He rārangi o ngā mauhanga kua whakamarutia - Ngā tuhituhi whakamārama
List of protected records for local authorities - Explanatory notes
Guidance on identifying the different classes of local authority protected records.
Why we created this guidance
The List of protected records for local authorities (the List) specifies those classes of local authority information and records which, in the opinion of the Chief Archivist, reflect the core functions of local government and are worthy of preservation for administrative, accountability, heritage and/or research reasons.
We've created these Explanatory notes (the Notes) to help you with the application of the List. They provide more detail about the types of information and records that fall into the classes of the List.
Read the List of protected records for local authorities
The List is published as a Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette Notice, 15 May 2024, No. 2024-go2240.
How to use these Notes
The examples for each class are illustrative. They're not an exhaustive list of all the information and records in a particular class. They represent some of the more common types of information and records produced by local authorities.
The classes of local authority information and records specified in these Notes apply regardless of the media they're created and stored on — unless specifically stated.
The classes in these Notes include cross-references to the classes in the 2013 List of protected records (LPR).
For more guidance about protected records, contact us at rkadvice@dia.govt.nz.
Maintenance and preservation of protected records
Local authorities need to ensure protected records are:
properly protected and preserved
maintained in a way that means they can still be used.
Refer to the Chief Archivist's requirements for the physical storage and preservation of protected records that are archives.
If you intend to retain protected records in another format such as microfilm, your local authority must provide assurance to the Chief Archivist that the information and records will be maintained and be accessible in compliance with international best practice.
For further information about storage and preservation of different formats, see our website.
Alternatively, if you intend to retain digitised protected records in electronic form only, your local authority must meet the requirements set out in the Contracts and Commercial Law (Electronic Transactions) Regulations 2017 and only under certain circumstances.
Refer to our guidance on destruction source information after digitisation as well as our best practice guidance for digital storage and preservation.
Additional information and records
When identifying protected records, local authorities should also consider additional information and records related to the protected records, the local authority and its geographic area. These may be information and records:
created by a local authority during, or alongside, the process of creating the protected records
that inform and provide context about particular protected records, or
related to a local authority’s region or district.
Part of best business practice for local authorities is maintaining the availability of, and access to, these additional information and records. That's why these Notes also include some illustrative examples of additional information and records:
to retain for long-term best business practice
not required for long-term retention.
Note: The expression 'long-term' is used for information and records retained until they're no longer in active use by a local authority, or until they are at least 25 years old. The minimum retention period for all other information and records is up to each local authority.
Retention and disposal schedule for local authorities
An approved retention and disposal schedule for local authorities is available through the Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM). This includes protected records as well as additional information and records. To check if your local authority is currently signed up to use the ALGIM Toolkit, please contact ALGIM directly via their website.
If your local authority is not signed up to the ALGIM Toolkit — or does not have a separate approved retention and disposal schedule — email us at rkadvice@dia.govt.nz for advice on developing one.
Other circumstances
The protected records outlined in the List equally apply to information and records held in the following circumstances.
When formerly held by any public office — or instrument of any kind of the central government of New Zealand — and now in the custody of any local authority
This applies to information and records transferred from central government as a result of transfer of functions. They contain information that is evidence of the activities of central government agencies and are considered by us to be of archival value.
While these information and records are considered public records, they're included in the scope of the List as the transfer of custody means the relevant local authority is responsible for ensuring their appropriate disposal.
When local authority functions are or have been contracted to a private company
This applies to information and records created by a private company for the period of time that company was contracted by a local authority to perform certain functions. The local authority retains responsibility under the Public Records Act 2005 for any such information and records meeting any of the classes of the List.
This also includes information and records formerly created by a local authority and transferred to the custody of a private company after 1989 (see note below).
When previously held by any merged, preceding, abolished or other local authorities or their commercial enterprises, and now in the custody of a local authority
This applies to information and records created by an extant local authority or their commercial enterprise before 1989.
Note: In 1989 New Zealand’s local government structural arrangements were significantly altered when approximately 700 councils and special purpose bodies were amalgamated to create 86 local authorities.
Information and records covered by earlier versions of the Local Government Schedule and List of Protected Records
All previous Local Government Schedules and List of Protected Records for Local Authorities Notices by the Chief Archivist published in the New Zealand Gazette are revoked and superseded by the current List. However, this does not nullify the continued protection and preservation of any local authority information and records meeting those previous Notices.
