Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader

Member of Parliament for Northland
5 DECEMBER 2016

Shifting NZ Sound Archives is Centralisation Gone Mad

A plan to relocate the iconic national sound archives from Christchurch to Wellington is a direct result of the government’s obsession with centralisation, says New Zealand First Leader and Northland Member of Parliament Rt Hon Winston Peters.

“New Zealand First has been advised Nga Taonga Sound & Vision will shift all of its sound archives – the former Radio NZ Sound Archives – from Christchurch to the TVNZ Archives site at Avalon in the Hutt Valley.

“Seven jobs in Christchurch will be lost. Three jobs will also go in Auckland.

“Staff feel betrayed after receiving assurances at the time of the Christchurch earthquakes from then Minister of Arts Culture and Heritage Chris Finlayson and Radio NZ Chief Executive Peter Cavanagh that the archives would stay in Christchurch.

“The wisdom of shifting archives to an area which is considered an earthquake risk in which 60 buildings were closed after the recent Kaikoura earthquake with some having to be demolished, must also be questioned.

“The plan was only announced to staff on November 7 and has been rushed through without professional risk management or sufficient input from the cultural heritages sector.

“We will now have virtually all of our national heritage – film, sound and television – located in a city and region considered among the most earthquake prone areas in the country which is ludicrous,” Mr Peters says.

ENDS

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