The Archives Council Te Rua Wānanga is an unincorporated body established under the Public Records Act 2005 to provide advice to the Minister responsible for Archives New Zealand on recordkeeping and archives matters including those for which tikanga Māori is relevant.
The inaugural Council was appointed on 31 August 2006 and consists of seven members, two of whom have knowledge of tikanga Māori.
The Council reports directly to the Minister on its functions during the preceding year. The Minister, as soon as practicable, presents the report to the House of Representatives.
The Archives Council meets four times a year to discuss archival and record keeping matters. Since its establishment the Archives Council has developed a Council Charter and has provided advice to the Minister on the disposal of some of Archives New Zealand’s own records.
The Council sees developing relationships with groups with common interests as an important way to achieve its goals. So far the Council has met with Penny Carnaby, Chief Executive of the National Library of New Zealand, Martin Matthews, Chief Executive of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage and recently met with the New Zealand Library and Information Advisory Commission (LIAC) and the Guardians Kaitiaki.
Contact the Archives Council: archivescouncil@archives.govt.nz or telephone Marion Sanson, Archives New Zealand, phone 04 894 6026.