New Chair for Memory of the World New Zealand
Members of UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Trust elected a new Chair at its October Annual General Meeting. Bruce Ralston has taken over the reins from Dianne Macaskill, the founding Chair of the Trust, whose term ends in March 2019.
Bruce Ralston
Bruce has a 35 year career in the documentary heritage world, including a
range of roles at the Alexander Turnbull Library and as manager of
the major research collections at Auckland Museum Library.
He now contracts as an archivist and editor, including production of The New Zealand Genealogist. He has served on the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand Council and the National Digital Forum Board. During his career he has focused on making collection data available online, including Auckland Museum Library’s catalogue and a major development of its Online Cenotaph database.
Bruce’s focus for the next two years will be to promote Memory of the World within a wider documentary heritage community, and the Trust’s role within the suite of UNESCO activities in New Zealand. Registration of inscribed documentary heritage collections will remain its major activity.
As the first Chair of the Memory of the World New Zealand Trust, Dianne Macaskill played a key role in establishing the committee and Trust deed. Under her leadership, the Trust has achieved strong support from heritage sector institutions and a higher profile for documentary heritage in New Zealand. The Memory of the World New Zealand Register has grown steadily and currently has 27 inscriptions of significant documentary heritage.