NRAM is the acronym for the National Register of Archives and Manuscripts / Te Rārangi Pūranga, Tuhinga Ake o te Motu. It is a centralised register of collection level descriptions for archives held in many New Zealand repositories. NRAM is not a comprehensive database of all archives held in all the country's repositories. Researchers are encouraged to also search the databases of individual repositories (many of which are listed on the NRAM links page) or to forward specific enquiries to repositories likely to hold relevant information.
Requests for further information about any collection described in any NRAM entry should be forwarded to the relevant repository.
Contributing repositories (referred to as “holders’ throughout the website) compile and submit their own entries to be added to the NRAM website. They are responsible for ensuring that the content of each of their entries is correct. Any comments regarding the accuracy of information within any entry should be forwarded to the relevant repository.
All New Zealand repositories holding archives or manuscripts are encouraged to report collections to NRAM, either by listing their collections on the database, or by providing links to their own websites.
NRAM was originally published from 1979 to 1993 in paper format. It was the successor to the Union Catalogue of New Zealand and Pacific Manuscripts in New Zealand Libraries first published in 1954, with interim editions in 1968 and 1969.
In 1998 a project to redevelop NRAM as an electronic database was initiated by the NRAM Taskforce. The electronic database includes most of the collections reported to the paper format NRAM (except for those collections in the A,B, and C volumes which are held in the Alexander Turnbull Library), as well as many collections reported in more recent years.
The NRAM Taskforce was comprised of representatives of each of the following organisations:
A substantial grant from the Lottery Grants Board NZ enabled the initial redevelopment of the database to take place. This has been supplemented by additional funding from each of the above organisations as well as the Stout Trust. This funding, coupled with the co-operation and commitment of contributing repositories and the dedication of a small group of volunteers, sustained NRAM for six years until July 2004 when the New Zealand Government provided ongoing funding enabling Archives NZ to secure the continuation of NRAM. The Taskforce continues to exist as an advisory body.
