Merging Archives New Zealand and the National Library with
the Department of Internal Affairs would be "dangerous and
unsound", historians say.
The Government announced the merger yesterday as part of its
shake-up of state services, saying it would save between $3
million and $9 million and cost about $2.5m to set up in the
first year.
Jobs across both bodies would be cut by 15.
The merger has worried some archivists and historians, who
say the move could have potentially dangerous implications
for the democratic process.
It has also sparked criticism online, with a group opposed to
the merger attracting more than 600 members on the social
networking website Facebook.
New Zealand Historical Association president Catharine
Coleborne said historians were concerned the merger could
lead to political interference at Archives NZ, which is the
agency tasked with collecting government and community
records
It became an independent body in 2000 after it was spun off
from the Department of Internal Affairs, and reintegrating it
would be a backward step, Dr Coleborne said.
"We're very uncomfortable about the threat that this could
mean for the autonomy of national archives, and also of the
Chief Archivist's role within Government," she told NZPA.
"To just create a new ruling that merges these institutions
is very dangerous and unsound without the opportunity for
comment and consultation.
"What we would really like is for a period of appropriate
consultation."
The merger would make it harder for academics and members of
the public to access records, she said.
"The danger is that those activities will actually become
subject to more government scrutiny, and once that happens,
you find that access to certain kinds of records becomes more
difficult," she said.
"These kinds of materials need to be collected and kept for
the posterity of the nation, rather than being subject to
possible interventions."
The Archives and Records Association and the Library and
Information Association have also expressed concern over the
merger.
State Services Minister Tony Ryall said the state service
mergers announced yesterday would future-proof agencies
during a time of increased restraint and rising public
expectations of service delivery.
"Some agencies are going to need to work differently within
their existing baselines to meet those expectations."
A Cabinet paper released yesterday said independent bodies
were not needed to retain independence, an opinion backed by
Crown Law advice.
The risks of losing specialist staff could be reduced through
"good change management" and communication, the paper said.
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