scholarly journals Memory, Performance, Identity: Making Personal History, Making Meaning: A Critical Analysis of an Independent Heritage Initiative at Duart House, Havelock North

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lorie A. Mastemaker
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Depth Study

<p>On a small ridge overlooking Havelock North and parts of the Heretaunga Plains to the west, a Victorian homestead known as Duart House was rescued from neglect by a local community group in 1985. The group became known as the Duart House Society (DHS) who formed to care for its maintenance and promote it to the public for social and cultural activity; however, in managing local heritage, the DHS have done so according to their own priorities and needs. This dissertation examines a case study of an independent heritage initiative and considers the question of how we might understand the ways in which people engage and respond to heritage, and why these activities should be of interest to professionals in favour of democratising museums and heritage. There is currently no research on independent heritage activity in New Zealand and international studies have also been largely neglected. A range of historical, empirical and theoretical approaches are incorporated in this research, including interviews, observation, questionnaires, primary and secondary resources, to generate a diverse range of data reflecting the wide range of factors that influence the central question of this research. By utilising Duart House of Havelock North as a case study, in conjunction with theories of intangible heritage, history and memory, the research moves beyond the 'official' museum and heritage sector to draw attention to the exclusive nature of people's sense of the past in New Zealand. This dissertation also addresses an issue that has been under-theorised in the existing literature of museum and heritage studies, namely that of individual memory, and the importance of objects and places to keep memory alive in the face of change. The research not only provides an in-depth study of one example of local heritage, but suggests an awareness of heritage as personal opposed to collective, and something which is 'performed' in multiple layers rather than just a physical place or 'thing'. It concludes that heritage is a far more complex process between people, place and memory than the literature on the subject claims, which poses a problem for museums who want to be 'all things to all people' and one that is not easily resolved. The research proposes a new direction for museums that is less concerned with 'truth' and more comfortable with 'open-ended exploration', 'wonder' and 'imagination'. This dissertation therefore serves as a critical resource to prompt further debate about the challenge of establishing closer relationships between museums, heritage and communities.</p>

scholarly journals Memory, Performance, Identity: Making Personal History, Making Meaning: A Critical Analysis of an Independent Heritage Initiative at Duart House, Havelock North

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lorie A. Mastemaker
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Depth Study

<p>On a small ridge overlooking Havelock North and parts of the Heretaunga Plains to the west, a Victorian homestead known as Duart House was rescued from neglect by a local community group in 1985. The group became known as the Duart House Society (DHS) who formed to care for its maintenance and promote it to the public for social and cultural activity; however, in managing local heritage, the DHS have done so according to their own priorities and needs. This dissertation examines a case study of an independent heritage initiative and considers the question of how we might understand the ways in which people engage and respond to heritage, and why these activities should be of interest to professionals in favour of democratising museums and heritage. There is currently no research on independent heritage activity in New Zealand and international studies have also been largely neglected. A range of historical, empirical and theoretical approaches are incorporated in this research, including interviews, observation, questionnaires, primary and secondary resources, to generate a diverse range of data reflecting the wide range of factors that influence the central question of this research. By utilising Duart House of Havelock North as a case study, in conjunction with theories of intangible heritage, history and memory, the research moves beyond the 'official' museum and heritage sector to draw attention to the exclusive nature of people's sense of the past in New Zealand. This dissertation also addresses an issue that has been under-theorised in the existing literature of museum and heritage studies, namely that of individual memory, and the importance of objects and places to keep memory alive in the face of change. The research not only provides an in-depth study of one example of local heritage, but suggests an awareness of heritage as personal opposed to collective, and something which is 'performed' in multiple layers rather than just a physical place or 'thing'. It concludes that heritage is a far more complex process between people, place and memory than the literature on the subject claims, which poses a problem for museums who want to be 'all things to all people' and one that is not easily resolved. The research proposes a new direction for museums that is less concerned with 'truth' and more comfortable with 'open-ended exploration', 'wonder' and 'imagination'. This dissertation therefore serves as a critical resource to prompt further debate about the challenge of establishing closer relationships between museums, heritage and communities.</p>

scholarly journals Seeing Eye to Eye? The presentation and understanding of interpretation at a New Zealand heritage site

