UNESCO Memory of the World: 2021 Inscriptions

Abstract

UNESCO Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand is delighted to continue with page-work features in Artifacts featuring the new inscriptions into the register.

The Memory of the World programme was established thirty years ago (1992) and was established in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2010 by the National Commission for UNESCO.

There are three specific objectives for the programme: to facilitate preservation by the most appropriate techniques; to assist universal
access to documentary heritage; to increase awareness of the existence and significance of documentary heritage.

The 2022 inscriptions on the register span the 19th century with the Clendon Papers. Mother Aubert’s letters bring the time frame into the early twentieth century, including letters home from Rome following World War One.

‘This is New Zealand’ takes us to the Expo in Osaka, Japan, in 1970 and demonstrates the power of film as a format in documentary heritage. We are now in the UNESCO decade of indigenous languages and of oceans and some of the new inscriptions in years ahead will feature these elements. Te reo Māori is already a strong feature of inscriptions on the Register. We’ll reach our 50th inscription in 2023 and we look forward to celebrating the unique taonga which bring insights into our cultural identity in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Jane Wild,
Chair, UNESCO Memory of the World Trust Aotearoa New Zealand