Draft Records Disposal Schedule Public Consultation now open

Over the past year, Fire and Emergency New Zealand has been developing a new records disposal schedule which will cover all digital and paper Fire and Emergency information and records.

This schedule is a requirement under the Public Records Act 2005(external link). It will be submitted for approval by New Zealand’s Chief Archivist, after which it then becomes a legal document which authorises us to dispose of our information and records for the next ten years.

We are now seeking public feedback on the draft disposal schedule as part of this process.

What is a disposal schedule?

A disposal schedule sets out all the types of information and records Fire and Emergency holds and groups them together into classes. Each class has a rule for:

• The minimum length of time we must hold the information or record
• What happens to the information or record at the end of that specified time

The disposal schedule clearly identifies which of Fire and Emergency’s information and records either:

• Are of historical or national importance and therefore should be retained as archives by Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga | Archives New Zealand; or
• Can be destroyed by Fire and Emergency after a specified length of time.

What is the purpose of this consultation?

This consultation is an opportunity for our partners, stakeholders and anyone interested in what happens to our information and records to give us feedback on the recommendations we’ve made in our draft disposal schedule.

We understand that different groups may value different information and records and it is important for us to consider a range of perspectives before we finalise the recommendations in our draft disposal schedule.

As part of the organisation’s commitment to working with Māori as tangata whenua, we welcome feedback from iwi, hapū and other Māori rōpū around the motu.

How can I give feedback?

To support this consultation, we’ve made the following documents available:

Draft disposal schedule(external link)

Draft appraisal report(external link)

Disposal schedules guide(external link)

Once you have read the Draft Disposal Schedule, you can fill out a feedback form here(external link)

If you have any questions, please email records@fireandemergency.nz