KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's history, in the form of websites, CDs, DVDs, and images, is to be preserved in what is said to be a world-first system, launched today.
National Library Minister Richard Worth said the National Digital Heritage Archive (NDHA) would ensure New Zealand's "digital memory" was preserved.
"It will ensure that our digital heritage will be accessible years after the original technologies have become obsolete."
The system is a partnership between the National Library and international companies Sun Microsystems and Ex Libris Group, and is the first commercially viable digital preservation system in the world, Dr Worth said.
National Library chief executive Penny Carnaby said the digital preservation and project management established by the NDHA was "a very important legacy".
"I am very pleased that the project has successfully met its objectives and been delivered on time and to budget.
"It is generating a lot of overseas interest and we are very proud to be leading the way in the future of digital preservation."
The NDHA was established in 2004 and has a budget of $24 million over five years.
- NZPA
