Aotea Utanganui Museum to preserve local history with Oral History project

Aotea Utanganui Museum of South Taranaki is aiming to preserve local history with their upcoming Oral History project. Photo/ Supplied

Aotea Utanganui Museum of South Taranaki is looking to interview people about significant south Taranaki events for their upcoming Oral History project.

Museum team leader Luana Paamu says the project is funded by the Taranaki Regional Council.

"Taranaki Regional Council supports the South Taranaki District Museum Trust with an annual grant of $25,000. The team at Aotea Utanganui Museum of South Taranaki have been creating exhibitions and projects using this funding for the past few years. The Oral History project is the latest project."

The reason for this project is to record people's memories.

"When they pass on they take these memories with them and the information is lost forever. It's not just factual details that are important but anecdotal accounts of life and events that occurred, which give a real feel for what life was like during a certain time in history."

The project will preserve the heritage for future generations, Luana says.

"The historical accounts from local kaumātua will be recorded for future generations. Not only will they be able to reminisce about their own memories, but also the memories of their elders. This aspect is important as it adds extra depth to what is recorded."

Front of house administrator Bronwyn Wattrus says the museum aims to record people with a background in sciences, recreation, sport and Māoritanga.

"We hope to find people who attended or heard, about significant events in South Taranaki. These could include the Queen's visit to Pātea in 1953, the resurgence of te reo Māori and how Huirangi Waikerepuru ensured it was included as a national language, or events that impacted South Taranaki in a big way."

The interviews will be recorded in 4K audio.

"They will feature personalities including farmers, ecologists and environmentalists, artists and creators, independent thinkers, cultural influencers, business leaders, mountaineers, gardeners, beekeepers, leaders of the land, and historians."

Bronwyn encourages people interested in the project, or who know of someone that fits the criteria, to contact the museum.

"We need their contact details so we can initiate the conversation. The recordings of interviews will be kept as part of the museum's audio collection. A release form will need to be signed before any interviews can occur. "