Inspired by the Humans of New York photoblog, we’re showcasing some of the incredible stories and experience of people throughout our organisation.
Nick, Curator Public Programmes
Te Whare Taonga o ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa The New Zealand Police Museum (NZPM) tells the stories of New Zealand Police and the work they do to keep us safe. The museum holds a large collection of New Zealand Police cultural property and criminal case evidence from Aotearoa’s history. It holds over 100,000 items from the mid-19th century all the way to the present day.
The museum is the caretaker of New Zealand Police’s history as well as an interface for people to interact with New Zealand Police to build trust and confidence.
As Kaitiaki Curator Public Programmes at the museum, the main function of my role is education and interaction. My goal is to educate people on these significant events in our collective history and to help foster a relationship between the public and New Zealand Police.
Roughly 20,000 people a year visit the museum from all over the country to delve into this history, with around half of this visitation coming from schools and community groups.
I have a background in museums; however, this was not my intended career until 2016.
I am from Dunedin and studied Genetics and Archaeology at the University of Otago. In 2016, I was hired as a Casual Communicator at the Otago Museum. I quickly found my mixture of artistic (in my studies and as a musician) and scientific background lent itself very well to the museum field. I became hooked and began to move my way through a variety of jobs before settling in Education, Science Communication, and the Planetarium.
The NZPM seemed like an ideal next career step. My background in education, science, and museums has meant a great fit with my role. I enjoy the wide variety of work my job offers: from teaching students, to designing and curating new exhibitions.
It is the variation, creativity and freedom of the role which keeps me excited about my work. I also enjoy the small team environment, where we share a sense of pride and stewardship over the museum.
When I look back at my time here, I will be able to say that I am proud of the work I achieved with my colleagues.
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