Latest news with #PublicRecordsAct2005
Techday NZ
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Techday NZ
NZ government agencies urged to adopt AI to fix records gap
A report from New Zealand's Chief Archivist has found significant non-compliance among government agencies with the Public Records Act 2005. The 2023/24 Annual Report, issued by Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga (Archives New Zealand), indicates that a substantial majority of government agencies are struggling to meet statutory requirements for recordkeeping. According to the report, two-thirds of surveyed agencies are categorised at early stages of maturity with only seven agencies achieving compliance levels of 50 percent or above. The report draws attention to enduring challenges such as reliance on manual processes, inadequate visibility of information, and insufficient integration between digital systems. These issues are exacerbated by a decrease in information governance capability, with the number of records team personnel falling by more than 15 percent over the last two years. Rachael Greaves, Chief Executive Officer at Castlepoint Systems, commented that the report data highlights systemic problems that have yet to be addressed. "Agencies are expected to meet increasing regulatory and ethical obligations, but are often left without the tools or resources to do so effectively. Automation is now essential to reduce risk, protect citizens, and uphold trust." The consequences of inadequate recordkeeping have been most pronounced for vulnerable groups, particularly those in State and faith-based care. The Annual Report states that these failings are a core concern in the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, cautioning that recordkeeping gaps can impede efforts for redress and exacerbate harm for affected individuals. In response to these challenges, some New Zealand government agencies have turned to automated tools with the aim of boosting information transparency and meeting compliance obligations without increasing workloads. Central and regional agencies are reportedly implementing AI-based solutions to classify and manage records across disparate systems, which is contributing to more efficient and accountable public service operations. These emerging tools, including Castlepoint's AI platform, are in accordance with Archives New Zealand's published AI guidance and aid compliance with regulatory requirements such as the Temporary Care Records Protection Instruction. They are also being deployed to identify and administer sensitive records, including those concerning iwi, hapū, marae, and historic abuse in care. Castlepoint's technology, which carries Tier 2 information security endorsement from the New Zealand Government and ISO 27001 certification, is being used to integrate compliance processes into agencies' everyday operations, reducing the reliance on resource-heavy, standalone efforts. Greaves emphasised that the need for responsible information management goes beyond public agencies. "Any organisation that handles sensitive or regulated information needs to think seriously about how they manage and preserve records. The longer the gaps persist, the greater the risk of harm." The report signals a growing call within New Zealand's public sector for responsible adoption of automation and AI to address compliance weaknesses and safeguard public trust.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Public Sector Information Management Survey Released
Press Release – Archives New Zealand This survey shows there is more work to be done when it comes to building information management requirements into new business information systems, having sufficient staff resources in this specialist area, and improving communication across business … Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga has released the results of its fourth annual survey (2023/2024), which monitors how the public sector manages its information and mitigates related risks. Archives New Zealand is the regulator under the Public Records Act 2005, making sure that public sector information is well-managed, to ensure effective, trusted government information for the benefit of all New Zealanders. 'We all have a responsibility to manage and protect our information properly. This report describes the challenges the public faces, by looking at performance over time. This helps us identify the emerging trends, challenges, risks, and opportunities so we can manage and protect our information, knowledge and records more effectively,' says Poumanaaki Chief Archivist Anahera Morehu. The report used five key indicators to determine whether public sector information management (IM) is improving, deteriorating or remaining stable. They are: Implementing governance groups for information management Overall number of IM staff employed by public sector organisations Identifying high-value and/or high-risk information Building IM requirements into new business systems Active, authorised destruction of information. Indicator 1: This year's survey exceeded the results of 2022's survey with 85% of survey respondents reporting their Executive Sponsors are part of a governance group that is either dedicated to IM or has IM as part of its mandate. Indicator 2: Since 2020, the overall number of IM staff in the public sector had been slowly increasing, but this year, those surveyed reported employing fewer IM staff. Indicator 3: 59% of surveyed organisations are in progress or have partially identified high value/high risk information. Indicator 4: Only 21% reported all their systems meet minimum requirements. Indicator 5: The percentage of organisations that have reported carrying out authorised destruction of physical information has gone up since the last survey (51% in 2022 to 68% in 2024). This survey shows there is more work to be done when it comes to building information management requirements into new business information systems, having sufficient staff resources in this specialist area, and improving communication across business groups. 'The findings confirm the key indicators published recently in the Annual Report on the State of Government Recordkeeping. Both reports indicate that there is room for improvement.' 'Archives will be engaging further with public sector organisations to build awareness and communicate our expectations, especially with regards to managing high risk information, that, if mismanaged, can have real world impacts on the lives of New Zealanders.' says Anahera Morehu. The survey was sent to 224 public sector organisations between 8 and 29 July last year, including 147 public offices that were required to respond. Overall, there was a 78 percent response rate. 35 public offices did not respond to the survey, and they have been named in the appendices to the report. Archives will be engaging further with public sector organisations on the recent publications, to build awareness and communicate expectations. The findings report can be viewed here:
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Public Sector Information Management Survey Released