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elise Caddigan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Visitor Satisfaction ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Perception Of Quality ◽  
A Site ◽  
International Visitors

<p>Old St Paul’s is an iconic New Zealand heritage site managed by Heritage New Zealand.¹ It is a site that tells both national and local stories and draws a wide range of international and domestic visitors. Key recommendations made by the New Zealand Ministry of Tourism in their 2010 and 2015 strategies were that the country is no longer automatically perceived as ‘authentic’² by international visitors, and that heritage in New Zealand should be striving to deliver engaging, educational and rich cultural and social experiences.  Using Old St. Paul’s as a case study, this research asks if New Zealand heritage sites are providing exhibitions, interpretation and stories that successfully communicate the site management’s presentation goals to visitors. This relationship is evaluated through the exhibitions and interpretation used by site management, and compared with visitor understanding and their experience of these.  This research uses interviews and visitor surveys to gauge the management/visitor relationship at Old St. Paul’s. An in-depth interview with the site’s manager is analysed and presented comparatively against the results gained from conducting visitor surveys. This research provides an investigation into contemporary heritage practice in New Zealand and offers a pilot study for future development in the heritage sector. Furthermore, it is suggested that heritage sites could adopt similar summative practices to those used in the museum sector in order to monitor visitor satisfaction and the perception of quality.</p>

scholarly journals Diet-Derived Variations in Radiocarbon and Stable Isotopes: A Case Study from Shag River Mouth, New Zealand

Radiocarbon ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Higham ◽  
Atholl Anderson ◽  
Christopher Bronk Ramsey ◽  
Christine Tompkins
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
River Mouth ◽  
Freshwater Species ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Cultural Sites ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Dietary Variation ◽  
Early Human ◽  
Dietary Food

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) determinations of rat bones from natural and cultural sites in New Zealand have produced ages at odds with the accepted date for early human settlement by over 1000 yr. Since rats are a human commensal, this implies either an earlier visitation by people or problems with the reliability of the AMS determinations. One explanation for the extreme ages is dietary variation involving movement of depleted radiocarbon through dietary food chains to rats. To investigate this, we 14C dated fauna from the previously well-dated site of Shag River Mouth. The faunal remains were of species that consumed carbon derived from a variety of environments within the orbit of the site, including the estuary, river, land, and sea. The 14C results showed a wide range in age among estuarine and freshwater species. Terrestrial and marine organisms produced ages within expectations. We also found differences between bone dated using the Oxford ultrafiltration method and those treated using the filtered gelatin method. This implies that contamination could also be of greater importance than previously thought.

scholarly journals The Isles of Iwi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Boyo
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Cultural Experience ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Native Flora ◽  
Historical Significance ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Close Proximity

<p><b>Many offshore islands in Aotearoa New Zealand are currently caught in their colonial past by housing non-native flora and fauna species, irrelevant buildings and fail to reference their cultural past. However, due to their close proximity to the mainland, rich native ecosystems and extensive history, offshore islands have the immediate potential to become valuable spaces that present a unique opportunity for users to become immersed in Aotearoa New Zealand’s native biodiversity and bicultural landscape. Matiu, Makaro, and Mokopuna are Pōneke Wellington’s harbour islands in the capital city of Aotearoa New Zealand. For centuries, indigenous Māori tribes occupied Matiu Island, establishing Pā sites and using them for defence and communication. However, for the past 170 years; iwi have been excluded from involvement with these Islands.</b></p> <p>Islands in indigenous Māori culture are closely associated with narratives of long waka voyages, star navigation, Kaimoana and the establishment of Pā’s, a base for Māori traditions and way of life. Therefore, many of these islands are of great cultural and historical significance to Māori, but many of these narratives and events have been forgotten or overshadowed by the later European influences.</p> <p>Set upon Matiu Island, the design aims to transform Wellington’s largest harbour island into a cultural and educational node comprised of journeys and culturally focused destinations that are influenced by narratives significant to Iwi. This design-led research explores solutions that unite Māori and the local community, through a diverse range of spaces that enable Matiu Island to become an integral part of Pōneke Wellington’s culture and identity. The design solutions explore the development of the site’s entrance, the founding of a marae and a range of spaces for traditional practices to take place which are tied together with connecting pathways that speak of the islands significant narratives. Studying the pre-colonised state of the island and its time as a Pā will provide cultural clues into how the island can embrace and convey its mauri, creating a cultural experience that aims to educate and inspire.</p>

