Te tārua me te whakahua pūranga
Copying and citing archives
If you use archives in your research, it's important to reference them – even if the work isn't going to be published. Find out how to reference archives and get our permission to publish your research.
Permission to publish your research
Most of the material in our holdings is protected by Crown Copyright. If you plan to publish or publicly exhibit work that includes copies of our archives, you usually need to get our permission first.
We define publication as making anything available to the public in the following formats:
book
periodical or magazine
leaflet or brochure
exhibition caption
poster
film, tv, video
artwork
electronic or digital
website
other formats.
Ask an archivist about permission to publish
Visit the Intellectual Property Office to learn more about Crown Copyright
Publishing work that uses online records
You don't need our permission to publish if you use images of records that have been digitised and are available online – these are covered by a Creative Commons license.
How to cite archives
Citation style
It's up to you what format and style of citation you use. The best one may depend on the type of work you're doing, or where you plan to publish your research.
Victoria University of Wellington has helpful guides to different citation styles.
Learn how to cite in different styles – Victoria University of Wellington
Footnote citation
What to include
Whatever style you use, if you're citing a record you need to include the:
agency code
series number or accession number
record number
R-number
full name and location of the archive that holds the record – for example, "Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Christchurch".
Example
A footnote citation for a record could use this format.
AATJ 6091 W5098 6050-1 R17313148
Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington
Bibliographic reference
What to include
A bibliographic reference should include the:
name of the agency that transferred the record to us
series title and series number (or the accession number and name if there is no series recorded)
full name and location of the archive that holds the record – for example, "Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Christchurch".
See definitions of all the terms we use on record listings
Example
A bibliography reference for a record could use this format.
Ministry of Energy, Energy Main Filing System, Series 6091
Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington
Unpublished research
If you're not planning to publish your research, you don't need to cite the records you use – but remember that citing your sources:
is good academic practice
will make your work easier for readers to understand
may help you find a record you need again in the future.
Ask a question about copying or citation
Make sure you know the rules about copying and citation before you publish or exhibit your work.