Plan to decolonise Auckland’s museum
Auckland museum is indigenising its institutions to better represent a diverse community, writes Torika Tokalau.
Dion Peita calls it unpacking centuries of colonial intent.
Three years ago when Auckland War Memorial Museum, Ta¯maki Paenga Hira, started the process of indigenising its collections, the tumuaki of Ma¯ori and Pacific development knew it was necessary but not easy.
‘‘Let’s be quite clear, many of the collections that exist around the country were built upon colonial objectives, but in the 21st century, that colonial approach is very much being pushed to the fringes.’’
The museum is staging its first public conversation tomorrow about decolonising its collections. Part of the Nga¯ Ka¯kano wa¯nanga series, the event features Ma¯ori and Pasifika speakers of renown and deep cultural mana, and will be the first large event to be staged in the recently opened Te Ao Ma¯rama South Atrium.
The talanoa is not its first attempt to ensure the institution reflects the diversity of Ta¯maki Makaurau, but part of a threeyear struggle to bring this to the forefront.
Peita said the challenge is about making sure Ta¯maki Makaurau’s cultural institution reflects the diversity within their collections, and around them.
It’s a courageous conversation to be had, especially as many museums established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries have legacies rooted in colonialism, he said. But there is a generational shift in attitudes evident in the Black Lives Matter movement and the removal of colonial-era statues memorialising the colonial past in parts of New Zealand. Museums like Auckland hope to be a part of that cultural epoch.
‘‘We’re now recentering the conversation around, well, if these collections are being collected then how can our communities have a greater resonance with the way we talk and research and present it?
‘‘ It’s about enriching the museum with deep cultural knowledge and value that is specific to Ma¯ori and Pasifika, countering the dominant colonial knowledge of things.’’
Cultural expert, Emeritus Professor Nga¯huia Te Aweko¯tuku, said decolonising was a trendy term applied only in the past few years. Ma¯ori have been reclaiming and reasserting ownership on their taonga for a very long time.
She said significant Ma¯ori figures such as Ma¯ui Po¯mare, Sir
pirana Ngata, Ma¯kereti Papakura and Te Rangi Hı¯roa ( Sir
Peter Buck), and Lili’uokalani, Salote and Tupua Tamasese Lealofi- o- a¯’ ana III from the Pacific have been involved in this struggle for decades.
‘‘It’s not a new thing, it’s an old struggle. It’s not something that was invented by that phrase, or realised by the people working in the institution today,’’ Te Aweko¯tuku said.
The challenge of decolonising museums relied heavily on having qualified and diverse staff, she said.
‘‘That’s really the basic point – if you have a massive collection
of Ma¯ori and Pasifika materials then how many of the full-time, ongoing, continuing staff – not contracted in or fixed term, but permanent staff – who are Ma¯ori and Pasifika, hold responsibility for its interpretation and care?’’
Design and representation, having good allies and genuine connections with communities of origin and Pa¯keha¯ is also important. ‘‘When those connections unravel or weaken, and that can happen in the appointment of a new director or funding crisis, we can see staff go slightly awry.
‘‘Mind you, at Auckland that hasn’t happened. We’ve got a really competent and qualified Pasifika and Ma¯ori staff, although there is still very few of them.’’
The museum has a comprehensive checklist, and works collaboratively through the support of its Taumata-a¯-Iwi, Pacific Advisory and iwi working groups to consider what’s appropriate for
its spaces. Expert curators and researchers ensure information held in their care is accurate.
‘‘We are truly transforming in such a way that if you come to the museum you’ll really see the sense of commitment that we have to our Te Ao Ma¯rama,’’ Peita said. ‘‘You will start to see our identity and culture on display to all of our audiences. It’s also not just about the display but the journey to get there.’’
Te Aweko¯tuku said there is still a long way to go to indigenise museums but 50 years’ experience makes her optimistic.
‘‘The way ahead is not as neocolonial or racist as same people may fear. I’d like to think the museum environment is a place in which all the different communities of Aotearoa can reach out to each other and can achieve something really special, present a legacy for the generations yet to come because that’s what museums ideally should do.’’
‘‘The way ahead is not as neo-colonial or racist as same people may fear.’’
Emeritus Professor Nga¯huia Te Aweko¯tuku