scholarly journals The Evolution of Learner Autonomy in Online Environments: A Case Study in a New Zealand Context

2018 ◽  
pp. 71-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qunyan Maggie Zhong
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Autonomous Learning ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
Online Environments

With the advent of technologies, language learners are faced with unprecedented opportunities and a wide range of alternatives to engage with in their self-directed learning. However, a review of the literature indicates that studies investigating how learner autonomy is shaped and reshaped in online learning environments are under-researched (Reinders & White, 2016). Using a case study method, the primary objective of this study is to examine how a learner engaged with technology-mediated environments to meet his learning needs and goals and how his autonomy evolved in online environments. A qualitative analysis of the interview data collected at two different timescales reveals new developments in the learner’s autonomous learning. Instead of using limited online materials, the learner became a critical user of multiple online sources. Additionally, the learning conditions he was exposed to in New Zealand fostered an interdependent and social dimension in his autonomous learning. By the end of this research study, he was also found to be more capable of regulating his self-directed study. The results corroborate the argument that the notion of learner autonomy is fluid and dynamic, suggesting that apart from psychological factors of the learner, environmental factors, e.g. the guidance from the teacher and learning conditions also play a critical role in the formation of different dimensions of learner autonomy.

scholarly journals Smelting, smelted and smelling sulphur: resource landscapes, identities and social relations in Early Bronze Age Sicily (ca. 2300-1500 BC)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Cantisani
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Smelting Process ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Cultural Resource ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Theoretical Approaches

<p>In the prehistoric Mediterranean, it seems plausible that sulphur was incorporated into society not only for economic reasons but also as a cultural resource that transformed and was transformed by local ways of living and identities. Processual theoretical approaches have highlighted how human collectives economically benefit from resources, however, recent anthropological research has illuminated how the threads of human cultures, identities, perceptions, experiences and the landscape become interwoven. Drawing upon the latter, contemporary archaeological theory is becoming increasingly concerned with understanding how to incorporate natural resources in this entanglement of cultural, sensorial and natural dimensions as an active force.</p> <p>Within this framework, this paper tackles the appropriation of sulphur in Early Bronze Age Sicily (EBA, ca. 2300-1500 BC), ultimately focusing on identities that might have emerged through engaging with this mineral within a natural and built landscape for cooperative/competitive relations. Therefore, it addresses life worlds in resource landscapes by drawing upon the archaeological evidence of sulphur extraction in the case-study region of Palma di Montechiaro, in Agrigento, Sicily. It suggests that the transformation of sulphur into a cultural resource was related to the identities of dwellers, miners and non-kin that emerged as a result of shared experiences within wider social arenas of interaction. It will propose that the sensory experience of the smell of sulphur played a role in this process by combining a phenomenological approach to raw materials with ethnographic and archaeometric evidence of sulphur’s extraction process. To discuss this, I will review data regarding traditional technologies of extraction in the case study area, complemented by a re-assessment of the social and cultural practices in the excavated EBA settlement of Monte Grande, which comprises a thick description of the archaeological evidence for the smelting and extraction of sulphur. Finally, I propose an interpretation of how the relations that bound the local community together emerged from these interwoven engagements with, and responses to, the smells of the smelting process. In contrast to current interpretations, such an approach demonstrates how sulphur was more than just a commodity to exchange.</p>

