Digital action plan launched today
An action plan to stop important digital public records being lost was today launched by the Minister Responsible for Archives New Zealand Nathan Guy.
“Two-thirds of New Zealand public sector agencies can no longer access some of their records because of problems such as material being kept on obsolete storage media or on unreadable software or hardware,” said Mr Guy.
"The Digital Continuity Action Plan comprises six goals and 15 action areas to help public sector agencies overcome the complex issues surrounding security and the future usability of digital information critical to government business."
Archives New Zealand will lead implementation of the plan and provide support, advice and leadership to other public agencies on digital continuity issues.
The plan applies to government departments, local authorities, crown research institutes, crown entities, state enterprises, district health boards, tertiary education institutions and state and integrated schools.
There will be a staged implementation of the plan with visits to key agencies starting next week.
Mr Guy said the Digital Continuity Action Plan was the first government-mandated public sector approach to digital continuity anywhere in the world. While other countries had separate initiatives – none had developed a unified public sector approach.
“We live in a digital age. We must think digitally and manage digitally. This plan will ensure public sector digital information is accessible, usable, and reusable by those who need it for as long as it is needed,” Mr Guy said.
For more information, visit http://continuum.archives.govt.nz/digital-continuity-action-plan.html