Plain-language definitions for the terms you meet working under the Public Records Act 2005 and the Chief Archivist's mandatory standard 16/S1. Written for people who keep records, not just the specialists who govern them.
The rules governing who may see a record and under what conditions. Distinct from a security classification: access may be limited for privacy,…
Read moreThe Public Records Act requirement that records stay findable, retrievable, and usable for as long as they are kept, even as systems, staff, and formats…
Read moreDefined in the Public Records Act 2005 as the person ultimately accountable for how a public office or local authority meets its recordkeeping…
Read moreAnalysing an organisation's business activities to decide what information and records need to exist, how valuable they are, and how long they must be…
Read moreA place other than Archives New Zealand, approved by the Minister under s26 of the Act, authorised to hold public archives. Not the same as ordinary…
Read moreThe part of the Department of Internal Affairs that provides public-sector recordkeeping guidance, supports the Chief Archivist, and runs the public…
Read moreA check of whether an organisation is actually meeting its recordkeeping obligations and standards in practice. Evidence includes policies, training…
Read moreA record is authentic when its origin can be traced and confirmed and it is what it claims to be: created by who it says, when it says, and not…
Read moreKeeping critical information and records available through disruption: outages, disasters, staff turnover. 'Vital records' are the subset needed to keep…
Read moreThe manager accountable for a business area's processes and systems, including how records are created and managed within them. This is why recordkeeping…
Read moreThe practical "how we do it" instructions that turn the law and standards into everyday actions: what to save, where to save it, how to name it, and how…
Read moreSaving a record into a managed environment with enough metadata and control that it can be found and relied on later. More than 'having it somewhere';…
Read moreThe regulator for public-sector recordkeeping. The Chief Archivist issues the mandatory standards under the Act and must authorise the disposal of public…
Read moreGrouping records so they can be found later, usually by business function or activity rather than by person. Not the same as a security classification.
Read moreRegular checks that recordkeeping is happening correctly: spot checks, dashboards, maturity assessments, and remediation plans, not only during formal…
Read moreA duplicate kept only to make someone's own work easier. The authoritative record drives retention; a convenience copy should never become the only copy.
Read moreData outputs such as reports, extracts, and datasets can be records when they evidence decisions, entitlements, or service delivery. Preserve their…
Read moreDeleting or physically destroying a record so it no longer exists in usable form. One outcome of disposal, and one that should be controlled and…
Read moreConverting paper records into trustworthy digital records in a controlled way. Scanning alone is not enough: quality, completeness, metadata, and disposal…
Read moreA record whose status as a public record has been formally cancelled under s25 of the Act. Not the same as ; it is a specific statutory process.
Read moreUnder the Public Records Act, any final action that transfers control of a record, or sells, alters, destroys, or discharges it. Broader ; altering a…
Read moreThe documented permission (generally requiring the Chief Archivist's authority) that sets out what can be destroyed, when, and what must be transferred or…
Read moreA working version that may or may not need to be kept. Keep drafts that capture substantive advice, approvals, or material changes; routine grammar and…
Read moreAn email becomes a record when it documents a decision, approval, advice, commitment, or action. Capture important emails into the approved system; a…
Read moreA public record, public archive, or protected record disposed of outside an authorised process; in effect, gone missing or improperly destroyed. Treat a…
Read moreThe designated senior leader, required under standard 16/S1, who champions and oversees an organisation's information and records management programme.…
Read moreA set of agreed categories for where records belong, usually aligned to functions and activities. A good file plan improves findability and keeps…
Read moreThe official version you would point to if asked "what did we decide?" Make sure finals are saved where others can find them, and that it is clear which…
Read moreThe s17 requirement to keep records complete enough to show what happened and why: the context, the decision or action, and , without gaps that would…
Read moreThe leadership, roles, rules, and oversight that make recordkeeping happen consistently rather than by goodwill. Required under standard 16/S1, and…
Read moreThe material that matters most, because its failure, loss, or misuse would cause significant harm: to people, services, rights, money, or reputation.…
Read moreThe discipline of making sure the information created at work is trustworthy, findable, usable, and kept or , across both digital and physical formats.