Archives New Zealand, Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga has released the results of its fourth annual survey (2023/2024), which monitors how the public sector manages its information and mitigates related risks. Archives New Zealand is the regulator under the Public Records Act 2005, making sure that public sector information is well-managed, to ensure effective, trusted government information for the benefit of all New Zealanders. 'We all have a responsibility to manage and protect our information properly. This report describes the challenges the public faces, by looking at performance over time. This helps us identify the emerging trends, challenges, risks, and opportunities so we can manage and protect our information, knowledge and records more effectively,' says Poumanaaki Chief Archivist Anahera Morehu. The report used five key indicators to determine whether public sector information management (IM) is improving, deteriorating or remaining stable. They are: Implementing governance groups for information management Overall number of IM staff employed by public sector organisations Identifying high-value and/or high-risk information Building IM requirements into new business systems Active, authorised destruction of information. Indicator 1: This year's survey exceeded the results of 2022's survey with 85% of survey respondents reporting their Executive Sponsors are part of a governance group that is either dedicated to IM or has IM as part of its mandate. Indicator 2: Since 2020, the overall number of IM staff in the public sector had been slowly increasing, but this year, those surveyed reported employing fewer IM staff. Indicator 3: 59% of surveyed organisations are in progress or have partially identified high value/high risk information. Indicator 4: Only 21% reported all their systems meet minimum requirements. Indicator 5: The percentage of organisations that have reported carrying out authorised destruction of physical information has gone up since the last survey (51% in 2022 to 68% in 2024). This survey shows there is more work to be done when it comes to building information management requirements into new business information systems, having sufficient staff resources in this specialist area, and improving communication across business groups. 'The findings confirm the key indicators published recently in the Annual Report on the State of Government Recordkeeping. Both reports indicate that there is room for improvement.' 'Archives will be engaging further with public sector organisations to build awareness and communicate our expectations, especially with regards to managing high risk information, that, if mismanaged, can have real world impacts on the lives of New Zealanders.' says Anahera Morehu. The survey was sent to 224 public sector organisations between 8 and 29 July last year, including 147 public offices that were required to respond. Overall, there was a 78 percent response rate. 35 public offices did not respond to the survey, and they have been named in the appendices to the report. Archives will be engaging further with public sector organisations on the recent publications, to build awareness and communicate expectations.
NZ Herald
05-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
‘Absolutely no justification': Senior Minister Erica Stanford sent official briefings to personal email account
'Advisable' changes had been made 'to make sure she is managing it better going forward,' he said. 'I am very relaxed about it. The reality is ... she has received unsolicited emails, she has had printing issues, she's had tech issues. She has made changes subsequently. ' But Labour leader Chris Hipkins – the author of that particular part of the 2023 Cabinet Manual that covers personal email and phone use – said technology at Parliament had improved dramatically in recent years and there was 'absolutely no justification' for Stanford's actions. 'As Prime Minister, I changed the Cabinet Manual guidance around the use of personal email accounts to make it clear that ministers shouldn't be doing that. 'The technology in Parliament has improved dramatically in the last few years. There is no longer a need to use personal email accounts, for example, to print documents. The technology is now all fully mobile.' In 2023, a new section was added to the Cabinet Manual to clarify whether ministers can use their personal email and phone numbers. In Labour's first term, former minister Clare Curran admitted to conducting some ministerial business using a Gmail account. It currently sets out rules for using a personal email account while a minister. The new section reads: 'Ministers should not use their personal email account or phone number to conduct ministerial business. 'Where the use of a personal account or phone number for ministerial business is unavoidable (for example, when ministers are travelling and/or have issues accessing their ministerial account) it is important that: (a) information is protected from unauthorised access, use, and disclosure and that classified and personal information is handled appropriately; (b) the minister's office and officials have ready access to relevant information; (c) timely responses can be made to requests for access to that information, for example, under the Official Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 2020; and (d) accurate records can be preserved of ministerial decision-making in line with the Public Records Act 2005 (see also paragraph 8.104).'
Scoop
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Information Management Trends Highlighted In Chief Archivist's Annual Report
The 2023/24 Annual Report on the State of Government Recordkeeping, from the Poumanaaki Chief Archivist, Anahera Morehu, was presented to Parliament on the 14 April 2024 by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Hon. Brooke van Velden. The State of Government Recordkeeping 2023/24 details the work and initiatives that help enable effective government recordkeeping, including the maturity of information management practices. 'Our audit programme, now into the fifth year of operation, provides us with useful data about what is happening in the sector and what we need to do as a regulator to support improvement,' says Poumanaaki Chief Archivist Anahera Morehu. Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga Archives New Zealand (Te Rua Mahara) assesses organisations' IM maturity on a five-level scale: Beginning, Progressing, Managing, Maturing and Optimising. 'It is my expectation that all organisations perform at the 'Managing' level, which is the expected baseline', Ms. Morehu says. 'What I see in 2023/24 is that organisations mostly rate at 'Beginning' or 'Progressing' in their maturity, so more work is required with them to lift their information management levels to expected standards. 'The good news is that, already, we are seeing good commitment to post-audit action plans following our recommendations to organisations for improvement.' During the year, Te Rua Mahara also continued work on the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and Faith-based Institutions. 'To ensure that existing records are protected for further response and redress work, I issued a Temporary Care records Protection Instruction under section 20 of the Public Records Act 2005 (the Act). The instruction protects care records while allowing most agencies to carry out their wider disposal responsibilities.' The Act provides Te Rua Mahara and the Poumanaaki Chief Archivist with regulatory tools including the audit of central government bodies, the power to direct a public office to report to the Chief Archivist, the ability to inspect records and to set standards and issue guidance on how records must be managed.
