all-of-government level, there are heightened expectations of solving complex policy problems and delivering economic value using data and information. Effective information management maximises the potential of government information while safeguarding privacy and security. We must do better The “disappointing” levels of recordkeeping maturity among agencies 10 years after the Public Records Act 2005 are unacceptable.3 We need to work together with agencies to lift performance. The increased growth in government digital information created means Archives must be able ingest information on an industrial scale. However, digital transfer requires information to be created and managed well by agencies prior to transfer. Our strategic focus areas are outlined next and show our response to these challenges and opportunities. 3 State of Government Recordkeeping and Public Records Act 2005 Audits 2014/15, Archives New Zealand 9