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Public Records Act 2005

Recordkeeping requirements - Standards, inspection, reporting, and audit

33: Independent audits of public offices

You could also call this:

"Public offices are checked to ensure they keep records properly"

Illustration for Public Records Act 2005

You need to know that public offices must have their recordkeeping practices audited. This audit must happen within 5 years of the Public Records Act 2005 starting. The Chief Archivist is in charge of making this happen and paying for it. You will have further audits at times decided by the Chief Archivist, but not more than 10 years after the last audit. It is not necessary for all public offices to be audited in the same year. The Chief Archivist can choose who carries out the audit, such as an employee or someone they engage. The Chief Archivist decides what the audit covers and the criteria for the audit. They can get help from employees or other people to carry out the audit, as seen in the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Act 2025.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM345754.

Topics:
Government and voting > Government departments
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32: Annual report on recordkeeping, or

"Yearly report on how well government offices keep records"

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34: Audit of recordkeeping practices of Chief Archivist, or

"Checking the Chief Archivist's recordkeeping to ensure it meets standards"

Part 2Recordkeeping requirements
Standards, inspection, reporting, and audit

33Independent audits of public offices

  1. As soon as is reasonably practicable after the date that is 5 years from the commencement of this Act, an independent audit of recordkeeping practices must be carried out in every public office.

  2. The Chief Archivist must commission and meet the costs of each audit, which must—

  3. cover the aspects of recordkeeping practices specified for the purpose of the audit by the Chief Archivist; and
    1. be based on criteria developed by the Chief Archivist.

      1. Further audits must be conducted at intervals as directed by the Chief Archivist and not more than 10 years after the date of the previous audit (but it is not necessary to conduct an audit of all public offices in the same year).

      2. An audit under this section may be carried out by an employee of the department or another person engaged by the Chief Archivist.

      Notes
      • Section 33(3): amended, on , by section 35(1) of the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 57).
      • Section 33(4): inserted, on , by section 35(2) of the Responding to Abuse in Care Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 57).