Preserving heritage collections through digitisation, microfilm, and related professional services.
Founded in 1990, NZMS has decades of experience digitising collections — the practical knowledge we have accumulated over this time means our team can expertly handle and digitise fragile documents, photographs, objects, and other taonga. We have developed comprehensive workflows that operate seamlessly with our carefully selected equipment to digitise items of any size, quantity, or condition. NZ
MS’s customers are often GLAM sector organisations (galleries, libraries, archives, museums) but also extend to central and local government, iwi, universities, schools, clubs and societies, commercial enterprises, artists, and private individuals. As resellers for Recollect (a cloud-based collection management system and community engagement platform) we can offer our customers a complete end-to-end solution; one that ensures their collections are preserved, accessible, managed, and protected for future generations.
13/02/2025
📚 Happy Library Lovers’ Day!
Libraries are the heart of our communities - places of learning, discovery, and connection.
At NZMS, we’re proud to partner with libraries across Aotearoa, supporting their vital mahi through our digitisation & preservation work. We believe in the power of libraries to inspire and inform, and we’ll always champion their work.
Today, on Library Lovers’ Day, we encourage you to take a moment to celebrate the libraries that have shaped your life.
Visit, borrow a book, or simply say thank you to the librarians who make it all possible!
13/02/2025
Welcome home Shrek the Sheep!
Who remembers Shrek the Sheep? 🐑
As part of our Te Papa Share the Love annual appeal, you can meet the iconic Shrek the sheep this weekend from tomorrow onwards - making his first appearance in ten years!
Don’t miss the chance to snap a photo with this legendary woolly star. Your donations will help support the care and preservation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s taonga ❤️
Vinegar Syndrome is a form of chemical degradation that affects cellulose acetate film, commonly used for motion pictures, photographic negatives, and microfilm.
Acetate was prevalent in New Zealand in the 1950s through 1980s, and even into the 1990s in some cases. It often has the words "SAFETY FILM" written on the extreme edge referencing the fact that acetate replaced the somewhat explosive nitrate film prevalent up until the early 1950s.
Unfortunately, breakdown of the acetate base layer of the film releases acetic acid which eats away at the film and causes the strong vinegar smell that gives the syndrome its name.
Here at NZMS, we are seeing more and more collections that have degraded to the point that the cost and ability to recapture have increased markedly, or at worst the information is irretrievable.
One thing you simply can’t do is shut the cupboard, or close the drawer, and hope for the best!
If your old records are starting to smell like fish and chips, get in touch with NZMS before it's too late.
A Different Light explores the development of photography in tandem with New Zealand
04/02/2025
What a fantastic programme - nice work Ashburton Libraries!
The increasing role of libraries to be digital enablers has led to libraries supporting programmes to increase digital access in communities.
One of these is Recycle a Device run from libraries and other community groups to refurbish donated laptops for charity.
At Ashburton Libraries Recycle a Device (RAD) teaches young people tech engineering skills while they refurbish the laptops, which are then given free to people in the community who need them. The library has a wait list of about 60 people wanting refurbished laptops and they gave out 26 devices in November and December.
We're big fans of the Archifacts Journal put together by ARANZ and they are now accepting contributions for the 2025 issue.
If you have insights, case studies, research, or reflections on archives, recordkeeping, or heritage preservation, this is your chance to share your expertise with the GLAMIR community.
Submissions are welcomed in various formats, from general articles to book reviews and opinion pieces. Expressions of interest are due by 31 March 2025, with final drafts required by 2 June 2025.
Find submission details and guidelines below.
Archifacts is the journal of the Archives and Records Association of New Zealand Te Huinga Mahara. It is published yearly in physical form and distributed free to members. For non-members, electronic versions are available on the ARANZ website after 18 months.
28/01/2025
新春快乐 Happy Chinese New Year!
And wishing you all wisdom, grace, and transformation for this Chinese New Year of the Snake!
To mark the occasion, our colleague Scott Cai is sharing a very special photo of his family celebrating Chinese New Years dinner in the late 1980s in Changsha.
The photo shows his late great grandfather (centre), his grandmother, his dad as a young man in his 20s, and other family members, making a toast to begin their big family reunion New Year’s Eve feast.
27/01/2025
In 2012, Hamilton City Libraries was sent a series of photographs from Auckland for identification. Three locations could be identified but not the rest. One, a landscape panorama was intriguing but didn’t have a single recognisable element.
