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Research
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Research

Conal McCarthy’s research interests include museum history and theory, and aspects of heritage and visual culture. His first book was a study of New Zealand architecture in the nineteenth century and his second book Exhibiting Māori: A history of colonial cultures of display was published by Berg in 2007. Lee Davidson’s research specialities are leisure (history, theory and contemporary practice); visitor studies; narrative research methods; tourism and natural/cultural heritage. She is currently preparing a book based on her doctoral research on New Zealand mountaineering.

Graduate student research covers the broad field of museum and heritage studies. Current thesis topics include: historic sites and changing heritage values, international visitors and the perception of biculturalism, museum accreditation schemes, the representation of childhood in museum history collections, museological discourse and contemporary art practice, the historical development of new national museums in New Zealand and Canada, exhibition design and visitor reception, visitor meaning making and museum exhibits, contested heritage as seen in a Taranaki monument, the display of the moa in natural history museums, decorative arts collections in contemporary museums, and nineteenth century collectors at the Napier Athenaeum and Philosophical Institute.

Recent student research

	MA by Thesis
Lynette Townsend	“Seen but not heard? Collecting the history of New Zealand childhood" 2008
	Dissertations
Pamela Sibley	‘The individual visitor’s experience of museums: A study of six individual visits to the Museum of Wellington City and Sea’. 2007
Lynne Allan	‘Closing the gap between developer intention and visitor reception: A case study of the ‘Stowaways’ segment at the Te Papa exhibition Blood Earth Fire’. 2007
Karen Astwood	‘Reframing colonial collecting: A study of 19th century collectors and collecting at the Hawkes Bay Philosophical Institute’. 2007
Paulette Wallace	‘Demolishing public history: The Whitely memorial in Taranaki as a site of contested heritage’. 2007
Blyss Wagstaff	'Jewellery, craft or art: Collecting contemporary decorative arts in New Zealand museums’. 2007
Jamie Bell	'Who do you think you are?: Constructing and representing Central Otago identity'. 2007.

Student research topics

	Dissertations
Helen Hawkins	Developing young athletes in high performance, 2007

Frances Speer	Good use: A study of collection utilisation at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, 2007
Tamarisk Sutherland	“More than ‘a one night stand’: Evolving partnerships between public museums and corporate organisations”, 2006

Katie Duke	“Making Art Public: Towards a new model for public art in Wellington”, 2006

Anne Harlow	“Art, craft and hip hop: A history of The Dowse 1971-2006”, 2006

Imelda Bargas	“New Zealand history in secondary schools: An examination of teacher topic selection at year 13 level”, 2005

Sarah Snelling	“Museum websites: Creating greater access to the New Zealand art collection?”, 2005

Christy Ballard	“The negotiation of narratives: A case study of the Indian community exhibition Aainaa: Reflections through Indian weddings at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa”, 2005

Marguerite Hill	“Madness in the early twentieth-century New Zealand: The patient case records of Porirua hospital, 1909-15”, 2005

Odette Tupouohomohema	“The ‘Pacifikisation’ of museum practices: A case study of the Tonga Museum, past, present and future”, 2005

Current research topics

MA Theses

Bruce Phillips

The art museum as a secular temple: Christian artists and the contemporary culture of art.

Dissertations

Paula Karkkainnen

On the boundary: The tā moko panel and changing views of Māori art.


	PhD
Chooi-lian Khor	Accreditation, professionalism or training? Evaluating the New Zealand museum standards scheme

Elizabeth Pishief	An integrated model for heritage resource management : A case study of archaeological sites and taonga tuturu in Hawkes Bay

Phillip Scorch	Te Papa-a forum for the world? Biculturalism, meaning-making and international visitors