Happy ending for Hillary diaries

William Randall (L) with Peter Hillary yesterday. Photo / Richard Robinson

Sir Edmund Hillary's children say they may publish some of his diaries and family papers now their dispute with the Auckland Museum has ended.

They may even collaborate in a publishing deal with the institution they have spent 18 months fighting.

An agreement between Peter and Sarah Hillary and the museum was announced yesterday - on what would have been Sir Ed's 90th birthday.

The dispute centred on the pair's rights to access and publish their family history - documents their father gifted to the museum which include his diary entries, letters and pictures of expeditions and family holidays.

It was resolved after Prime Minister John Key offered mediation.

"It's a happy ending," Mr Hillary said.

He told the Herald the two parties now had an "affection" for one another.

"We're very keen to look at some of Dad's diaries and some of the family stuff - that really interests Sarah and me," Mr Hillary said.

"We may just publish them ourselves [or] there may be collaboration with the museum - we're really open."

The family history is contained among the 7sq m of documents now owned by the museum.

But the settlement means Peter and Sarah Hillary have the right to review everything in the archive and, with a third party, separate anything considered sensitive or private before it is available for public review.

They also have unlimited access and exclusive publishing rights on anything in the archive until the 20th anniversary of their father's death.

Mr Hillary said he hoped that people would view the archive and see his father's humanity.

"We humans have a real tendency to shove people on to pedestals.

"We think they're different. Well, no they're not. They have their fears and their anxieties and their philosophical concerns.

"I think this collection will keep alive that humanity ... and I think that's a great thing because it may help Joe Citizen to go out and do great things."

Auckland War Memorial Museum Trust chairman William Randall acknowledged the public criticism surrounding the decision to fight the Hillarys.

"In retrospect, we could have done things better."

Museum staff now faced the "monumental" task of putting the thousands of documents in the archive into digital form before it was made available to the public.

Mr Key said he was pleased to announce the deal.

"The important thing is we have a solution based on trust and goodwill. It respects Sir Ed's wishes and his enormous reputation."

* Who gets what

Peter and Sarah Hillary get:

To sort through the archive to have anything considered private returned to them.

Unlimited access to the archive.

Exclusive publishing rights on anything in the archive until the 20-year anniversary of Sir Ed's death.

The museum gets:

Ownership of the archive (documents including diaries, letters and pictures of expeditions and family holidays recorded throughout Sir Ed's life).

Publication rights after the 20th anniversary of Sir Ed's death.