Archives New Zealand has developed a metadata standard to assist government agencies in New Zealand with the management of their records in electronic systems.
Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard Released
What is the Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard?
Why have we developed the standard?
About the development process
Technical Specifications
Supporting guidance
Project documents and links
Where to find out more
Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard (
270kb)
Technical Specifications for the Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard ( 773kb)
Archives New Zealand is pleased to announce the release of the final version of the Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard and the accompanying Technical Specifications. This standard is mandatory under the PRA. The Technical Specifications is not mandatory under the PRA.
We have a commitment to making any mandatory standard that will form the basis of the audit of public offices in 2010 available for at least two years before the commencement of the recordkeeping audit process.
Please note that these documents are the final versions, but they still have to go through the proof-reading and publication process. We apologise in advance if any typographical or formatting errors have slipped through. However the content and requirements are final and will not change.
The standard and Technical Specifications will be officially launched in August \ September when hard copies will be distributed to Chief Executives of local authorities and public offices
The Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard sets out a framework for creating, managing and using recordkeeping metadata. The standard outlines the minimum metadata elements required to manage electronic records within the New Zealand government context.
The standard is informed by and consistent with existing metadata standards including ISO 23081.1 Metadata for Records and the New Zealand Government Locator Service Standard (NZGLS). The standard will be put forward for the e-Government Interoperability Framework (e-GIF).
The ultimate purpose of the standard is to ensure that public and local authority records are managed in accordance with the Public Records Act 2005 (PRA). Metadata guarantee that records are authentic, reliable and usable over time.
These are the stages in the development of the standard.
| Stage | Details |
|---|---|
| Project planning | This stage has been completed. |
| Form advisory group (May 2007) |
We formed an advisory group that represents key stakeholders. Members of this group were:
|
| Initial consultation workshops (8 June 2007) | We held three public workshops in Wellington to seek input from government on what was wanted from a recordkeeping metadata standard. The feedback from the workshops was used to inform the content of the standard. For a summary of feedback, please view the Summary of Metadata Standard Public Consultation Workshops available under Project Documents and Links below. |
| Develop draft standard (July — October 2007) | The draft standard was written by Barbara Reed and Kate Jones on behalf of Archives New Zealand. |
| Consult on Exposure Draft of Standard (November — December 2007) | On 12 November 2007, Archives New Zealand issued exposure drafts of the Recordkeeping Metadata Standard and the accompanying Technical Specifications. The exposure period ran until 25 January. During this period we received 80 written submissions and held workshops for approximately 170 people. A Summary Report of Feedback is available under Project Documents and Links below. |
| Review and approval by advisory group (February - May 2008) | The advisory group considered the feedback received and recommended changes to the standard, which are outlined in the Summary Report of Feedback. The advisory group approved the final version of the standard which went to the Chief Archivist. |
| Approval by Chief Archivist (June 2008) |
The Chief Archivist approved the standard on 25 June 2008. The standard will now undergo design and publication. A prepublication version of the standard is available under Project Documents and Links below. The final published standard will be available in August/September. |
| Publish, promote, implement (Mid 2008) | The Government Recordkeeping Programme at Archives New Zealand will:
|
Technical Specifications for the Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard ( 773kb)
The Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard is accompanied by Technical Specifications. These specifications outline a recordkeeping metadata schema and encoding schemes for use in the New Zealand environment.
The Technical Specifications is not mandatory under the PRA.
The Technical Specifications represent a light modification of the Australian Government Recordkeeping Metadata Standard, V2.0, developed by the National Archives of Australia. Archives New Zealand has been working collaboratively with the National Archives of Australia to pursue an Australasian approach to recordkeeping metadata.
Archives New Zealand is developing a Guide to Implementing Recordkeeping Metadata in Electronic Document/Records Management Systems (EDRMS). We initially planned to issue this guide simultaneously with the finalised Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard but due to delays the guide will now be issued in late 2008.
The guide will contain advice on:
The Guide to Implementing Recordkeeping Metadata in EDRMS will not be issued for public consultation. Should you wish to participate in a selective quality assurance/ external review process, please contact the project manager, Kate Jones.
Project Mandate
Terms of Reference for Advisory Group
Summary of Metadata Standard Public Consultation Workshops — 08/06/07 (87 kb, rtf)
Recordkeeping Metadata Standard Exposure Draft PDF ( 396kb)
Recordkeeping Metadata Standard Technical Specifications Exposure Draft PDF ( 789 kb)
Exposure Period Feedback Summary Report ( 96kb)
Final Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard ( 
270kb)
Final Technical Specifications for Electronic Recordkeeping Metadata Standard( 773kb)
For more information, please contact the project manager.
Kate Jones
Government Recordkeeping Programme
Archives New Zealand
PO Box 12-050, Wellington
Telephone: 04 894 6002
Fax: 04 495 6210
Email: kate.jones@archives.govt.nz