Flaws have been found in the way government departments are storing the information they hold.

The findings are contained in a report by Archives New Zealand on the state of Government record-keeping.

It reveals shortcomings in the management of digital records, neglect of business software applications, and a need for a culture change within public offices regarding the keeping of information.

The report also identifies problems in staff training, and says that few public offices have staff fully able to protect and salvage records in an emergency