As Election 2026 looms, we encourage PHANZA members to ask their local candidates about how they intend to fund and support the history, heritage and archives sector in the years ahead.
Our colleagues at Museums Aotearoa have prepared a briefing document that summarises the policy positions of all the parties and provides some sample talking points for candidate meetings and doorstep conversations. While it doesn’t cover all areas of concern for PHANZA – for example, it doesn’t touch on funding and resourcing of national and local body archives – it is a great starting point. It can be used to complement the points PHANZA has already raised in recent public statements concerning cuts to the National Library, Archives New Zealand and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage.
Museums Aotearoa’s election briefing can be found on our website here.
You can find PHANZA’s open letters and related statements in the Submissions and Correspondence section of the PHANZA website.