Class 1: Cemetery and crematoria management
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
registers, indexes and databases of burials including natural burials, cremations and grave plots for current and closed cemeteries and urupā reservations or sites
maps and plans and visual records of cemetery plots, including planting plans and (georeferenced) plot locations
plot purchase records, including copies of Exclusive Right of Burial certificates
LiDAR (light detection and ranging) records made to identify undocumented burials.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
routine cemetery operation and maintenance
burial and cremation administration.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
management of cemetery grounds (see Class 11: Local authority property, asset and infrastructure management)
religious (denominational) and private burial grounds (unless currently administered by a local authority as a public burial ground).
2013 cross-reference
LPR12 Cemetery records
Class 2: Community health
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
planning and development of community support projects and initiatives such as council housing, care for the aged or disabled, anti-drug campaigns, holiday programmes, epidemics, childcare and so on
prosecution and litigation cases for animal control, health and activity premise licensing, and sale and supply of alcohol licensing that resulted in policy changes and/or of public interest
registers and reviews of licencing for the sale and supply of alcohol
premise licenses where the premise is a heritage building and/or has had continuous occupation more than 30 years and/or where there is other local value.
Note: Some of the examples listed above may be referred to by some local authorities as 'Environmental health'.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records to retain for long-term best business practice include:
food and hygiene licensing when related to a property where the building use has changed or gone due to natural hazards.
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
refused or not granted permit, consent and license applications
dog, liquor and health licenses.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
protection of life and property (see Class 3: Community safety)
protection of the environment (see Class 7: Environmental management)
liaison with relevant central government agencies (see Class 14: Statutory and strategic planning and reporting).
2013 cross-reference
LPR8 Regulatory records
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
Class 3: Community safety
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
crime prevention and community safety initiatives that resulted in policy changes and/or of public interest
summary records of emergency management response, transition and recovery phases for events where a local, regional or national state of emergency is declared, including visual records (see Note)
public education programmes for civil defence
summary records and incident reports of rural fire management pre-1 July 2017 (if still held)
summaries and reviews of emergency management training exercises
incidents involving marine craft, waterways and/or lakes resulting in death.
Note: For emergency events where one or more deaths has occurred, full records should be retained.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
maintenance of civil defence emergency facilities and equipment.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
rural fire management post 1 July 2017 (now the responsibility of Fire and Emergency New Zealand)
community wellbeing, health facilities and mental health (see Class 2: Community health)
procedure manuals for emergency responses (see Class 4: Corporate management)
documentation of land hazards (see Class 7: Environmental management).
2013 cross-reference
LPR8 Regulatory records
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
Class 4: Corporate management
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
options for and final approved local authority branding, logos and style, including patents and copyright applications
official publicity material produced by the local authority, such as posters, banners, brochures, press statements, social media posts and external website content
portraits of elected officials and internal publications such as staff newsletters and intranet content
final edits of official radio and television recordings produced or commissioned by the local authority
registers of high-value gifts presented and/or received by the local authority
summary information (where it exists) documenting all employees’ (as well as volunteers) name, position, salary, dates of employment, gender and date of birth, including detail on serious misconduct cases and their resolution
personnel records of Mayors, councillors, Chief Executive Officers and Executive Leadership Tier 1 and 2 staff, and employees who made a significant contribution to the district or received significant honours/awards, including fees, allowances, duties, declarations of interest, delegations, warrants of authority, resignations or dismissals (see Note)
reports on internal organisation and structure such as efficiency audits, personnel reports and working conditions, including the outcome of periodic staff surveys, organisation structure charts and restructure proposals
elected member support such as remuneration policy development and reviews, swearing in and development programmes
final internal policies and procedures such as codes of conduct, guidelines for employee relations, drug and alcohol policy, unacceptable customer contact, protected disclosures and so on
audited financial statements and audit management reports
final investment and borrowing management policies approved by the local authority or delegated committee (irrespective of whether public consultation was undertaken)
records relating to major funding applications by the local authority, the raising of major loans and their use, including transactions with the Local Government Funding Agency
control documentation about recordkeeping and information systems (including obsolete systems, whether paper or electronic), such as registers, indexes, data dictionaries, data schema, retention and disposal decisions, and schedules.
Note: The following information that may be contained in personnel records is excluded:
health information (covered by the Health Information Privacy Code 1994)
security vetting
performance management or assessment
grievances
disputes and disciplinary matters.
