How will Āta Tiaki Taonga Tuku Iho help to meet the needs of Taumata Whakapumau Tiaki Taonga?

Intern

Rachel Aili, University of Auckland

Supervisor

Vasiti Palavi, Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Overview 

Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland Museum recently developed Āta Tiaki Taonga Tuku Iho, a workforce development programme that aimed to build capability and capacity within iwi to manage the storage, care, and restoration of taonga. This kaupapa aligned with Tiaki Taonga – a movement recently launched by WAI262 to bring understanding and te iwi Māori engagement to the kaupapa of taonga and mātauranga protection.

This summer internship project researched how Auckland Museum could support Tiaki Taonga through museum practices, using Āta Tiaki Taonga Tuku Iho as an example framework. The project identified what iwi wanted from museums to “Tiaki Taonga” and assessed whether the Āta Tiaki Taonga Tuku Iho programme would help to achieve that.

The intern was supervised and supported by a team of museum professionals. The team ensured the intern had a comprehensive support network within the museum and provided opportunities to interact with and learn from people with different skillsets and roles across the museum sector. The intern was based at Auckland Museum, although the project team was happy to accommodate remote and flexible working arrangements. The intern benefited from being present in person at the Museum, as there were a series of talks and tours across the summer for our summer scholars.