19 Appendix two

Statement adopted by the Council of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa 7 February 2002.

The Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa is committed to the recognition and implementation of the Treaty of Waitangi and acknowledges Maori as the tangata whenua of Aotearoa.

LIANZA acknowledges the special historical constitutional, demographic and geographic relationships between New Zealand and Pacific peoples.

LIANZA is committed to providing access for Pacific peoples in New Zealand to library and information services and resources.

For the purpose of this policy, Pacific peoples relate to the cultures and languages of all Pacific nations persons resident in New Zealand.

The Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa believes that:
All libraries should reflect and respect the indigenous culture of New Zealand in their policies, collections and services.

Libraries should also provide collections and services that reflect the cultural profile of the community they serve.

All Pacific peoples should have access to available materials and services that meet their needs, regardless of their language, cultural background or country of origin.

Libraries have an important role in informing and educating the community about the Pacific peoples cultures that make up New Zealand society.

Libraries have an important role in assisting Pacific peoples to achieve competency in English whether as a first or second language.

All members of the Pacific peoples community should have access to library materials and services in their own languages whether this be for the purposes of language and culture maintenance or for language learning.

Libraries have a responsibility to provide life-long learning opportunities for Pacific peoples through the development of information literacy skill programmes in a format compatible with Pacific peoples learning styles.

The research collections of New Zealand libraries must recognise the importance of providing materials for current and future research relating to the Pacific peoples of New Zealand and should therefore acquire and preserve material from appropriate countries and in appropriate languages.

Last reviewed: 22 July 2008