Historic documents should survive longer in new light-controlled home

Thursday, 18 August 2016

 Some of New Zealand's most important documents will soon have a new home.

Construction is under way on a new exhibition, which will house the Treaty of Waitangi, the Women's Suffrage Petition and Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand.

The documents are currently at Archives New Zealand, in Wellington, in a display that was designed in 1989, which is now at the end of its life.

The new exhibition will be located in the National Library of New Zealand building, although the documents will remain under the  care of Archives New Zealand.

Chief archivist Marilyn Little said the new displays would work better at preserving the documents. 

'It's not unreasonable for us to be planning to have the documents for the next 500 years, providing they are kept in the right condition,' she said.  

'There are really different challenges, depending on the document.'

The documents items have not always been looked after as well as they are now. 

The Treaty sheets spent a chunk of their existence hidden in the basement of the old Government Buildings in Wellington. 

'They were found in the basement, where they had been exposed to damp conditions,' Little said.

'Unfortunately, they were also exposed to rats, hence why we have the iconic shape of the Treaty sheet. 

'We are dealing with some documents which have not had a great history.' 

Punters at the exhibition who are wanting to see them will have to push a button, which will show the documents in a low-level light.

Conservator Anna Whitehead said the amount of light each piece of paper was exposed to would be calculated to make sure they were not over-exposed. 

'The most vulnerable document, with the most light-sensitive inks, has been the Women's Suffrage Petition,' she said.  

The exhibition, entitled He Tohu, is expected to open early next year.