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PHANZA Professional Historians of New Zealand / Aotearoa

@phanza.bsky.social

Need a historian or help with heritage? PHANZA is the Professional Historians’ Association of New Zealand/Aotearoa. Our members work in sectors including central and local government, academia, museums, archives and libraries. phanza.org.nz

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PHANZA Professional Historians of New Zealand / Aotearoa @phanza.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

PHANZA stands in support of staff at Archives NZ and the National Library, who are facing proposed cuts that would eliminate 47 FTE roles across two institutions that are vital to the work of our members. Read PHANZA's press release below and please share widely with your networks.

Press Release: 3 September 2026

Job losses at Archives New Zealand and the National Library will harm access to history

Yesterday, PHANZA received news about a proposed restructure at two institutions that are vital to the work of professional historians.
The proposed cuts would eliminate 47 roles across the two organisations. The Public Service Association has indicated this represents 12% of the workforce and comes on top of earlier redundancies.

Libraries and archives provide vital knowledge infrastructure. As sources of information, their collections support innovation and discovery, foster an informed citizenry, and protect our collective national memory. Job losses also raise alarming questions about institutional ability to fulfil the government’s legal deposit and record-keeping obligations

Historians fundamentally rely on archives and libraries. We could not do our jobs without the collections management undertaken by highly qualified and community-minded professionals who already achieve so much with limited resources. Ongoing cuts and staffing reductions place archivists and librarians in an impossible position.

Reductions in staffing levels at national institutions charged with acquiring, safeguarding, and providing access to our collective history will meaningfully diminish the public's ability to access these taonga. As professional historians, we are especially concerned about how the proposed cuts will affect our ability to effectively research topics and areas of significance to families, communities, and government.

With the upcoming election on 7 November, PHANZA encourages its members and the public to engage with candidates and political parties about their support for cultural institutions and to advocate for maintaining public access to these national treasures.

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PHANZA Professional Historians of New Zealand / Aotearoa @phanza.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The 2026 issue of The Manawatū Journal of History is out, with rich and engaging articles on the social, cultural and material histories of the Manawatū.📚 This issue is edited by PHANZA member Margaret Tennant and features articles by Margaret and PHANZA members Clare Gleeson and Fiona McKergow.

Cover of the Manawatū Journal of History Issue Number 22, 2026, featuring a photograph of a large white stone sculpture of Māori design, with bush-covered hills in the background.

Contents page of the Manawatū Journal of History Issue Number 22, 2026 including order form for copies.

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PHANZA Professional Historians of New Zealand / Aotearoa @phanza.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Did you know PHANZA publishes the New Zealand Journal of Public History? It's fully open access and a great place to learn what practitioners are doing in museums, heritage sites, and education programmes, as well as reading research-based articles on public history. You can find it on our website.

New Zealand landscape drawing of trees, trees roots and hills

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PHANZA Professional Historians of New Zealand / Aotearoa @phanza.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Dunedin folks are invited to a talk by PHANZA member Jonathan Howard on 'The Rise and Fall of Seacliff', the Asylum that was once one of NZ's largest buildings. 📆 Wednesday 26 August 2026, 5:30pm 📍Dunningham Suite, Level 4, Dunedin Public Library Pic: Alexander Turnbull Library PAColl-8769-04.

Black and white historic photograph of the Victorian Gothic style Seacliff Hospital building in Dunedin.

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