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Some people may be wondering what interest someone in New Zealand may have in the SMRFORUM. My reasons are relatively straightforward. I am an archaeologist, and a large part of my time is spent on day-to-day management of part of our national archaeological record system. Our arrangements for recording archaeological sites are very different from those in the UK. The New Zealand Archaeological Association (NZAA) Site Recording Scheme was established in 1958. Although it began as a private initiative, an agreement with the relevant government heritage agency was negotiated in the 1970s to use the Scheme as the national record system (and so avoid duplication of effort and save money). Overall direction and management of the Scheme still lies with NZAA Council. The Site Recording Scheme is a paper-based record system but there is a electronic database which acts as an index. Records are held in 18 district files that cover the whole country. A duplicate copy of all the records is also held in a "Central File." I work for the Department of Conservation (part of central government) and part of my job is to act as "Central Filekeeper." As part of that role, I also maintain the index database. There are various ad hoc arrangements relating to the housing and servicing of the district files. Some are held in the Department of Conservation, some are in the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (our national lead agency for historic heritage), some are in museums, and some are in private hands. District filekeepers may be allowed by their employers to spend some time on maintaining their files or they may do it as volunteers. There is no direct connection with local government and the planning system, although the data is used there in various ways. All this may suggest a rather precarious and marginal existence, but to date it has worked one way or another. In fact, it has worked well enough that no-one has felt the need to fix or upgrade it: there has been no substantial new investment since the 1970s. The system is now antiquated, but still manages to cope almost all the time. The possibility of a significant upgrade is, however, currently being looked at. Many issues and problems relating to archaeological record systems seem to be generic. It is, therefore, extremely useful to see what goes on elsewhere. I immediately recognise most of the matters raised from my own experience. Even if there is little I can do to rectify my problems, at least I have the comfort of knowing that I'm generally not alone in that. I was fortunate to be able to arrange visits to Swindon and Taunton in the spring of 2002 while visiting ancestral places and doing a bit of cultural tourism. In the spirit of reciprocity, I am more than happy to show anyone who gets down this way around our little set-up here in Wellington. Kati ake nei, Hei konei ra. Tony Walton Archaeologist, Science & Research Unit Te Papa Atawhai / Department of Conservation P.O. Box 10-420, Wellington, New Zealand Telephone +64 4 471 3252, Fax +64 4 471 3279 Email [log in to unmask] ############################################## This e-mail (and attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged. ##############################################