Nubian Marino iwi kairangahau 2022

Iwi Kairangahau Iwi Summer Intern programme

The Iwi Kairangahau Iwi Summer Intern programme was an opportunity for rangatahi to gain experience in cultural heritage preservation, with a focus on documentary heritage collections held by iwi and hapū. The internships were for 12 weeks (450 hours), with a week-long induction in Wellington and each intern returned to their home rohe where they undertook their respective internships.

Iwi kairangahau worked with Library colleagues to increase their understanding of the care, preservation and conservation of taonga focussing on their areas of interest including oral history and exhibition development.

Introducing Nubian Marino

Nubian works alongside her grandfather, Wirangi “Charlie” Pera, who along with many other pakeke who are no longer with us, has assembled the Te Aitanga a Māhaki Research Unit that archives local Tairāwhiti history focussing on Māhaki based kōrero.

With the support of the pakeke, Nubian has identified the preservation of the archive with the creation of resources for rangatahi as areas of focus for the Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki Research unit. This includes gathering further oral histories and developing policies for managing the research unit oral history resources.

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The internship

The internship was over 4 months but was so enjoyable it just didn't seem nearly long enough. Having the opportunity to compare the work that we do back at home with the work of a national body like the Library was really useful. I could see that the work we are doing at home isn't as big as the work being done at the Library but it is just as important.

I saw that I might be doing a simple method of setting up Māhaki’s archives, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a good process. It was reassuring for me hear from people like the Archivist at the Library that there are many different ways of doing things, for example, there are many ways of setting up an office space and even though what I was doing was a bit more basic I am on the right track. The experience and conversations helped me to feel more confident about the work I am doing at the Māhaki research unit.

COVID and protest interruptions

Doing this internship from Gisborne rather than being in the Library because we are going through a pandemic was unexpected and rather hard. We had to reschedule trips and have some time out due to sickness when we were having workshops. The protest also interrupted our work and we were sent home because of it amd the risks that it posed. Although this disrupted what we had planned it was also an interesting experience being in Wellington during these events. I wouldn’t have experienced the protests and the effects that it had on the environment down there had I not been a part of the internship.

Working with Library staff

Working alongside someone like Vicki-Anne (Field Conservator), I got to understand a conservator’s point of view of why something would be in an archive. Spending time with Kat Tamaira (Research Librarian Māori), I was able to find out just how important a fully fleshed database can be, and that not every database has to be fancy to work. Sometimes simple is better, simple works.

Being down with the Conservation Team, I got a better understanding of the importance of the physical environment when you are preserving items. Everyday tasks that seem harmless, can be very dangerous to books. There were so many things that I never took into consideration when handling different items. I now have more awareness and know what to be careful of in the future.

Ōtautahi trip an inspiration

Flying down to Ōtautahi was an unforgettable trip. One highlight was our visit to the Ngāi Tahu Archive team. Being able to see first-hand where our archives could be in the future was an inspiration. The resources that are available for the iwi at the Ngāi Tahu Archive was nothing short of amazing.

The visit to the Ngāi Tahu team is something that I'm going to take home with me and hopefully one day see as a reality for Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki. Hearing from the team at Ngai Tahu, where they began to where they are now, it gave me the feeling that it is achievable with a lot of hard work.

Creating valuable connections

All in all, I found that even though I didn’t get to do all the work that was originally planned for us, I was able to create valuable connections within the Library and also in the community. I've now got connections here in Gisborne, as well as somewhere as far away as down south in Ōtautahi. This is something that I would have never experienced or been able to develop on my own.

I’m thankful for everything that Vicki-Anne made possible for me, the world within the National library that she made accessible to me. I know that even if the task that I have before me right now is daunting, I’m not in it alone anymore. I have others that are there if I’m having a hard time, or dealing with things that I don’t understand.

The internship turned out differently from what was originally planned because of COVID and the protests. But I wouldn’t change my time for anything. It was an internship that I am grateful for, and an experience that I hope many others will be able to go through.