New Zealand Archivist Vol XV No 2 Winter/June 2004 ISS 0114-7676 New Zealand Conservators help to salvage Niue Archives Tharron Bloomfield In February two conservators from the National Library of New Zealand's National Preservation Office visited Niue to give advice and assistance in salvaging cyclone-damaged heritage collections. Jocelyn Cuming and Tharron Bloomfield were in Niue at the request of the Niue Government, who recognised the salvage of historic material as an important issue following the natural disaster. The island nation of Niue, north­ The majority of the national east of Tonga in the Pacific Ocean, archives had been moved from is self-governing with a free the damaged building to a association with New Zealand. On temporary storage area before January 6th 2004 Cyclone Heta - Jocelyn and Tharron arrived in described as the worst cyclone in Niue. Many of the paper-based living memory - hit Niue. The archives were still wet, and winds of up to 300km an hour and drying them was a priority. the lashing waves caused extensive Several techniques were used to damage and killed two people. dry the archives including The hospital was destroyed, as erecting temporary lines and were many other residential, hanging the archives in the sun commercial and government to dry. The conservators had buildings in the main village of taken conservation equipment Alofi. Power and phone lines were with them and taught staff cut, roads were closed and crops (including archivist Joan Talagi) either badly damaged or and volunteers, how to dry, clean completely destroyed. and rehouse archives. The damage to heritage A room in the Community collections was significant. The Niue Archivist Joan Talagi cleaning cyclone- Affairs Department was assigned Huanaki Cultural Centre, where damaged archives as a temporary storage area for the national collection of artefacts the archives. The Community was housed, was completely Affairs building was ordinarily destroyed. Cultural Centre Curator Robin Hekau an office building, but in the wake of the cyclone, in estimated approximately 95% of the collection was addition to being a temporary repository for archives, destroyed or washed away to sea. The National Library it was also serving as a headquarters for aid relief and Archives building was badly damaged, with the arriving on the island. Although the temporary room front wall facing the sea completely tom away. It was for the archives was small, it was sufficient to act as with the national archives that Jocelyn and Tharron temporary storage. worked the most. The fact that the buildings on Niue are built with Jocelyn and Tharron were in Niue for seven days concrete blocks and are well-ventilated is one of the with support from NZAID (Ministry of Foreign Affairs contributing reasons for there being little evidence of and Trade), Archives New Zealand and the National mould on the archives. Almost all buildings on Niue Library of New Zealand. The brief as set out by NZAID have louvre windows, which allow fresh air to circulate. was "To undertake an assessment of all archival In addition, electric fans are used a great deal. This is material, artefacts and government records on Niue, an example of why new building designs for archives report on their condition and a system for their future should take into consideration the importance of preservation and conservation". Before these tasks passive environmental control. could be addressed it was necessary to complete the Tharron and Jocelyn designed a new temporary salvage of the national archives. storage space for the archives. This involved great Despite some media reports to the contrary, the resourcefulness. Archive boxes were at a premium, so archives in Niue were for the most part salvageable. in addition to those donated by Archives New Zealand and the New Zealand High Commission, the conservators adapted soft-drink boxes. Discarded pallets from the local grocery store were used to keep archives off the floor, and a volunteer builder from Auckland was engaged to build shelving and cut holes in the walls to allow air circulation through the building. The majority of the archives were government records such as Housing Authority files, Applications for New Zealand Passports, and Adoption papers. There were also a large number of reports written on Niue. In addition to the salvage work at the National Archives Tharron and Jocelyn visited archives at the Fale Fono (Parliament Building) and Department of Justice. Tharron and Jocelyn had extensive meetings with Niue government officials, all of whom had a very keen interest in the future of Niue's archives. In all of these discussions the conservators stressed the need for trained archivists to be sent to Niue to give advice and assistance. Even though Daphne Pihigia from the Niue National the majority of archives were stored adequately when the Archives with archives boxes conservators left they were