He kōpapa taonga, he pātaka korero, hei kai mā Waitaha, hei kai mā te ao
A storehouse of treasures, a repository of knowledge for Canterbury and for the world
Ā Mātou Mahi | What We Do
Canterbury Museum is a charitable trust governed by the Canterbury Museum Trust Board. It opened to the public in 1867 and has been on Rolleston Avenue since 1870. The Museum closed to the public in early 2023 and is currently undergoing redevelopment. A pop-up Museum – Canterbury Museum at CoCA – opens at 66 Gloucester Street in mid-2023.
The Museum acquires and cares for worldwide collections of human and natural history, with a focus on the Ngāi Tahu rohe, Waitaha Canterbury and the Antarctic. Before closing for redevelopment, the Museum was one of the premier tourist attractions in Te Waipounamu (South Island). It welcomed several hundred thousand visitors each year to explore the diversity of the natural world and Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural heritage, while also providing a window on the rest of the world.
Canterbury Museum also owns and operates Quake City, and Ravenscar House Museum.
The Museum aims to:
- Create an interactive, experiential journey for visitors.
- Provide our visitors with friendly, high-quality service, ensuring equitable access to all.
- Reach out to children and adults of all ages and provide learning experiences in an informative and enjoyable setting.
- Build and properly care for the collection of priceless taonga we hold in trust for the community.
- Undertake high-quality, relevant research on our collections and disseminate results to the widest possible audience.
- Work with iwi in the spirit of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi), embodying concepts such as mauri, kawa, mana and wairua.
- Work with a range of partnerships that integrate us into the wider community.
- Provide maximum community benefits from the resources available.
- Uphold and adhere to the highest professional standards of best practice.
- Provide staff with the learning and professional development opportunities required to enable them to carry out their work.
Ō Mātou Tikanga | The Values We Live By
- We actively ENGAGE with our visitors and the wider Waitaha Canterbury community.
- We are committed to working COLLABORATIVELY with our communities and with each other.
- We are committed to ACCOUNTABILITY in all our actions.
- We always act with INTEGRITY for our people, our taonga and the environment.
Ngā Tohu Hākori | Bicultural Competencies
Canterbury Museum is committed to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Our work with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu serving the Waitaha Canterbury region reflects this.
Canterbury Museum staff, research fellows, volunteers, board and contractors are expected to:
- Maintain a level of cultural competency specific to the role and contribute to the cultural and social cohesion between internal and external people and groups.
- Understand and engage with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its implications.
- Understand and engage with obligations to upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- Display cultural sensitivity and a willingness to work positively with organisational strategies to improve outcomes for Māori.
- Have an awareness of ethnic and cultural differences, social, political and religious beliefs.
- Respect diversity amongst internal and external people and groups.
Tūnga Whāinga | Position Purpose
This role exists to provide conservation support and strategy for the Museum redevelopment, including conserving objects for display in the redeveloped Museum and in providing care for objects at the temporary storage and exhibition sites.
Applications are invited by letter with attached Curriculum Vitae. The letter should include your own assessment of your suitability for the position and an indication of when you are free to take up duties. You should also state whether or not you have any criminal convictions or have any hearings pending. The Curriculum Vitae should include information about your experience and qualifications and the names and contact details (address, email and telephone numbers) of two or three people who are willing to assess the applicant’s merits if confidential reference is made to them.
For more information or to apply visit: https://www.museumsaotearoa.org.nz/careers/jobs/assistant-conservator-0
