The National Archives will leverage Axiell Collections for their national heritage and irreplaceable taonga
Melbourne, Australia, 20 November 2019 – Axiell, the leading supplier of software to the cultural sector, today announces that it has been selected as a partner by Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga to manage their unique archive collections. Archives NZ will replace their current collection search tool, ‘Archway’, with Axiell Collections so that Archives staff can work more efficiently, and New Zealanders can have better access to the nation’s taonga and public archives. The Axiell solution will provide Archives NZ with a sustainable way of working and reaching the goal to provide all New Zealanders with easy access to their documentary heritage, while connecting citizens to their rights, entitlements and stories – now and for the future.
Richard Foy, Chief Archivist for Archives NZ welcomes the new partnership with Axiell, saying, “Plans for a new Archives building to improve the protection of and access to some of New Zealand’s most significant and valuable documents is underway through the government programme Preserving the Nation’s Memory.
“Axiell’s software will not only give New Zealanders better access to our nation’s history but will also enable staff to easily relocate records between physical locations in real time, making the transition between the old and new buildings far more efficient.
The New Zealand government is investing to protect their national heritage and, in August 2019, plans for a new Archives facility to improve the protection of and access to some of New Zealand’s most significant and valuable documents were announced by Internal Affairs Minister, Tracey Martin. The collections management system and the new portal are also part of this initiative and the solutions will manage the unique national heritage such as the Treaty of Waitangi and the Women’s Suffrage Petition.
Axiell Collections provides the user-friendly solution needed to help Archives staff to manage their physical and digital collections. This will ensure consistency across records and collections, while also making workflows more efficient.
The new portal, based on Axiell Arena, will make the archival collection available online to writers, academics, legal researchers, professional historians, journalists, genealogists, and film and documentary makers. In addition, Axiell will establish a hosting center in the region, which meets the high security standards the institution and the New Zealand government has.
Joel Sommerfeldt, President & CEO of Axiell Group, comments:
“We’re extremely proud to be selected as a partner to Archives New Zealand. Our mission is to make a sustainable difference by helping to create communities that are conscious, informed and culturally rich. An initiative like this will create that difference.”
Taonga /tɑːˈɒŋə/
1. noun (in Maori culture) an object or natural resource which is highly prized.
Image reference: Hongi between Chief Archivist Richard Foy and Vickie Wood from Axiell. Photographed by Dianna Thompson
For more information:
Celestina Sumby,DIA Senior Communications Advisor,
Phone: + 64 21 2479 704
Maria Wasing, CMO Axiell Group
Phone: +46 73 852 17 52
Email: maria.wasing@axiell.com
Archives NZ and Preserving the Nation’s Memory
Archives NZ is one of Aotearoa’s documentary heritage organisations. Ensuring New Zealand’s record of government is collected, preserved and made accessible is part of Archives NZ 2057 Strategy and Preserving the Nation’s Memory programme is a vehicle for achieving this.
Archives NZ and the National Library hold statutory responsibility to collect, preserve, protect and make accessible this documentary heritage. They are the stewards of our nation’s irreplaceable taonga, valued at $1.7 billion and growing.
The programme Preserving the Nation’s Memory was established to seek a solution for the appropriate care and management of New Zealand’s taonga and documentary heritage material which include; government records, publications, books, manuscripts, artwork, scientific data, images, films, recordings and more.
Preserving the Nation’s Memory is a multi-year programme working towards the upgrade and expansion of the physical infrastructure, storage capacity and system support for digital memory of Archives NZ and the National Library of New Zealand with the possible inclusion of Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision.
