What are General Disposal Authorities?
Archives New Zealand issues General Disposal Authorities (GDAs) to help public offices decide what to do with common public records. GDAs provide continual authorisation for the disposal of non-core business records which are common across public offices i.e. records that relate to administration, corporate services, human resources, finance, and common transitory, low-value records.
They specify retention periods and note those which may be destroyed and those which must be retained as public archives.
GDAs do not cover records that relate to a public offices primary core business functions, duties and responsibilities. If a public office has an agency or multiple agency disposal authority relating to the same records covered by GDAs, then the existing agency / sector disposal authority supersedes the GDAs.
Who can use GDAs?
All public offices can and should use the GDAs and can do so without requiring any further authorisation from the Chief Archivist. Local Authorities can also use the GDAs for best recordkeeping practice.
Why should we use the GDA’s?
• Cost saving. GDAs can help public offices free up physical and digital space as the records that have reached their minimum retention period will be disposed. This means that public offices will not have to spend money on unnecessary records storage;
• Maximise information discovery. Regular records disposal means public offices will be able to find records easily. Business critical information can be more easily accessible for the conduct of business, dispute resolution, legal changes and evidential purposes.
• Time saving improved ability to locate and retrieve records of continuing value amongst many and less need to recreate information
• Legislative Compliance. It allows public offices to dispose of records in accordance with the Public Records Act 2005
GDA6: Common Corporate Service Public Records
General Disposal Authority 6 (GDA6) has been developed for the use of public offices wishing to dispose of common corporate public records legally. Public offices may use GDA6 without requiring any further authorisation from the Chief Archivist.
What does GDA6 cover?
GDA6 covers generic classes of records created through business functions which are common to most public offices.
What doesn’t it cover?
GDA6 does not cover records that relate to a public office’s primary core business functions, duties and responsibilities.
This GDA also does not on the whole cover any facilitative, transitory, short-term and immediate-term records. Please see GDA7 for the disposal authority of these records.
Information about how to apply disposal authorities is outlined in the Guide to Implementing a Disposal Authority , which should be consulted before this GDA is implemented.
GDA 6 can be viewed and downloaded in PDF format:
GDA6: Common Corporate Service Public Records (PDF)
GDA 6 can be viewed and downloaded in Excel format:
GDA6: Common Corporate Service Public Records (xls)
GDA7: Facilitative, Transitory and Short Term Value Records
General Disposal Authority 7 (GDA7) has been developed for the use of public offices wishing to dispose of facilitative, transitory, and short term value records legally. Public offices may use GDA7 without requiring any further authorisation from the Chief Archivist.
What does GDA7 cover?
GDA7 covers generic classes of records of any format that have only short-term transitory value in their immediate and minor facilitation of preparing a more complete public record. Therefore they are not required for evidential or legal purposes. These records are created through routine administrative and business processes common to most public offices in the course of performing a public office’s primary core business functions, duties and responsibilities.
What doesn’t it cover?
It does not cover records that relate to a public office’s primary core business functions, duties and responsibilities or common corporate services public records.
Please see GDA6 for the further information.
It is intended that records management staff use this GDA to develop guidance for general staff to perform the disposal actions in accordance with their recordkeeping requirements under sections 17 and 18 of the Public Records Act 2005 . Where there are concerns with implementing this GDA, staff should contact their records management team, who can contact Archives New Zealand at: rkadvice@dia.govt.nz if further assistance is required.
The GDA7 guidelines and schedule can be viewed online here:
Guidelines
GDA7: Facilitative, Transitory and Short Term Value Records Guidelines (pdf)
GDA7: Facilitative, Transitory and Short Term Value Records Guidelines (Word)GDA7: Facilitative, Transitory and Short Term Value Records Guidelines (Word)
Schedule
GDA7: Facilitative, Transitory and Short Term Value Records Schedule (pdf)
GDA 7 can be viewed and downloaded in Excel format:
GDA7: Facilitative, Transitory and Short Term Value Records (xls)