The Groube Fieldwork Award
Matthew Schmidt
Matthew Schmidt has been awarded the Groube Fieldwork Award for his 20122014 work at the 1926-1932 Norwegian Whalers Base on Stewart Is./Rakiura.
This fieldwork resulted in the declaration and protection of this site as an
archaeological site, this being New Zealand’s first 20th century maritime heritage
site to be protected as such.
Matt’s efforts here have also resulted in an increasing public awareness of
archeology and the interesting NZ history that has occurred post-1900. This work
and that history have caught the attention of local, regional, and national media
helping to educate the public on archaeological resources and what they can tell
us.
Matt undertook almost all of the fieldwork in his own time including writing up
the funding proposals, drawing the plans and compiling the declaration proposal
to Heritage New Zealand. He also, in his own time, attended the Norwegian
celebrations on the island in April 2014 where the declaration was unveiled by the
Royal Norwegian Consul General.
The success of Matt’s fieldwork for the Whalers Base involved enlisting the help
of a number of people and organisations, including: the locals and the Museum of
Stewart Is/Rakiura, The Royal Norwegian Consulate, Rowley Moffett (land owner
where part of the site lies on), the Environment Management Committee of
Environment Southland, the Otago/Southland Area Office of the New Zealand
Historic Places Trust, Subsurface Ltd (Andy Dodd & Matthew Carter),
theSouthland Coastal Heritage Inventory Project (“SCHIP”) partners, the Southland
Museum & Art Gallery (David Dudfield), the Southland Branch of the New
Zealand Historic Places Trust, the Rakiura Office of the Department of
Conservation (Steve Meads, Sue Pasco), Phil Latham of the University of Otago
Anthropology Department, and the Marine Archaeological Association of New
Zealand (MAANZ).
Matt’s work in the field continues beyond this great project and the achievements
here have been remarkable and worthy of recognition.