Exhibitions Curator, MOTAT

I came to the Master of Museum and Heritage Studies programme after a BA in History and Sociology at the University of Auckland, and part time work as a host at Auckland Museum. I arrived in Wellington with a vague idea of wanting to work “in collections”, without really being sure what that meant! After 2 years, four placements and some incredible learning experiences, I felt far more confident in understanding the museums and heritage sector in New Zealand and some of the diverse career options that can come out of the degree. The combination of practical learning and academic discussion made this a unique and enjoyable degree, helped by being in the cultural hub of Wellington. I also made some great friends who are now working in incredibly diverse roles.

Two of my placements, at Museums Wellington and the Hawkes Bay Museum and Art Gallery (now MTG Hawke's Bay) involved working in collection management, and included packing and moving amazing objects and updating collection databases. I also undertook a placement at Auckland Museum with the exhibitions team, helping to research and write object stories for an exhibition about Auckland maps. I also researched natural heritage sites for a placement with the Heritage Policy Advisor at Greater Wellington Regional Council. As well as this practical experience, doing the course gave me a strong academic base to work from, and gave me the chance to explore elements of the history of the New Zealand wars as presented in an exhibition context for my dissertation.

My first position after completing the course was as Project Co-ordinator and then Research Executive for a private company called Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, which is based in Manchester. The company specialises in audience development, strategic planning, visitor research and exhibition evaluation, amongst many other things, in arts, culture and heritage organisations. I was involved in managing numerous research projects in New Zealand and Australia and reporting on research findings.

In September 2013 I took up the position of Curator Social History at Puke Ariki in New Plymouth, Taranaki. This position involved caring for the extensive social history collection and assisting with exhibition development. I was the point of contact for members of the public for information about the collection and for donation of items.

I then worked as a Collection Manager at AM Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, and now I am the Exhibitions Curator at MOTAT in Auckland. This position has been an exciting and challenging move, as I learn more about telling the stories of New Zealand transport, technology and innovation – new topics for me! I’m lucky to be tasked with creating interesting, dynamic and fun ways to share MOTAT’s great collection and New Zealand’s stories to our diverse audiences. I feel that having done the course, I am well set up for this new challenge, and am really excited about where this position will take me in the future.