History should be prioritised

The Herald reports:

If you were one of the people to hold the role of New Zealand prime minister since 1984, one of the more unusual parts of your calendar would have been pencilling time to speak to an oral historian from the Alexander Turnbull Library’s Political Diaries project.

This routine, described by former prime minister John Key as “cathartic”, will become a thing of the past thanks to the library deciding to wrap the project up following the 2023 election.

Interviews for the project could last just a few minutes, or go for much, much longer. Prime ministers would unburden themselves of the day-to-day challenges of governing. But there was a catch. Unlike interviews with news media, destined for immediate consumption and the rapid metabolism of the 24-hour news cycle, Political Diaries interviews have never been released – at least not without significant restriction.

Not a second of the 1500 hours of interviews with 115 different participants, including prime ministers, party leaders, and significant MPs over 40 years has been made available to the wider public.

These interviews are a treasure trove for future historians. They’ll all be released eventually and will form a priceless unique commentary on major political events.

It is a real shame they are no longer seen as a priority by the National Library.