The last four are recommended for disposal under our General Disposal Authority 6: Common corporate information and records, class 3 Human resources management.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
day-to-day financial transaction records, for example receipts, financial or cashier system reconciliation data, trial balances, monthly journals and so on
common administrative policies and procedures, for example, motor vehicle usage policy
publications from other organisations (unless the local authority made lengthy comments on the publication supplied, for example, reports sent by a regional council)
policies and procedures from other local authorities.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
final external publications (not affected by the requirements of any other classes) that are required under legal deposit to be sent to the National Library of New Zealand
emergency response communications (see Class 3: Community safety)
consideration of official branding, publicity and communications at formal Council meetings (see Class 8: Governance and democratic representation)
Provision of funding, grants and sponsorship to the local authority’s communities (see Class 10: Local authority funding and grants management).
Consultation drafts and final funding policies, financial strategies and submissions (see Class 14: Statutory and strategic planning and reporting).
2013 cross-reference
LPR5 Financial accountability
LPR9 Policy manuals, procedure manuals, instructions and guides
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
LPR11 Employee history
LPR13 Recordkeeping and information systems control records
LPR15 Publications
Class 5: Culture and recreation management
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
documentation of the acquisition, preservation, conservation and disposal of items in the heritage collections of the local authority’s cultural institutions such as archives, art galleries, libraries and museums
finalised annual events calendar
local economic development programmes, projects and initiatives that were innovative, precedent setting and/or of significant public interest
final economic development research reports
surveys of community views about cultural and recreational facilities
marae developments where the local authority is a contributor or partner to the upgrade or relocation of the marae
public artwork ownership documentation.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
documentation of non-heritage collections
day-to-day facility operations.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
official communications and publicity material produced by the local authority (see Class 4: Corporate management).
provision of local authority funding, grants and sponsorship (see Class 10: Local authority funding and grants management).
2013 cross-reference
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
Class 6: Election management
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
conduct of all local authority elections both to the council and all boards and committees established by the local authority, including the list of candidates, appointment of the returning officer, complaints and declaration of results
electoral boundary changes
representation system reviews including submissions (see Note)
triennial reviews of the local authority structure and election system
final electoral maps
final local authority electoral rolls
examples of voting papers (both ordinary and special votes).
Note: The term 'submissions' is defined here as both public submissions received by the local authority and submissions sent by the local authority to the review authority.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records to retain for long-term best business practice include:
returns of electoral expenses.
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
administration of electoral processes
other local authority or central government electoral rolls.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
Local authority decision-making and representation (see Class 8: Governance and democratic representation).
2013 cross-reference
LPR2 Electoral records
Class 7: Environmental management
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
registers and databases of parks and reserves leases, licences and occupation agreements
reserves including sites of importance to Māori such as wāhi tapu
land hazards registers
submissions and evidence presented at resource consent hearings including joint hearings and appeals to the Environment Court and other courts
conservation and sustainability projects including climate change responses, biodiversity and trade waste
visual records of environmentally sensitive land, marine and coastal areas
resource management consent application and processing, including registers, indexes and databases of consents issued, subdivision information and records of development contributions
resource management monitoring and enforcement that resulted in policy changes and/or of public interest
water races, flood control or protection schemes development, management and disestablishment
air quality, rivers, lakes and wetlands condition monitoring reports
claims for protected customary rights and marine titles under the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011, including visual media
monitoring, reporting and providing information on water supply quality, levels and use
coastal condition and environmental monitoring reports.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records to retain for long-term best business practice include:
complaints and enforcement, where abatement notices are issued and/or prosecution in the courts is actioned.
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
raw monitoring data
advice and guidance by or to the local authority regarding the provisions and application of the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
rural fire management pre-1 July 2017 (see Class 3: Community safety)
environmental issues arising from any local authority property, land and/or assets, including public utilities such as wastewater or water supply reticulation (see Class 11: Local authority property, asset and infrastructure management)
issues arising from resource consents issued by other regulatory authorities, including a regional council (see Class 11: Local authority property, asset and infrastructure management)
public and private roading (see Class 12: Local authority transport, roads and traffic operations)
district and regional coastal and land management plans (see Class 14: Statutory and strategic planning and reporting).
