Places

Date: 13 Dec 2007

From: Studio La Gonda - a large format legacy oral history project

By: Sameshima, Haruhiko, 1958-

Reference: OHInt-1002-03

Description: Interview with Haru (Haruhiko) Sameshima, born in Shimizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, in 1958. Recalls his family background, coming from a line of scientists, his mother dying when he was three, and his father remarrying later. Talks about the family coming to New Zealand in 1973, first impressions, and his geologist father working as a research associate at Auckland University. Comments on the profound personal shift for him arriving in New Zealand at age 14 unable to speak English. Details his father's interest in photography and his own first camera. Refers to moving to Dunedin aged 20 as a student, dropping out of his course, and in 1979 working through a PEP scheme as a graphics technician at Otago Polytechnic. Outlines his jobs in commercial photographic studios and as a photographic technician in the the Otago University Geology Department in the 1980s. Talks about meeting his partner Moyra Elliot and buying his own studio lighting to photograph her pottery. Discussess studying at Elam School of Fine Arts [1987-1991, 1994-1995], teachers John B Turner, Megan Jenkinson and Denys Watkins, and students Gavin Hipkins, Michael Parekowhai, Giovanni Intra and Darren Glass. Talks about John Turner's interest in large format photography and his influence. Comments on his first experiences using 8x10 cameras. Recalls meeting Mark Adams in 1992 and mentions photographers Fiona Pardington, Alan McDonald and Bill Hammond. Refers to his first solo exhibition "Aesthetic Science" at Lazelle Gallery, Auckland. Describes the formation of Studio La Gonda as an antidote or alternative form of existence to an art career, the origin of the name, physical characteristics of the studio, and deposits of personal archives there. Outlines some of the equipment housed at La Gonda, and his relationship to technology. Describes the evolution of digital technology, and sketches an outline for the future of large format technology as a boutique activity. Comments on large format photography in the context of the art school curriculum, and on major 19th and 20th century influences. Mentions Rim Publishing. Reflects on difficulties in how commercial works get credited and the problem of authorship of commissioned images. Interviewer(s) - Hanna Scott Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-023028 - OHC-023030 Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 3 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-7507. Photograph of Haruhiko Sameshima at Studio La Gonda? (photographer Mark Adams; 2008) Search dates: 1958 - 2007

Date: 2 Feb 2010 - 02 Feb 2010

From: MOTAT Telecommunications oral history project

By: Robertson, Lynda Gaye, 1958-

Reference: OHInt-1004-06

Description: Interview with Lynda Robertson (nee Fussell), born in Christchurch in 1958. Refers to her father working for the Post Office and the family moving frequently. Comments on working for the Bank of New Zealand when she left school, and getting a job as a telephone toll exchange operator in Christchurch c.1974. Talks about her training, how the switchboard operated, and putting calls through to manual and automatic exchanges. Comments on shift work, swapping shifts, and operators taking 111 calls on the 'doggo shift'. Refers to the role of supervisors. Explains how they would answer a call at the toll exchange, the standard phrases, toll tickets and person to person calls. Describes transfer charge calls and collect calls. Talks about the urgent call service and how the calls would be placed. Describes working in the Auckland exchange for six months when it had partially migrated to subscriber toll dialing. Comments on the equipment used and why operators were still needed after the introduction of subscriber toll dialing. Mentions spending 10 years in Australia and getting a job in directory assistance in Auckland when she returned. Describes the work done there, and spending a period on international directory assistance. Comments on transferring to the toll exchange. Talks about 111 emergency calls and when they would use technicians or the police to trace the calls. Talks about the change from the Post Office to Telecom. Comments on her subsequent career with Telecom in business credit control after the call centre was outsourced to SITEL. Reflects on changes in technology over the years. Accompanying material - Scanned copy of Lynda Fussell's certificate from the Post Office Telephone Exchange Training School (dated 2 December 1975) Accompanying material - Recording of greetings used when answering calls put through a telephone exchange (track 3) Interviewer(s) - Megan Hutching Quantity: 1 digital sound recording(s). 3 Electronic document(s) (abstract). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 1.10 Hours and minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHDL-001716, OHA-7523. Search dates: 1958 - 2010