Zero Tolerance in South Australia: A Statewide Community Initiative

1996 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Buchanan
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Zero Tolerance ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Women And Children

The Zero Tolerance Campaign against violence to women and children is a hard hitting, controversial campaign designed to raise public awareness and provoke debate about male abuse of power in the areas of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, and child sexual abuse. Zero Tolerance is also an example of best practice in cross sectoral co-operation. The campaign comprises a statewide initiative involving the Health Promotion Unit of the South Australian Health Commission, the Domestic Violence Resource Unit, Family and Community Services, community health workers and local community action groups throughout the state. The process of bringing together a wide range of individuals from very different backgrounds and differing perspectives to work collaboratively on a controversial, innovative project led to extensive examination and defining of the issues involved. The planning process included a microcosm of the debate which Zero Tolerance intends to generate in the community. Resolution of the issues raised, employed many of the strategies developed and identified as best practice in the field of primary health care. The paper explores the challenges and rewards in the context of working collaboratively through the planning of a controversial initiative and identifies the merits of a campaign which has built on a diverse range of knowledge. Zero Tolerance, as a campaign, has the scope to be adapted in a variety of culturally and socially diverse initiatives as it becomes identified as an example of international best practice developed to stop violence against women and children.

scholarly journals Towards a Disciplinary-Conscious New Zealand School Geography

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Mike Taylor
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Geographical Knowledge ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Teachers And Students

<p>This research sought to establish a dialogue between the academic discipline and school subject of geography, by exploring the potential of disciplinary-conscious teaching and learning. Although there have been advocates for utilising the concept of perspectives to develop disciplinary-consciousness (Bliss, 2005; Chalmers, 2003; BOGT, 1999; Puttick, 2013) it is unclear the extent to which that pathway has been navigated in school geography policy and practices (Firth, 2011a; Maude, 2015). Broadly, the focus of my research was underpinned by a ‘Futures-3’ curriculum stance (Young & Muller, 2010), in which geography teachers and students were encouraged to engage with the nature of knowledge production in a multi-paradigmatic discipline.  The study drew upon the theoretical energy of Bernstein (1999; 2000), whose sociological analysis of the segmented structure of social science knowledge has congruence with accounts of the development of geographical thought, and therefore helps give direction to the substantive focus of the research problem. Furthermore, Bernstein’s articulation of the field of recontextualisation offers further theoretical support for how academic geographical knowledge, such as the concept perspective, is (re)imagined for school geography knowledge.  As my study is mostly focused on the field of recontextualisation, my sequential case-study design included three distinct phases of empirical inquiry: i) a document analysis of the place and role of the concept of perspectives in curriculum and assessment materials 2001-15; ii) an e-questionnaire of subject specialists; and iii) a Lesson Study inspired collaboration with two teachers and a group of senior secondary students. This latter component of my study was supported by the pedagogical frameworks of Puttick (2013), Hodson (2014) and Moje (2015).   Phase 1 and 2 analysis concluded that the concept of perspective has been recontextualised across multiple documents as a stakeholder framing, which emphasises the views of individuals, groups and organisations, rather than signalling a disciplinary-conscious approach to the subject. Evidence from the geography education specialists suggested disciplinary-consciousness had been considered too challenging for teachers and students alike and therefore was unlikely to dislodge the orthodox stakeholder framing. The lesson study collaboration showed, however, that disciplinary-consciousness is not out of the question for students or teachers, and that Puttick’s (2013) looking at and looking along conceptual framework is a productive guide for teachers who are starting to provide their students in a basic grounding of paradigms and perspectives influencing geographical thought.   The major implication of this research points towards a recontextualising field in which the social relations within it are structurally configured to make it difficult for a creative engagement with the nature of geographical knowledge to prosper. In this case study, disciplinary-consciousness has been marginalised by subject specialists who are mostly distant from the academic discourses that shape geographic knowledge production. Consequently, curriculum and assessment signalling of perspectives is surface level, and sometimes confusing. Moreover, the prevailing educational discourses that currently shape New Zealand education generate little ‘ideological space’ (Bernstein, 1996) for conversations about the variegated nature of geographical knowledge to ferment.  The study concludes with some recommendations for the wide range of actors within the current field of recontextualisation. It is suggested that a collectively aligned response across the sector is required if geography students are to be given the opportunity of exploring different ways of seeing in the construction of geographical knowledge.</p>

