Knowledge management and public records compliance: a forgotten world

Tertiary institutes in New Zealand are being challenged by the need to make headway on Public Records Act (PRA) compliance. This aspect of knowledge management has been hitherto largely neglected. Furthermore, the actual implementation of knowledge management systems, where the rubber hits the road, is still developing at a time when ensuring that one’s knowledge base is not lost as staff move jobs, retire or are retrenched. This case study focuses on the strategy and implementation processes of a tertiary institution and the steps taken towards compliance. It examines the strategies employed to support the organisation’s growth and viability, and identifies issues contributing to a mismatch between the underpinning records systems, and operational needs. The institution has instigated an implementation plan to address this misalignment of strategies, and to address both the need for effective systems to support the organisation’s core activities, and the need for legislative compliance.