ARCHAEOLOGY

Exciting events lined up for Archaeology Week 2022

New Zealand Archaeology Week will be held from 23 April to 1 May this year. Senior Outreach Advisor, David Watt, explores the offerings.

WORDS: David Watt

Archaeological sites are an irreplaceable part of our heritage. What we discover from archaeological sites helps us to better understand and learn from our past for our future actions.

The New Zealand Archaeological Association (NZAA) is the main organiser for Archaeology Week. Planning started late last year in discussions with our staff and external consultants on some themes and how to gain good community support for regional activities. Each year we look for new opportunities to engage with all ages in our communities, to give people a chance to try their own hand at being an archaeologist and to learn the outcomes. The events planned in support of New Zealand Archaeology Week provide a perfect platform for staff to work with external organisations and consultant archaeologists to promote and explain the importance of protecting our archaeological heritage. These events include: new episodes for the Aotearoa Unearthed podcast series developed by Dr Rosemary Baird; engagement with young people being an ‘archaeologist for the day’; archaeology walks and talks in Wellington and in the Bay of Plenty; and an archaeology event at Riverhead School in Auckland. In Northland staff are planning a number of events involving children and archaeology, including being an ‘archaeologist for the day’ at the Kerikeri Mission Station and a hands-on experience using a real archaeological stone fish trap near Kerikeri.

The NZAA's membership spans professionals, amateurs, students, businesses and various other institutions interested in New Zealand's archaeology and heritage. Its main objective is to promote and foster archaeological and historical research. The organisation also lobbies government and local authorities for the recognition and protection of New Zealand's cultural heritage through engagement and changes to district plans. Details of events for this year's Archaeology Week will be posted on the NZAA website (nzarchaeology.org.nz), the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website (heritage.org.nz) under ‘News and Events’ and Facebook (facebook.com/Heritage NewZealand). n

Taipa Area School students working a real archaeological stone fish trap near Kerikeri. HNZPT Northland Area Manager Bill Edwards in the white shirt.