Marguerite Hill aims to make Kiwi heritage accessible to a wider audience. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Marguerite Hill aims to make Kiwi heritage accessible to a wider audience. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Name: Marguerite Hill
Age: 27
Role: Researcher - Resources Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Ministry for Culture and Heritage (www.teara.govt.nz)
Working hours: 40 hours
Average salary: $45,000-$60,000
Qualifications: BA in history and English and BA (Hons) in history from University of Waikato. Masters in museum and heritage studies from Victoria University.

Describe what you do.

I work at Te Ara - an online encyclopaedia of New Zealand. It's rolled out in books around themes, not A-Z like your average encyclopedia.

I am part of a team of about 20, including editors, writers, designers, a copyright administrator and resource researchers. The staff has varied backgrounds in science and history, fine arts, design, Maori and Pacific studies, law and writing.

My job involves researching images, audio and videos to illuminate and illustrate the text of the Te Ara entries.

This involves a great deal of archival research, as well as working with other institutions to find appropriate material.

I help create graphs, interactives and diagrams. The job entails juggling a great deal of information and ideas. I also do archival research and general research.

Why did you choose this line of work?

I grew up hearing our family history. I've always been interested in the way people lived and how outside events affect everyday life.

I studied history all through secondary school. At university, I particularly enjoyed resource interpretation and research projects on social history. As I progressed, I became interested in gender history and masculinity and femininity in different contexts.

Your background?

I graduated with a BA in history and English in 2002 and a BA (Hons) in history in 2003. I then did a masters in museum and heritage studies, which I finished in 2005. When I finished university, I was lucky to get contract work. I worked as an assistant collection manager at Te Papa from 2005 to 2007, and started at Te Ara in July 2007.

What was the attraction of doing museum studies?

I had always wanted to be a museum curator, specialising in social history, so I was delighted to find a course available at Victoria University. One of the best aspects of the course is that it includes a large practical component, so we got to work in heritage institutions such as museums, galleries, Historic Places Trust and government departments.