Appraisal for Local Authorities
Local governmentGovernment (also known as local authoritiesLocal Authorities under the Public Records Act 2005)Act) needs to carry out appraisal in order to retain records for as long as they are required and dispose of them appropriately.
What is appraisal?
Appraisal is the process of identifying the records that should be retained permanently as archives and those records that should be destroyed once an organisation's business and accountability requirements have been met.
Appraisal of local authority records may result in records being:
• Retained permanently as an archive by the local authorityauthority.
• Retained by the local authority as long as they are required for administrative or legal purposes, and then destroyed.
Appraisal also assists in determining the access status of local authority archives.
Guidance for those responsible for records can be found in the List of Protected Records and the Association of Local Government Management (ALGIM)ALGIM toolkit when making appraisal decisions.
List of Protected Records
The List of Protected Records identifies categories of records that the Chief Archivist has declared under section 40 (1) of the Public Records Act, to be ‘worthy of protection’. They may only be destroyed with authorisation from the Chief Archivist.
Who must use it?
Local governmentGovernment must use the list of Protected Records including Council owned organisations and any contractors working on behalf of Local Government.
Where to find it?
The List of Protected Records can be downloaded in Microsoft Word format via the following link:
List of Protected Records for Local Authorities
The list can also be downloaded in PDF format:
List of Protected Records for Local Authorities
The explanatory notes for the List can be downloaded here in Word format:
Explanatory notes for the List of Protected Records for Local Authorities
The notes can also be downloaded in PDF format:
Explanatory notes for the List of Protected Records for Local Authorities
ALGIM IM Toolkit model retention and disposal schedule ALGIM IM Toolkit model retention and disposal schedule
ALGIMThe Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM) has a model retention and disposal schedule module in their toolkitToolkit which assists local authority information management staff in applying retention and disposal decisions to their non-current (or inactive) records.
If local authority archives have appraised specific Protected Records and wish to change the disposal actions, they need to submit an appraisal report to the Chief Archivist including the class/classes of records appraised and accompanying value statement/statements justifying the change to the disposal actions.
For advice about the List of Protected records please contact rkadvice@dia.govt.nz
For advice about the ALGIM model retention and disposal schedule please contact ALGIM info@algim.org.nz