Rights Information

All rights are reserved for all video, audio and photographic items on this website.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has a mission to develop, promote and provide access to the national collection of audiovisual heritage. However, while it takes custody and care of the physical items, all other rights are retained by the legal rights holders. As a trusted repository, the organisation places great importance on maintaining relationships with depositors and rights holders through open communication, negotiation and rights management.

Online users have legitimate expectations that heritage materials will be available and re-usable. At the same time audiovisual creators and depositors need to protect their intellectual rights. Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision must therefore balance these requirements. The legal and ethical issues are outlined below:

Copyright

All rights are reserved for all audiovisual and photographic items on this website. If you wish to use an item for any purpose, beyond that which is permitted by fair use under the Copyright Act, you must obtain prior written permission from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, or other owner as applicable.

In particular, Radio New Zealand is the rights holder for many items in the Sound Collection. The Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero were transferred from RNZ to Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision on 1 September 2012. All material acquired prior to this date forms part of the historic RNZ Collection. This includes material from other broadcasters that was acquired by RNZ Sound Archives Ngā Taonga Kōrero under its contract with the Broadcasting Commission (NZ On Air) to archive radio in New Zealand. Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision can facilitate clearance of RNZ material held in its collections on behalf of RNZ. For items where third party copyright applies, archive staff will assist users to contact the rights holder.

Information on how to re-use Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision collection items is available here. If you are interested in re-using items in a new production or project, please contact us. Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision staff will be able to assist you with rights clearances and access to the best possible copy (audiovisual items on this website are compressed for the web – speak to our staff about supply of high resolution copies).

Mana Taonga

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision is a bicultural organisation, which recognises the Mana Taonga principle: Māori spiritual and cultural connections with the taonga held in our collections. Taonga are connected with specific whānau, hapū or iwi for whom they hold significance, for example through the images and sounds of people and places portrayed. Consultation is undertaken with relevant Māori stakeholders, and their permission sought, before items may be accessed or re-used. Memoranda of understanding with iwi underpin this ongoing dialogue, and formalize our mutual responsibilities for care of and access to sound and moving image taonga. Learn more about our partnerships with Kaitiaki and Māori and the Taonga Māori Collection.

Moral Rights

Directors, performers, musicians and artists have the moral right to be identified as the author of a work, to object to false attribution or to the derogatory treatment of their work. Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision takes care to correctly attribute credits and upholds the moral rights of the creators of works.

Orphan Works

Orphan works are those collection items that are protected by copyright, but where it has been impossible to identify, locate or contact the copyright owner. In such cases Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision must weigh up the public interest and social benefits of making these works available. We undertake good faith, reasonable searches, which genuinely attempt to find rights holders to obtain their permission for use.

The archive also takes practical steps to safeguard against future orphan works by capturing and storing detailed information at the time of acquisition; by ensuring contact details of copyright owners and depositors are updated; and by encouraging rights holders to stay in touch with us.

Take-Down Requests

In making collection items available for public access online, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision makes every effort to fulfil its legal, cultural, and ethical obligations.

However, if you believe an item has been posted on this website that is in breach of your rights, contains sensitive content or may be regarded as objectionable or defamatory, please contact us. Your message should include your name, the title and reference number of the item, your reason for requesting a takedown of this material, and your relationship to the material in question.

We will acknowledge your request and respond to your message within three working days.