About five years later, while searching for a particular view from the water tower hill, Perry Rice noticed a familiar looking building. "Bingo! I've found it!" And with that discovery, one more bit of our cultural heritage was saved from being lost forever.
NZMS are authorised re-sellers of a wide range of equipment that has been tried and trusted over the years through mass digitisation projects by our team of technical experts.
We will make sure that the equipment you choose is fit for purpose and optimised for your digitisation strategy. When we can’t source an appropriate off-the-shelf solution for you, we custom design and build equipment that will meet your needs.
Archives not only serve as official records, but also safeguard and celebrate the memories and achievements of their source communities.
In the case of schools, archives are increasingly seen as a vital component of alumni engagement programmes.
By sharing their archives, schools not only preserve their community’s special heritage, surfacing important historical milestones, but also foster a greater sense of belonging and identity.
An incredible discovery - we are looking forward to following the progress of this project.
Waka remains found on Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island:
We’re proud to be working with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage alongside landowners, Hokotehi Moriori Trust, Ngāti Mutunga ki Wharekauri, Moriori Imi Settlement Trust and the Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai to ensure the recovery and conservation of the partial remains of a waka recently found on Rēkohu Chatham Island.
This has included issuing an archaeological authority to allow for the recovery of the visible pieces of the waka.
"As the regulator of archaeological processes, we are working with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage to have an archaeological authority in place to ensure the recovery of critical information while respecting the involvement of imi and iwi,” says our Kaihautu Dean Whiting.
“With the vulnerability of the waka to the elements, time is of the essence, and we are committed to facilitating its careful investigation and recovery."
Find out more via the link in the comments:
📸 Exposed pieces of the waka already recovered from the site | Manatū Taonga
13/01/2025
Make 2025 the year your artwork shines! We offer fine art printing services to create beautiful accurate reproductions of your original pieces.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!
We are proud to support the preservation of cultural collections. Collaborating with City Gallery Wellington on their archive digitisation was a rewarding experience, allowing us to help safeguard and make accessible these significant works for future generations.
Hot listing on our vacancies is the position of Director of Library Services for Ōtepoti Dunedin Council. But you'll need to get in quick - it closes January 12.
MOTAT have an intern position available and Hutt City are looking for a librarian for Eastbourne and Moera.
Hutt City Libraries
Dunedin Public Libraries
Public Libraries of New Zealand
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The aim of the conservator-approved acid-free tissue repairs is to ensure the item remains stable during handling while we are preparing and digitising the papers for preservation purposes. We are sometimes permitted to disbine the material as well as you can see here and in this instance, we ease off the covers and then literally shave the glue off small sections of the block, rather than guillotine a thick portion, which risks cutting through text. We double-check for pages printed across an opening too.
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Imaging your Collections for Access, Preservation, Management and Learning
New Zealand Micrographic Services (NZMS) empowers you to protect and preserve your unique and diverse collections. We convert them into image formats that best suit your needs and provide tools for you to enhance the knowledge of your content and make them accessible to your community.
NZMS was created in 1990 by Andy and Audrey Fenton, Nan and John Pert offering microfilming services and working extensively with libraries and museums to capture and preserve local history. Material is captured using cameras and processed onto microfilm for the preservation and distribution of information. Modern polyester microfilm has an estimated life span of 500 years and can be viewed without complex technology, making it ideal for long term preservation. Today, NZMS is proud to be the only company in New Zealand offering microfilm services. Find out more here.
As developments in digital imaging technology accelerated over the years, NZMS began digitising cultural heritage materials, capturing the material with the highest resolution scanning equipment, modern DSLR and Medium Format cameras and a suite of audio and video equipment. The creation of digital images assists individuals and organisations to manage, preserve and provide digital access to their important collections. NZMS provides services to the Cultural Heritage Sector, as well as commercial enterprises, artists, individuals, government departments, associations, schools and universities, local communities, societies and clubs. Find out more here.
Technology advancements in the information age and digital world has encouraged the need for open access to collections. Our clients use the Recollect online platform to store the digital files of their significant material and can easily capture new information and knowledge, linking items in their collections. Recollect was developed in 2011 by NZMS as an online community engagement and collections management system for cultural heritage organisations and community groups to put their collections online. The interactive features capture and grow the body of knowledge about the collections for future generations to explore and contribute to. Today the Recollect platform is used by a wide range of organisations, industries and groups throughout Australasia. Find out more here.
Preserving heritage collections through digitisation, microfilm, and related professional services.