2013 cross-reference
LPR8 Regulatory records
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
Class 8: Governance and democratic representation
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
all agenda, minutes and papers of meetings (including visual records) of the elected local authority, both of the full council and all appointed boards and committees, including establishment, memberships and appointments
minutes and decisions of the local authority predecessors, for example, borough and county councils, water boards, rabbit boards, harbour boards, road boards, highway boards, domain boards, other governance boards and so on
working papers such as consultation drafts, legal opinions, submissions and others, on the development of bylaws and standing orders relating to the local authority or its geographic area that resulted in policy changes and/or of public interest (see Note)
review of, comments and submissions on, central government legislation where it directly affected the local authority’s operational activities and functions (see Note)
mayoral and Chief Executive correspondence that is not replicated in other classes and concerning issues of public interest
correspondence with the Chief Archivist, including responses to surveys and the outcome of any inspections conducted by Archives New Zealand
final enacted and superseded bylaws and standing orders which relate to the local authority or its geographic location
design and development of liaison and relationships with iwi, including consultation, representation, Mana Whakahono a Rohe and formal agreements with individual iwi and hapū.
strategies that identify opportunities for partnerships with iwi
representation and advocacy on behalf of multi-cultural and local diversity communities and community groups
the local authority’s policies and initiatives over the use of te reo Māori.
Note: The term 'submissions' is defined here as submissions from the public received by the local authority in relation to the class above.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records to retain for long-term best business practice include:
local Acts of Parliament which relate to the local authority or the geographical area
relationships with sister cities, friendship cities and nuclear free zones.
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
administration of meetings, such as arranging venues and catering
low-level correspondence about local authority functions (see Note)
policies, procedures or instructions from other local authorities.
The interpretation of what is 'low-level' should be determined by individual local authorities.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
development and operation of services that the local authority is specifically responsible for such as sports facilities, pest management, school holiday programmes and so on (see relevant class)
management of internal business functions common to all local authorities such as human resources (see Class 4: Corporate management)
nominees and recipients of civic awards (see Class 4: Corporate management)
local authority election process (see Class 6: Election management)
strategy and planning for the development of the region (see Class 14: Statutory and strategic planning and reporting).
2013 cross-reference
LPR1 Meeting papers
LPR4 Bylaws, standing orders and records relating to Local Acts of Parliament
LPR9 Policy manuals, procedure manuals, instructions and guides
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
LPR13 Recordkeeping and information systems control records
Class 9: Local authority commercial enterprises management
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
establishment, disestablishment or sale of council-controlled organisations (CCOs), trusts or boards and commercial enterprises including legal opinions, legal advice, trust deeds and so on
final accountability documents, statements of intent, strategies and minutes of shareholder/directors’ meetings
reviews of the management or structure of a CCO, trust or commercial enterprise
agenda, papers and minutes of meetings of CCOs, trusts or boards on which the local authority has a formal representation.
This class includes information and records referred to in Other circumstances above.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
day-to-day operation of the commercial enterprise
routine reporting to the local authority officers and committees by commercial enterprises.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
information and records created by the commercial enterprise in the performance of the outsourced functions or activities and returned to the local authority (see relevant class)
information and records created by the local authority and transferred to the commercial enterprise (see relevant class).
2013 cross-reference
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
Class 10: Local authority funding and grants management
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
annual reports on local authority funding and sponsorship, including reports required by central government and other external funding bodies
successful applications for local authority funding or sponsorship and any monitoring undertaken by the local authority
management of high-value or ongoing sponsorship relationships
management of claims made on the mayoral relief fund.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
administration of local authority funding and grants
unsuccessful applications
management of external funding schemes.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
development of sponsorship strategy and planning (see Class 14: Statutory and strategic planning and reporting).
2013 cross-reference
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
Class 11: Local authority property, asset and infrastructure management
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
final published infrastructure asset management plans
security incidents reports concerning intrusion, theft, vandalism or injury that resulted in harm to people and/or damage to property
registers of dams, earthquake-prone buildings, swimming pools and dangerous or unsanitary buildings
design, construction, reconstruction, renovation plans, photographs, maps and so on, of historic band rotundas, grandstands, skateparks statues, memorials and sculptures
construction of artificial beaches and local authority-owned boat ramps
Treaty of Waitangi claims concerning the local authority’s assets and property, including claim documents, legal opinions, Tribunal decisions, settlement process and so on
lease or other arrangements such as outsourcing with third parties to enable the local authority to provide a facility or public service
performance monitoring required as a condition of resource consents granted for a particular facility (for example, water takes and waste-water disposal), and any non-compliance and enforcement by the relevant regulatory authority
local authority accreditation as a Building Consent Authority
records of the acquisition, development (including design, construction and substantial improvement), management and disposal of local authority-owned land and buildings
contract documents, as-built plans and photographs for major works and permanent structures or for the significant improvement of specific assets
records concerning the obtaining of building and other consents and licences for local authority-owned property and assets applications, including buildings in private ownership (this information could be held on property files)
water supply and sewer infrastructure ownership, development and maintenance
registers and visual records of historic/heritage buildings, trees, sites and so on
private and/or council-owned property files, including legal description, ownership information, as-built plans, PIMs (Property Information Memoranda) and historic LIMs (Land Information Memoranda) (see Note).
