The End of the Te Maeatanga Digitisation Programme

Ka 956 at the Paekakariki Engine Sheds. This image is one of almost two million digitised by Archives New Zealand in the last seven years. Image provided by Archives New Zealand. https://www.archives.govt.nz/

On the 30th of June this year Archives New Zealand will close their Te Maeatanga digitisation programme.

The Te Maeatanga digitisation programme began in 2017 and over the last seven years has digitised almost two million images that were then made available to the public on the Archives New Zealand website.

The digitisation programme worked across all four of the archives offices - Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

The records that were digitised were a mix of records that were requested by researchers who paid for them to be digitised, that were at risk of deterioration, were difficult to access, were needed in support of revitalising te reo, or for young New Zealanders to learn the histories of Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Funding for the programme was time limited to the 30th of June 2024. Like many other government departments at the moment, money is limited and no further funding is currently available for the programme to continue.

From the end of this month, if you want to see any archival material you will need to visit one of the four Archives New Zealand Offices. The digitised images will remain available online.

Station Shelter Plan from the Public Works Department Nelson in 1943. Image provided by Archives New Zealand. https://www.archives.govt.nz/

I've visited the Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin offices and all the staff have been amazing and incredibly helpful. Nothing can beat seeing the documents, files, plans and maps in person but living in the lower South Island makes it very difficult and expensive to get to Auckland and Wellington to find files that I'm interested in (If anyone has a plan of the Onehunga yard and goods shed in the 1970's and 1980's can you please send it to me).

Taihape Stock Yards May 1979. Photo by G. Simpson. Image provided by Archives New Zealand. https://www.archives.govt.nz/

Since we live in a digital age where we can access almost any piece of information we need on our tablet, laptop or phone, digitisation was a logical step for archives and has greatly helped people from Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world access our history. It has also helped make it easier for budding young historians and researchers interested in our history to learn more about our country, its history, and its cultures.

Be a Healthy Kiwi Poster. These posters were produced by the Railways Publicity Branch and were common in New Zealand schools in the 1950's through to the 1970's. Image provided by Archives New Zealand. https://www.archives.govt.nz/ 

We have so many really good programmes and projects that deserve funding in our country and this was one of them. While I acknowledge that the Te Maeatanga digitisation programme isn't necessarily at the top of that list, it is still incredibly important so we can understand where we've come from and what makes this country what it is today. 

Thank you to Archives New Zealand for their excellent mahi in being the custodians of so much of our history and doing their bit in making it available to all of us. Hopefully they get the funding they need to keep this important work going in the future.

And that's about it.