All public offices, as part of their recordkeeping regime, need to make decisions about the retention and disposal of records.

Under the provisions of the Public Records Act 2005, no one may dispose of public
records without the authorisation of the Chief Archivist. To obtain this authorisation,
public offices must appraise their records to determine their value in terms of their
ongoing preservation and management, recommending which records should be
destroyed and which are worthy of longer-term retention, usually in the form of transfer to Archives New Zealand. 

A report of the appraisal must be prepared for submission to Archives New Zealand
for review, placing on our website for public comment in accordance with the Public
Records Act requirements, and final authorisation by the Chief Archivist.