New Zealand perspectives on conservation and preservation education

Abstract

Aotearoa New Zealand lacks the provision of education in the areas of cultural heritage conservation and preventive conservation. Aotearoa’s cultural heritage is unique, priceless, and incomparable in the sense of budgets and policy directives. It is no more or less valuable to society than healthcare, physical infrastructure, or any other conceivable political fiscal concern. Cultural heritage however is largely intangible, invisible, and easily forgotten, consisting of reo/language, reta/correspondence, tikanga/protocols, pukapuka/books, mauhanga/records, and taonga/treasures it can seem esoteric and noncritical. This invisibility makes advocacy challenging as it must overcome the very New Zealand idea that intangible equals incidental equals unnecessary and the self-congratulatory attitude that as a colonised nation with founding bicultural partnership documents regardless of the practical application of these, we have already met the standard for biculturality. Tangible and intangible heritage describes who we are and why we are and the lack of provision for the care of these concepts, objects and practices places this in very real danger.