Nathan Guy

Wellington, June 1 NZPA - The independence of the Chief Archivist and the National Librarian will be protected under a bill due in Parliament soon, the minister responsible for those positions says.

The National Archives and the National Library are going to be part of the Department of Internal Affairs under changes previously announced by the Government.

Concerns have been raised about the independence of the two principal officers when the merger has taken place.

Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy, who is responsible for the National Archives and the National Library, said today the State Sector Management Bill would be introduced in the next couple of months and would protect the integrity and independence of the statutory roles.

"Overall the legislative changes are largely technical and minimal," he said.

"Archives New Zealand and the National Library are important cultural institutions that will continue to be trusted and preserved for future generations."

Labour's state services spokesman, Grant Robertson, said Archives and the National Library had been separated from Internal Affairs 10 years ago to ensure their independence.

He said under the merger the Chief Archivist and the National Librarian would be employed by and accountable to the department's chief executive.

"While this situation exists the minister's claims of protecting independence are just words," he said.

"The Chief Archivist needs to be in the position to enforce the law that requires other government agencies to keep and deposit their records. That will be compromised with a re-merger into Internal Affairs."