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Records appraisal and disposal

An effective records management programme should include provision for records appraisal and disposal. Systematic records disposal is good business practice, ensuring that money and staff time is not wasted on administration and storage of records with no business or archival value.

Public records disposal can only legally take place with authorisation from the Chief Archivist. Under the Public Records Act 2005 (external link), “disposal” includes:

  1. transferring control of the public record to the Chief Archivist;
  2. destroying the public record;
  3. altering the public record;
  4. discharging the public record (which means cancelling the status of a public record under certain circumstances);
  5. transferring the public record to another public office; and
  6. selling the public record.

Disposal Process

The first step towards obtaining authorisation for public records disposal is appraisal to determine the records’ value. Public offices can either undertake appraisals themselves or contract records management consultants to undertake this work on their behalf, providing that the requirements of the Appraisal Standard are met. Appraisals can be for either a one-off authorisation or an ongoing authority to dispose of records.

Completed appraisal reports are submitted to Archives New Zealand. Our staff will then review them for clarity and to ensure that disposal recommendations are appropriate.

Once the review process is complete, the report will be placed on our website for public comment, in accordance with the Public Records Act 2005 (external link). The Chief Archivist must post these ‘intentions to dispose’ for a minimum of 30 days. Once this period is up, all comments will be assessed and this analysis, with a summary of the comments made, will accompany the appraisal report to the Chief Archivist. At this point a final disposal decision will be made.

We will keep public offices informed as their appraisal reports move through this process to authorisation. Please note that this whole process can be expected to take a maximum of 12-14 weeks from initial submission in most cases.

For many offices, our General Disposal Authorities can be used for the disposal of particular classes of records without having to go through this process.

For more information, see the Disposal Process Factsheet or contact appraisal@archives.govt.nz.

NB. Archives New Zealand has specific requirements for the transfer of archives. In the Wellington office there is a planned transfer programme, where agencies book their transfers in advance. To discuss the timing of your transfer, and to ensure that all the transfer requirements can be met, you should contact us as soon as possible when considering transferring your records. Contact transfer@archives.govt.nz.

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General Disposal Authorities (GDAs)

General Disposal Authorities (GDAs) provide a continuing authority for the disposal of records which are common across public offices. They specify retention periods for series or classes of records and note those which may be destroyed and those which must be retained as public archives.

We have developed General Disposal Authorities (GDAs), and an implementation guide, to manage ongoing records disposal across the New Zealand Public Sector. These Authorities cover:

We have also developed an Index to these authorities. It incorporates all record classes and many examples of records from the four published GDA’s and is cross-referenced so that users can identify the appropriate GDA and record class for the items they wish to dispose of.

Public offices may use a GDA without requiring any further authorisation from the Chief Archivist. Please note that a GDA does not cover records that relate to a public office’s primary duties and responsibilities. Before applying a GDA, public offices will need to ascertain which of their records reflecting primary duties or responsibilities fall outside its scope.

If your office already has a current and authorised disposal authority relating to the same classes of records as covered by any GDA, then you should use your existing authority rather than the record classes contained in the GDA. If your office wants to use a GDA in preference to an existing disposal authority, then advice on applying for the Chief Archivist’s approval to amend or revoke the existing authority can be requested from appraisal@archives.govt.nz.

If your office is not covered by a current and authorised disposal authority, then the GDAs are your disposal authority for the record classes they cover.

For further information, please contact the Appraisal Section at appraisal@archives.govt.nz.

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Last updated 22 April 2008