Read moreA distinct set of information that has value and needs to be managed, for example a dataset, register, case-management system, or collection. Owners…
Read moreA structured list of an organisation's key information holdings: what they are, where they live, who owns them, and what rules apply. The register is the…
Read moreAn organisation's rules for protecting information and records from unauthorised access, loss, or , balanced against legitimate findability and re-use.
Read moreChats in Teams, Slack, and similar tools are records when they contain a decision, direction, approval, or key advice. If a decision is made in chat,…
Read moreA record has integrity when its content, structure, and format stay materially unchanged over time. Integrity is most at risk during migrations, copying…
Read moreA record in any form created or received by a (a council or related entity) in the course of its business. Local authorities carry additional obligations…
Read moreRecords that must be kept for a very long time, sometimes permanently, because of enduring accountability, rights and entitlements, or historical value.…
Read moreA reliable note of what was agreed and who will do what by when. Verbatim minutes are not always needed, but material meetings need dependable outcomes:…
Read moreInformation about a record that makes it usable: title, date, author or owner, subject, case ID, access status, and version. Poor metadata is one of the…
Read moreMoving records from one system to another without losing meaning, integrity, or findability. Migrations should be planned, tested, and ; a 'lift and…
Read moreA model developed by Te Kāhui Raraunga for how Māori data should be governed, recognising Māori data as a taonga and supporting Māori data sovereignty.…
Read moreEven when a vendor does the work, the organisation remains responsible for the records created in doing it. Contracts should specify record creation,…
Read moreThe ability to move records and their metadata between systems or providers without losing trustworthiness. A key risk in cloud and outsourced platforms;…
Read moreA category of local authority record declared under s40 of the Act to have extra legal protection; its disposal requires the Chief Archivist's approval.…
Read moreA record's 'where it came from' history: who created it, in what process, and how it has been handled since. Provenance is supported by metadata and audit…
Read moreA public record that has passed into the control of the Chief Archivist as part of the public archives, generally because of its long-term value. Access…
Read moreA record in any form, created or received by a public office in the conduct of its affairs, regardless of format. A record can be part of a larger…
Read moreInformation kept as evidence of business activity: something you keep because it proves what you did, decided, agreed, or delivered. Records can be…
Read moreThe s17 duty to create and maintain full and accurate records in line with prudent business practice, and to keep them accessible until disposal is…
Read moreThe approved platform or platforms where an organisation stores and manages its official records: an EDRMS, configured SharePoint/M365, line-of-business…
Read moreA record is reliable when it can be trusted as a complete and accurate account of the activity it documents. Reliability improves when records are…
Read moreHow long a record must be kept before disposal is allowed, set by an approved disposal authority. Keeping records too long adds risk and cost; destroying…
Read moreRetiring a system is a records event: what must be kept has to be safely migrated or exported, and the process documented. Decommissioning without record…
Read moreRecordkeeping must support Treaty-related rights and responsibilities, including appropriate access to information about Māori where it is taonga. This…
Read moreEveryone needs a baseline understanding of what counts as a record and what to do with it. Good, role-appropriate training reduces both accidental loss…
Read moreHanding a record over so the organisation no longer controls it, for example, transferring to Archives New Zealand. A form of disposal under the Act,…
Read moreRecords you can rely on because they are reliable, authentic, have integrity, and are usable, with traceable provenance. Trustworthiness is weakened by…
Read moreDeleting, altering, or transferring control of records without the right authorisation. It can create legal, operational, and reputational risk and may be…
Read moreA record is usable when someone else can locate, retrieve, present, and interpret it later, without you in the room. Add enough context, and avoid…
Read moreKnowing which version of a document is current and preserving earlier versions when they matter. Supports integrity and authenticity, and avoids…
Read moreDefinitions are plain-language summaries for general guidance, aligned to the Public Records Act 2005 and the Chief Archivist's mandatory standard Information and records management standard 16/S1 (2016). They are not legal advice; always follow your organisation's own policies and disposal authorities.