scholarly journals Smallholder Farmers’ Perspectives on Advisory Extension Services: A Case Study of the Gamo Communities of Southern Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Miki Dowsing ◽  
Sarah Cardey
Keyword(s):  
Service Provision ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Extension Services ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Status ◽  
Service Provisions

This is a case study-based research project investigating the status of Advisory Extension Services in southern Ethiopia. The goal was to determine whether available service provisions meet the requirements of smallholder farmers and enabled them to improve their farming practices and livelihoods. A combination of an exploratory inductive approach and mixed methods was used (e.g., questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews). Participants included members of farming households, and agents, experts, and providers working in the agricultural rural sector. The key findings suggested that limited access to resources and unpredictable environmental conditions were stifling smallholder farmer innovation and livelihoods. Service provisions should be better tailored to local conditions, provide greater resource access, and work more closely with farmers. The development and implementation of service provision should involve a wide range of institutions and farmers throughout the process. Local community- and farmer-based organisations are especially important, and can work alongside innovative and talented farmers to enable more effective dissemination of information. Agricultural rural development and service provision should focus greater attention on the views and perspectives of farmers from a range of areas with differing socio-demographic and agro-ecological characteristics for comparative analysis.

scholarly journals Smelting, smelted and smelling sulphur: resource landscapes, identities and social relations in Early Bronze Age Sicily (ca. 2300-1500 BC)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Cantisani
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Smelting Process ◽  
Early Bronze Age ◽  
Cultural Resource ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Theoretical Approaches

<p>In the prehistoric Mediterranean, it seems plausible that sulphur was incorporated into society not only for economic reasons but also as a cultural resource that transformed and was transformed by local ways of living and identities. Processual theoretical approaches have highlighted how human collectives economically benefit from resources, however, recent anthropological research has illuminated how the threads of human cultures, identities, perceptions, experiences and the landscape become interwoven. Drawing upon the latter, contemporary archaeological theory is becoming increasingly concerned with understanding how to incorporate natural resources in this entanglement of cultural, sensorial and natural dimensions as an active force.</p> <p>Within this framework, this paper tackles the appropriation of sulphur in Early Bronze Age Sicily (EBA, ca. 2300-1500 BC), ultimately focusing on identities that might have emerged through engaging with this mineral within a natural and built landscape for cooperative/competitive relations. Therefore, it addresses life worlds in resource landscapes by drawing upon the archaeological evidence of sulphur extraction in the case-study region of Palma di Montechiaro, in Agrigento, Sicily. It suggests that the transformation of sulphur into a cultural resource was related to the identities of dwellers, miners and non-kin that emerged as a result of shared experiences within wider social arenas of interaction. It will propose that the sensory experience of the smell of sulphur played a role in this process by combining a phenomenological approach to raw materials with ethnographic and archaeometric evidence of sulphur’s extraction process. To discuss this, I will review data regarding traditional technologies of extraction in the case study area, complemented by a re-assessment of the social and cultural practices in the excavated EBA settlement of Monte Grande, which comprises a thick description of the archaeological evidence for the smelting and extraction of sulphur. Finally, I propose an interpretation of how the relations that bound the local community together emerged from these interwoven engagements with, and responses to, the smells of the smelting process. In contrast to current interpretations, such an approach demonstrates how sulphur was more than just a commodity to exchange.</p>

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