They are calling for the Dunedin City Council to fill the position, which has been vacant since 2023.
In a submission to the council’s 2026-27 draft annual plan, the Otago and Southland branch of the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand said access to the Toitū archives had been severely restricted.
‘‘Existing staff provide limited services, but without a dedicated position it is not possible for researchers to effectively utilise the archive, meaning that its value is not being realised,’’ branch chairman Tom Riley said.
The association wanted regular public access restored.
Mr Riley said Toitū had the most concentrated collection of primary source material related to the experiences of European settlers in Dunedin and Otago during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
This included diaries, photographs, personal papers of notable citizens and records of law firms, businesses and clubs.
The settlers museum also had a nationally significant collection of oral history recordings.
Content had little presence online, ‘‘so not only is it difficult to access material, it is also unreasonably difficult for researchers to find out what the holdings include’’, Mr Riley said.
‘‘Without a professional archivist, it is not possible to remedy this situation, either by working towards a greater online availability, or answering direct inquiries.’’
Toitū desperately needed a much more extensive online presence for its archives, he said.
The association had previously made submissions about storage arrangements for the Dunedin City Council archives.
It congratulated the council on work done to improve access to those archives and their storage conditions.
The council had also recently filled a vacant registrar position at Toitū, ‘‘demonstrating a commitment to the efficient operation of that institution’’, Mr Riley said.