Date: 28 Apr 2000

From: Aroha Trust oral history project

By: Daley, Dorothy Dawn, 1958-

Reference: OHInt-0479-03

Description: Interview with Dorothy Daley, born in Wellington in 1958. Covers her childhood growing up in Porirua and Titahi Bay; her experience as a member of the Wellington women's work cooperative Aroha Trust; her association with Wellington gangs; and her adult life. Interviewer(s) - Pip Desmond Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-009829 - OHC-009831 Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 3 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-3295. Search dates: 1958 - 2000

Date: 4 Mar 1995-13 Jun 1996 - 04 Mar 1995 - 13 Jun 1996

From: Hawkes Bay oral history project

By: Cowan, Dianne Lee, 1958-

Reference: OHInt-0438-01

Description: Dianne Cowan was born in Wellington in 1958. Recalls the family's move to Marton. Describes leaving school at the age of fifteen, short-term office jobs, falling in love and getting engaged. Talks about her parent's background including time spent by her father, Brian Furness, as a child in institutional care. Mentions family history research being done. Describes the childhood of her mother, Anita Hill, and how her mother left school to help in the family milkbar. Describes how her mother met her father while he was married, her birth and their marriage. Recalls the day of the `Wahine' storm in detail. Describes her son's autism and work to help his development. Discusses `Tomorrow's schools' and its effect on communities. Comments on issues between the towns of Napier and Hastings including location of the hospital. Talks about parochialism and attitudes in the area to feminism and gender issues. Discusses class and racism. Talks about the economic situation and being a one income family. Mentions the Employment Contracts Act (ECA). Discusses politics in Hawkes Bay. Interviewer(s) - Joyce Paton Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-2132. Search dates: 1958 - 1996

Date: 2 May 2006 - 02 May 2006

From: Office of the Auditor-General History project

By: Spencer, Alan Morton, 1939-; Fowke, Susan, 1944-2017

Reference: OHInt-0838-08

Description: Interview with Alan Spencer, born Crayford, Kent, 24 January 1939. Talks about his family background and early childhood during World War II in southeast London and Cheshire. Explains his early interest in geography and travel - by bicycle in Britain and by motorcycle in New Zealand. Refers to meeting his wife Jan Gash in 1962 through a church group, marrying in 1964, and their three children. Mentions getting a job as an audit clerk in a London accountancy firm after leaving school, and deciding to emigrate to New Zealand to avoid national service. Discusses being accepted for a public service assisted immigrant scheme and being allocated to the Audit Department when he arrived in Wellington. Describes working in the Credit Section and then briefly in Public Accounts before going to the New Plymouth District Office and later to Invercargill. Talks about the culture in the Department and about living in boarding houses. Discusses the work of district offices, the travel involved, and auditing local bodies. Talks about returning to Head Office, Wellington as an assistant auditor in the Local Bodies Branch in 1967, working with legislation, particularly the Local Authorities (Members' Interests) Act, and being introduced to the reporting side of the Office. Mentions moving to the Public Accounts Section in 1972, and explains the 'Controller' function of the Auditor-General. Refers to a secondment to Treasury for two years to design a new centralised government accounting system - a computerised system that required departments to take more responsibility for their accounting. Mentions that a large part of his work of the last 20 years of his career was report writing - including the Annual Report to Parliament. Discusses auditors-general in his time and refers to the restructuring of the department under Jeff Chapman into policy and operational arms. Mentions the Public Audit Act 2001 and attempts by Treasury and some members of parliament to reduce the role of the Office. Discusses controversies over members of parliaments' priviledges and advertising by government agencies, referring to the fact that the Auditor-General can only report and has no power of enforcement. Interviewer(s) - Susan Fowke Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-015410, OHC-015411, OHC-015412, OHC-015413 Quantity: 1 printed abstract(s). 4 C60 cassette(s). 1 interview(s). 3.29 Hours and minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-5586. Colour and B&W portraits Search dates: 1939 - 1958 - 2006 - 2004