Our cultural heritage: towards the development of a national design collection policy

Abstract

What is design? Design is an integral part of our everyday leisure experience from the clothing we wear to the environment that surrounds us. For many the collecting and viewing of design objects either privately or publicly is a preferred leisure activity. Thus, design is a part of our national heritage, it is a reflection of the cultural manifestations that have formed this country. This thesis explores the notion of a development of a national design collection policy for New Zealand. To establish what criteria should be used to develop this policy, information was gathered from twelve key people, who have specialised knowledge on design. Secondary research was used for the theoretical foundation of this thesis and was based on four overseas and four New Zealand models, and the culture of collecting in the European tradition. The findings of this research show that a national design collection policy could be implemented within a nationally significant institution or nationally within national and regionally significant institutions. The development of such a policy would highlight the importance of collecting, preserving and promoting an important aspect of our own cultural heritage.