Archives New Zealand has announced it will replace the existing collection management and search platform, Archway, with Axiell Collections.

Archives New Zealand preserves and protects more than seven million official records, from 19th century treaties to 21st century documents and data.

Richard Foy, Chief Archivist for Archives New Zealand said. “Plans for a new Archives building to improve the protection of and access to some of New Zealand’s most significant and valuable documents is underway through the government programme Preserving the Nation’s Memory.

“We want to give people better access to our nation's history while also enabling staff to easily relocate records between physical locations in real time making the transition between the old and new buildings far more efficient.

The new portal based on Axiell Arena will make discoverability and access to the archival collections easier for customers which include; writers, academics, legal researchers, professional historians, journalists, genealogists, and film and documentary makers. In addition they will establish a hosting centre in the region.

The work is estimated to take just over 18 months, launching in the first half of 2021. Axiell systems for archives, libraries and museums are used by over 3400 cultural institutions over the world. In addition, more than 3000 schools use an Axiell system