Note: This information may be collected in the same records as building consent information.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
registers of fixed assets such as furniture and other office equipment
routine property and asset maintenance
refused or not granted consents.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
management of public artworks (see Class 5: Culture and recreation management)
resource consents issued by the local authority (see Class 7: Environmental management).
2013 cross-reference
LPR7 Property assets management
LPR8 Regulatory records
Class 12: Local authority transport, roads and traffic operations
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
final documentation of traffic management and road network operational planning
annual summaries of claims for roading funding
registration and monitoring of private roading and access
road use approval such as easements, kerb crossings, encroachments, service lanes and so on
road naming and numbering changes as well as rural address property system (RAPID)
permanent, formal road closures
development of road safety programmes
adopted speed limit changes
unformed legal roads (also known as 'paper roads')
bridge projects and maintenance
development and implementation of public transport networks and designated cycle routes
Māori road naming that reflects local events or people.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
correspondence about parking, street cleaning, road safety and so on
provision and management of public parking
passenger transport BAU (business as usual) operations
roading network maintenance
traffic planning working papers.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
management of the environment (see Class 7: Environmental management)
final regional transport plans (see Class 14: Statutory and strategic planning and reporting).
2013 cross-reference
LPR10 Performance of the local authority's statutory or other primary functions
LPR14 Consultation drafts and final strategic planning records
Class 13: Rating and valuations
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
rates remissions approved for 5 years or longer under the local authority’s rates remission policy and rates write-offs
rates setting calculations
rates strike/rates database extracts
equalisation of valuation certificates
rating registers prescribed by the Valuer-General under section 4 of the Rating Valuations Rules
rateable property declared abandoned and put up for sale
all transactions under the provisions of the Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Act 2021 (incorporated into the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002) and all rate remissions by the local authority for Māori land.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records to retain for long-term best business practice include:
the district valuation roll (or its equivalent) for every year the local authority was or has been in existence.
Each roll should contain appropriate details as outlined in the Rating Valuations Act 1998. This Act prescribes registers that must be sent to the Valuer-General.
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
copies of rates accounts
rates receipts
low-level correspondence about rates - unless a gap exists in the documentation of ratepayers which this could fill (see Note).
Note: The interpretation of what is 'low-level' should be determined by individual local authorities.
2013 cross-reference
LPR3 Valuation and rating records
Class 14: Statutory and strategic planning and reporting
Examples of what's covered
Examples of information and records meeting this class include:
consultation drafts including pre-draft, proposed changes and variations
selected public submissions on all plans driven by a statutory requirement (see Note)
documentation of hearings including minutes, recordings and Commissioners’ reports
final coastal plans, regional transport plans, cultural and recreation plans, land management plans, long-term community plans, long-term plans, final (including superseded) District, Regional or Unitary Plans, Reserve Management plans, annual reports and annual plans
research and background information on the development of plans, policies and strategies required under legislation or that derive from those
development of sponsorship strategy and planning
summary of service requests and other records which support formal performance reporting (including that required under section 261B of the Local Government Act 2002)
monitoring and auditing of policies, plans and strategies.
Note: As these plans generally generate a significant number of public submissions, we recommend that only a selection is retained, for example, only submissions on controversial (in other words, that generate public interest) sections of the plan.
Examples of what's not covered
Examples of additional information and records not required for long-term retention include:
routine submissions
administration of the public consultation process
comments on the plans of other local authorities, for example, objections to specific aspects of the plan.
Examples of information and records excluded from this class include:
planning, operation and performance of a particular local authority function (see relevant class)
final and superseded bylaws (see Class 8: Governance and democratic representation).
2013 cross-reference
LPR6 District, Regional and Unitary plans
LPR14 Consultation drafts and final strategic planning records
Changes
There has been little change in the content of the List since 2013 apart from a legislation reference change in 2017. By 2023, the List was well overdue for a substantial review to complement the current and evolving needs in the local government sector, and to make it more future-focussed and format neutral.
There have also been changes in our advice and guidance on appraisal and disposal, particularly relating to the removal of classes based on format and age during the updating of our General Disposal Authority 6: Common corporate information and records (GDA6) and the replacement of the appraisal criteria section of version 1 of the Appraisal Statement (16/Sm3) with the Public Sector Archival Selection Statement (19/Sm4).
