Taonga (treasures) at the Alexander Turnbull Library: documentary heritage in Polynesia

The Alexander Turnbull Library (ATL)is New Zealand's premier research library in the field of documentary heritage. Its statutory purpose is to preserve, protect, develop, and make accessible its collections for all the people of New Zealand in perpetuity and in a manner consistent with their status as documentary heritage and taonga [treasures]. The Turnbull recently underwent one of the most significant restructures in its 90-year history, in response to the changing environment for research collections. The restructure sought to realign resources with the increase in born digital material and to broaden its reach to new and diverse audiences. The conversations about taonga [treasures] and how we define what is rare and unique in the ATL setting were a vital part of the restructure process. This paper will focus on two particular areas. The first is Māori language material and Māori related material e.g. whakapapa [family history], oral histories, paintings, photographs as well as manuscript material. One of the most important collections in the Turnbull Library is the Donald McLean Papers in Māori. This series comprises almost 3,000 letters written to McLean by Māori from throughout New Zealand. It is the largest surviving group of 19th-century letters in Māori. Donald McLean (1820-1877) was arguably the most influential figure in mid-19th century New Zealand history. He was a dominant figure in relations between Māori and the Government during this tumultuous period. Being able to preserve and make accessible collections such as this requires a special understanding and relationship with Māori donors and researchers. Letters of understanding are being developed with iwi [tribes] to ensure that we are able to continue to develop and honour the nature of these truly special collections. The second area of focus is our digital collection strategy and the growing understanding of the importance of collecting resources such as websites where the rarity is often defined by the impermanence of these sources rather than the number of copies available.