Ethics & Practice – National Oral History Association of New Zealand (NOHANZ)

NOHANZ Code of Ethical and Technical Practice

The Code of Ethical and Technical Practice exists to promote ethical, professional and technical standards in the collection, preservation and use of sound and video oral history material.

Download the Code of Ethical and Technical Practice

Oral History Recording Agreement
Recording Agreement in English
Recording Agreement in te reo
The accompanying explanatory notes, frequently asked questions and guidance on selecting a repository are on the Resources page

Archives, sponsors and organisers of oral history projects have the following responsibilities:

To inform interviewers and people interviewed of the importance of this Code for the successful creation and use of oral history material
To select interviewers on the basis of professional competence and interviewing skill, endeavouring to assign appropriate interviewers to people interviewed
To see that records of the creation and processing of each interview are kept
To ensure that each interview is properly indexed and catalogued
To ensure that preservation conditions for recordings and accompanying material are of the highest possible standard
To ensure that placement of and access to recordings and accompanying material comply with a signed or recorded agreement with the person interviewed
To ensure that people interviewed are informed of issues such as copyright, ownership, privacy legislation, and how the interview and accompanying material may be used
To make the existence of available interviews known through public information channels
To guard against possible social injury to, or exploitation of people interviewed

Interviewers have the following responsibilities:

To inform the person interviewed of the purposes and procedures of oral history in general and of the particular project in which they are involved
To inform the person interviewed of issues such as copyright, ownership, privacy legislation, and how the material and accompanying material may be used
To develop sufficient skills and knowledge in interviewing and equipment operation, e.g. through reading and training, to ensure a result of the highest possible standard
To use equipment that will produce recordings of the highest possible standard
To encourage informative dialogue based on thorough research
To conduct interviews with integrity
To conduct interviews with an awareness of cultural or individual sensibilities
To treat every interview as a confidential conversation, the contents of which are available only as determined by written or recorded agreement with the person interviewed
To place each recording and all accompanying material in an archive to be available for research, subject to any conditions placed on it by the person interviewed
To inform the person interviewed of where the material will be held
To respect all agreements made with the person interviewed

Contact resourcesnohanz@oralhistory.org.nz