The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust (Te Pupuri I Nga Hitori o Te Rohe Trust) is a New Zealand charitable trust focused on digital preservation. Its major project, Your Stories - Preserving Local Histories for our Tamariki, digitises newspapers published in New Zealand from 1840 to 2000 that are at risk of loss or decay.[1]
The idea for the Trust grew out of a publication by Andy Fenton titled Mind the Gap: Transforming the National Newspaper Collection: A collection management approach to preserving the National Newspaper Collection.[2] Fenton notes that despite the National Library of New Zealand's Papers Past initiative making newspapers available online, there were about 3.3 million pages available in Papers Past in 2014, from an estimated total of 30 million possible pages. Community newspapers with local information were not being addressed.[2]
The Trust was established as a New Zealand charitable trust in 2022, its purposes being “the advancement of education, the preservation of New Zealand’s cultural heritage, and any other matter beneficial to the community”.[3] The mission is “to preserve the stories that have helped to shape our communities and our nation, and to make these accessible to New Zealanders both at home and abroad.”[4] Its inaugural trustees were Anne Jackman, Jane Hill, Andy Fenton and Bruce Murray, with Dr Ross Harvey as Adviser and board member. Dr Stephen Hardman is the Secretary of the Trust. In 2024 Professor Lachy Paterson was appointed as a Trustee to fill the position vacated on the death of Bruce Murray, and in 2025 Dr Felicity Barnes joined the Board as a Trustee. Jane Hill stepped down as a Trustee in 2025.
The Trust has Strategic Partnerships with New Zealand Micrographic Services, and the National Library of New Zealand.[5]