Aotearoa Unearthed

Episode 17 ǀ Buildings archaeology and working in the Christchurch CBD Red Zone

Rosemary talks to Matthew Hennessey about buildings archaeology and his experiences working inside the Christchurch CBD Red Zone cordon after the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes.

Episode 16 ǀ Archaeology activities for kids

Rosemary talks to Rebecca Cox, Manager of Mercury Bay Museum, about her experiences running archaeological activities for kids at the museum and local schools.  

Episode 15 ǀ Creating the Ōtautahi Christchurch Archaeological Archive

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.

Episode 14 ǀ Researching Māori archaeological textiles

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.

Episode 13 ǀ Archaeology and cultural monitoring on the NCTIR project after the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake

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.

Episode 12 ǀ Citizen science and the HMS Buffalo re-examination project

Rosemary talks to Dr Kurt Bennett about his role in the HMS Buffalo wreck re-examination project. Professional maritime archaeologists trained recreational divers to conduct fieldwork on the shipwreck in Mercury Bay. Public talks, museum exhibits, educational programmes, and collaboration with Ngāti Hei all led to wider community knowledge about the HMS Buffalo. The project won the New Zealand Archaeology Association’s Public Archaeology Award in 2022.

Episode 11 ǀ Maritime archaeology in New Zealand

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.

Episode 10 ǀ World War II in Northland

Rosemary talks to four Northlanders who used archaeological research and investigation techniques to piece together a picture of ‘Fortress Northland’; a staggering network of defence infrastructure which was constructed in panicked haste following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour in December 1941. Jack Kemp, Bill Guthrie, Bill Edwards and James Robinson share tales of what they discovered through archaeological investigations, oral history interviews, and detective work in the archives.

Episode 9 | Investigating and dating Waikato Wetland Pā

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.

Episode 8 | Protecting New Zealand’s archaeology

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.