Aotearoa Unearthed

Rosemary talks to Dr Katharine Watson about the ambitious project to create a publicly accessible archive and database that will hold all the material recovered from archaeological sites in and around Christchurch since the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes.

Rosemary talks to Lisa McKendry about her PhD study on fragments of Māori textiles and weaving recovered from archaeological sites. Lisa shares what she has discovered and how her own weaving practice supports her research.

Rosemary talks to Darran Kerei-Keepa and Dr Jeremy Habberfield-Short about their experiences in cultural monitoring and archaeology as part of the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery (NCTIR) project after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.

Rosemary talks to Dr Kurt Bennett, about his path to becoming a maritime archaeologist. Kurt outlines the history and current state of underwater archaeology in New Zealand, and why it’s so important to understand our maritime heritage. Kurt also shares stories of incredible exploratory dives in Fiordland shipwrecks and talks about the skills required for maritime archaeology.

Rosemary talks to six members of the team working on a multidisciplinary project to investigate Waikato wetland pā: Alan Hogg, Warren Gumbley, Tom Roa, Gretchen Boswijk, Rowan McBride and Isaac McIvor. They share how archaeology, dendrochronology, radiocarbon wiggle match dating and mātauranga Māori come together in this project and reveal new insights into Waikato pā built by Tainui iwi.

Rosemary talks to Vanessa Tanner about how archaeology is protected in New Zealand. Did you know that damaging an archaeological site in this country is illegal? Vanessa explains why New Zealand archaeology is so unique and precious, and what Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga does to monitor site damage.

Rosemary talks to Jessie Garland about some of the incredible artefacts she found in post-quake Christchurch that belonged to colonial children. What do these items tell us about how kids played and behaved in the past? Jessie also gives us insight into how she pieces together and researches broken or unidentified artefacts.

Rosemary talks to Gerard O’Regan and Amanda Symon about Māori rock art. Gerard explains the wider context of Māori rock art: how much is there, where is it, how was it made and what does it mean? Amanda shares her experiences conserving rock art, and how ecological restoration can preserve the limestone ecosystems of Māori rock art sites.

Rosemary talks with Matthew Schmidt about archaeology found in the infilled Dunedin shoreline. Large areas of modern Dunedin are built on a colonial cap of infilled rubbish. What do archaeologists discover when excavating the infill, and what can it tell us Dunedin’s former identity as the wealthy gold-rush capital of colonial New Zealand?

Rosemary talks with Amber Aranui about her work repatriating Māori ancestors home to their iwi/hapu in Aotearoa from overseas institutions. Amber shares about the research and relationships that make this work possible. How does her work fit into the international movement to redress a colonial past of wrongful acquisition?

Rosemary talks to Makere Rika-Heke about how we can use all our senses in archaeological landscape to tap into how Māori inhabited their whenua. Makere shares about how she combines tikanga with archaeology, and her dreams for indigenous archaeology in Aotearoa.

On the first episode of Aotearoa Unearthed, Rosemary Baird talks to Katharine Watson about excavating long drops, drains and rubbish pits in Christchurch. What can her findings tell us about the public health, housing design and personal habits of colonial settlers? And do long-drop excavations smell?

Get ready to enjoy a series of podcasts on New Zealand Archaeology from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga in association with the New Zealand Archaeological Association. Full episodes coming from Friday 23 April 2021.