Consequently, there are several significant changes in this version of the List from the 2013 version. These changes and the reasons for them are outlined below.
Clarification of purpose
It became apparent from the feedback received during consultation for the 2023 review, that we needed to clarify the intended purpose of the Chief Archivist’s powers in the Act. Consequently, the following text has now been added to the List:
“The List of protected records for local authorities (the List) specifies those classes of local authority information and records which, in the opinion of the Chief Archivist, reflect the core functions of local government and are worthy of preservation for administrative, accountability, heritage and/or research reasons.
The List supports the purposes of the Act in that it enables the New Zealand Government to be held accountable by:
ensuring that full and accurate information and records of the affairs of local government are created and maintained
providing for the preservation of, and public access to, information and records of long-term value, and
enhancing public confidence in the integrity of local authority information and records.”
Removal of classes
The 2013 List of protected records (2013 LPR) was very paper-based and time-bound, with individual classes being a mix of either very broad, common or very specific record types, with lots of duplication and inconsistencies. It was also inconsistent with our current disposal guidance as it split the context of certain information and records by the inclusion of a class for different formats as well as a class that was defined by age.
Common corporate information and records
The following classes and/or record types from the 2013 LPR relate to non-core common business functions, and have either been combined in the new ‘Corporate management’ class or integrated into the new classes of the List as appropriate:
LPR5 Financial accountability – now in class 4 ‘Corporate management’.
LPR9 Policy manuals, procedure manuals, instructions and guides – now in other classes as appropriate.
LPR11 Employee history– now in class 4 ‘Corporate management.
LPR13 Recordkeeping and information systems control records – now in class 4 ‘Corporate management’.
LPR15 Communications/public relations – now in class 4 ‘Corporate management’.
LPR16 “Visual and sound records of high informational, accountability, administrative, research or heritage value”
This 2013 class has been removed as it contradicts the format-neutral coverage of the List and is inconsistent with the 2008 revision of GDA6 from where it was originally sourced.
The following text has been included in the List:
“The classes of information and records in the List (unless specifically stated) apply to information and records regardless of the media on which they are created and stored.
This includes, for example, but is not limited to:
emails CDs/DVDs databases, including cloud-based and on-premise audio social media videos | maps, plans photographs microfilms microfiche drone/CCTV footage digital files artwork” |
LPR17 “All records of high informational, accountability administrative, research or heritage value created prior to 1946 which reflect the core functions of local government"
This 2013 class has been removed as it is inconsistent with the 2020 update of GDA6 from where it was originally sourced. The reasons for the removal of the class from GDA6 included the following:
“Disposal actions should primarily be determined by the ‘value ‘of information and records and not an arbitrary date. The assumption here is that age alone does not bestow any special intrinsic value.”
However, as concern was expressed during the 2023 consultation about the removal of a “grandparent date”, this class has been replaced with the following text:
“Over time, most local authorities have experienced some form of significant disaster/event, whether natural (for example, earthquake, flooding) or human-made (for example, building fire, burst water pipes), national, regional or more localised, which may have destroyed or significantly damaged information and records. The date of these events may be considered the individual local authority’s “Grandparent date”.
Consequently, in addition to information and records covered in the classes of the List, local authorities should identify, protect and preserve information and records which reflect the core functions of local government that were created prior to their “Grandparent date” due to their potential scarcity. Where there is no later “Grandparent date”, local authorities should use the previously accepted date of “prior to 1946”.”
Treaty of Waitangi considerations
Although it was initially suggested that the List include a separate class for Iwi/Māori Relationships, consultation feedback recommended against this. It was suggested instead that a Treaty of Waitangi lens was applied to the whole List and to include the following text:
“Section 4 of the Local Government Act 2002 requires local authorities to recognise and respect the Crown’s responsibility to take appropriate account of the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi and provide opportunities for Māori to contribute to local government decision-making processes. Section 77 also requires local authorities to consider the relationship of Māori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral land, water, sites, wāhi tapu, flora and fauna, and other taonga, in significant decisions relating to land or a body of water.
It is the responsibility of all local authorities to ensure that the following information and records are identified, protected and preserved within the protected record class in which they are created or received:
Information and records that provide evidence of the local authority’s recognition and respect for, or fulfilment of, the Treaty of Waitangi intentions and principles, or in the absence of this, evidence of failure to fulfil these.
Information and records that provide evidence of the local authority’s relationships with iwi/Māori.
Information and records which have high-value for tangata whenua (taonga tuku iho).”