not, for the most part, fully arranged and described. The Niuean Premier, Hon. Young Vivian, in describing the damage caused to his country by Cyclone Heta, said that while Niue took a severe blow from the cyclone which would take many years to recover from, the necessary rebuilding gave an opportunity for the people to take stock of where Niue is as a nation. They could then rebuild in a manner that equips them to face the challenges of the twenty-first century. This attitude should also be applied to the re­ establishment of institutions to preserve cultural heritage on Niue. Many of the government officials supported the idea of a combined national museum, archives and library being built to replace the two damaged institutions. This idea seems a practical one, and is in line with what is happening both in New Zealand and internationally. For other articles and photographs see Society News, the Newsletter of the National Library Society, April 2004; Off the Tharron Bloomfield from the National Record, Magazine of The Friends of the Turnbull Library, no.ll Preservation Office hangs files in the sun to dry [May] 2004, and Library Life, LIANZA, 288, April 2004. Disaster Help Day: dealing with damage to documents in the Central North Island Floods Tharron Bloomfield In response to the severe storms that hit the central brought with them could be salvaged, and that people North Island in February, the National Preservation were often surprised how much could be done. A Office held a "Disaster Help Day" in association with variety of water-damaged articles were examined on Te Manawa (formerly the Science Centre and the day, including family Bibles, letters and diaries, Manawatu Museum) in Palmerston North. wedding videos, water-colours and oil paintings, and Three conservators were in attendance: Jocelyn ceramics. Cuming and Tharron Bloomfield from the National Several of the libraries and museums in the area also Preservation Office and Detlef Klein, Objects provided assistance to those affected by flooding, in Conservator from Te Manawa. The event was widely particular the Whanganui Regional Museum. advertised, and well-attended by people from the Manawatu-Wanganui region. For further information on the National Preservation The idea behind the day was to look at people's Office's assistance following the floods, see Off the Record, flood-damaged items and demonstrate simple the Magazine of The Friends of the Turnbull Library, no.ll procedures that could be used to salvage them. The [May] 2004. conservators found that most of the material people Disaster on Yap Cheryl Stanborough Good Friday 2004 is a day that shall live long in the memory of those living on the small island of Yap. It was the day that Super-Typhoon Sudal attempted to tear both the island, its surrounding reefs and the infrastructure of the island apart. One of Sudal's victims was Yap State Archives, which seawater and left in filing cabinets for over two weeks. is located directly behind the dock area at sea level. We have also learnt some valuable lessons on drying After the storm I found fully loaded containers just off school textbooks and just how forgiving paper can be. a ship, against the fence outside the Archives door. Six weeks after the typhoon we are still getting in wet Pressure vessels, many full of oxyacetylene, were material and still successfully drying it. My trainees, scattered all around and beneath the containers. employed just two weeks prior to the typhoon, have Fortunately, the bulk diesel and propane tanks, both had very hands-on introduction to disaster within 30 metres of the Archives, were still in place, management! undisturbed by the containers. But still,...a disaster waiting to happen! The wind took the waterproof covering as well as most of the insulating Batts from the roof. Storm surge invaded the building, leaving mud and seawater in its ottftruatton Supplies. wake. Fortunately, the building is on two levels, with the repository in the higher section. That 15-20cm ? Archival & Conservation Materials additional height made all the difference, although sea­ Contact: Jim or Margaret Morrison water still entered the archives area. Phone: (09) 425 7380 • Fax: (09) 425 7385 | Because the majority of the collection was stacked |p Box 646, 81 Great North Road, Warkwortl on the floor due to a budgetary problem the bases of h - Email: [email protected] M many boxes were wet and the weight of the boxes above j Website: www.conservationsupplies.co.nzji f e a s : AC were beginning to crush those beneath, causing the higher boxes to topple onto the wet floor. Once the seawater and mud were removed, the dry boxes were moved to a dry area. Then the wet boxes were opened Archival Quality • Acid Free Adhesives • and any wet material dried. The collection is Board • Card • Paper • Boxes • Envelopes temporarily stored in Yap Fligh School Library - one of the few buildings to survive intact at the school.