Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision (Operating name for The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound Ngā Taonga Whitiāhua Me Ngā Taonga Kōrero.) is an archive that was launched on 31 July 2014, following the completion of a three-year process whereby the New Zealand Film Archive "absorbed" the collections and operations of the RNZ Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero in 2012 and the Television New Zealand Archive in 2014.
Purpose
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision identifies itself as New Zealand's audiovisual archive, with a purpose of collecting, sharing and caring for New Zealand's audiovisual taonga.
Structure
Charitable trust
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision is an independent charitable trust (CC22250). It identifies itself as a Tier 2 public benefit entity (PBE). It was originally called The New Zealand Film Archive, incorporated under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957 on 9 March 1981. The name was changed to The New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound Ngā Taonga Whitiāhua Me Ngā Taonga Kōrero, effective 1 July 2014. Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision's new name was officially launched by the Minister for Broadcasting Craig Foss on 31 July 2014.
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision retained the Constitution and Kaupapa of the New Zealand Film Archive when it was founded in 2014.
Bicultural organisation
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision adopted its bicultural framework from the New Zealand Film Archive when the new archive was established in mid-2014.
The archive identifies itself as a bicultural organisation that upholds the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi in its policies and practices. The Treaty is part of the Archive's Kaupapa, which in turn is part of the archive's Constitution. At all times there are three people on the Board of Trustees that represent Māori interests "through their own heritage and/or their connections with iwi and iwi interests."
However Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision's Strategic Plan 2016-2024 published in mid-2016, noted that the term bi-culturalism allowed archive staff to opt-out of kaupapa-centred activities. Even the term kaupapa-centred was largely undefined. Staff had limited knowledge of mana whenua histories and significant places. Both non-Māori and Māori staff felt culturally unsafe at the archive, with organisational policies and procedures not reflecting a kaupapa-centred approach.
In May 2016 the Board of Trustees retired the Board's Bicultural Committee and resolved that the Chief Executive would report to the Board on matters relating to the kaupapa of the organisation.
Taha Māori
The Taha Māori working group within Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision was developed during the 2012-2014 transformation process. Specialist Māori language and programme staff were seconded to a working group to develop Taha Māori programming and activities within the archive.
The major operational restructure of the Archive in 2014 saw the establishment of the Taha Māori department to "address the needs of Māori collections and users". The department saw rapid growth, with expenditure rising from $54,257 in 2013/14 to $413,692 in 2014/15. However, in July 2016 an operational restructure saw the disestablishment of the Taha Māori department, with its staff split and absorbed into other departments.
External engagement with iwi and Māori
At the time of publication in mid-2016, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision's Strategic Plan 2016-2014 noted that there was no work programme to address relationships with iwi and Māori. The archive had eight expired Memoranda of Understanding with various iwi, and little connection with urban Māori. The archive didn't engage with Māori audiences and used English as its primary language for on and off-line services, with only elements of Te Reo.
Patron
After becoming Governor-General of New Zealand in September 2016, Dame Patsy Reddy took on the role of Patron of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. In the late 1980s Dame Patsy was the Chair of the New Zealand Film Archive's Board of Trustees. Later she became the Chair of the New Zealand Film Commission.