ROKIROKITIA TRAINING TO PRESERVE COOK ISLANDS AUDIOVISUAL TAONGA
Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision supported by from Manatū Taonga (New Zealand Ministry for Cultural Heritage are providing two digitisation kits to the Cook Islands.
The two organisations involved are The Cook Islands Ministry of Cultural Development (MOCD) and The Cook Islands Voyaging Society.
Three members from both organisations will attend Rokirokitia training workshops in Wellington from 15 to 18 May 2023. The trainees are Tui Tupa, Archivist from MOCD along with Byron Brown and Tiana Haxton of the Cook Islands Voyaging Society. The trip will include visits to Ngā Taonga’s Motutawa Vault in Avalon, Te Papa, Heritage NZ and Alexander Turnbull Library Rokirokitia is about the preservation of at-risk audio-visual taonga to ensure ongoing access to heritage knowledge. Magnetic media such as VHS and audio cassette have finite lifespans and many are at risk of degrading and losing the content they hold. Additionally, much of the hardware required to play these media are no longer being manufactured, and replacement parts and technicians are scarce.
Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision recognise the cultural importance of these taonga and the content they hold. Kōrero and images captured on them hold knowledge for future generations. Rokirokitia kits ensure these magnetic media can be digitally preserved in the Cook Islands.
Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision are supplying field kits and training to MOCD and The Cook Islands Voyaging Society do this digitising preservation work. The purpose of this collaboration is to support Cook Islands to continue preserving their magnetic media taonga.
Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision support began with the Cooks Islands Ministry of Cultural Development in 2013 with the deposit of the audiovisual collections of the National Archives of the Cook Islands (NACI). Periodic accessioning, preservation and digitisation of the NACI has taken place since 2013 and culminated in the signing of a deposit agreement between the two organisations in 2022.
The provision of the Rokirokitia kits is a continuation of Ngā Taonga’s kaipupuri commitments in providing a conservation model for use in the Cook Islands, building capability and capacity and increasing expertise.
KEY POINTS – ROKIROKITIA DIGITISATION KITS (provided by Ngā Taonga)
Friday 20 May, 2023
Rokirokitia is about the preservation of at-risk audio-visual taonga to ensure ongoing access to mātauranga.
Magnetic media such as VHS and audio cassette have finite lifespans and many are at risk of degrading and losing the mātauranga they hold.
Additionally, some hardware required to play these media are no longer being manufactured, and replacement parts and technicians are scarce.
Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision recognise the cultural importance of these taonga and the mātauranga/knowledge they hold – the kōrero captured on them, the images of old, and the passing down of knowledge to future generations.
In 2013 the audiovisual collections of the National Archives of theCook Islands (NACI) were deposited with Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision (then the New Zealand Film Archive) with a total of 6000 items. There have been 3 trips from 2014 to 2020 by members of MOCD to work with Ngā Taonga to accession, conserve and digitise NACI items. The 2022 the deposit agreement between MOCD and Ngā Taonga lead to the inclusion of the NACI collection in the Utaina Magnetic Media Digitisation Project.
The relationship between MOCD and Ngā Taonga includes an audiovisual conservation model for use in Cook Islands, build capability and capacity through knowledge–sharing and increase expertise for both organizations. The provision of Rokirokitia kits
and training are part of the kaipupuri commitments by Ngā Taonga to the Cook Islands and MOCD.
Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision, supported by funding from Manatū Taonga, The Ministry for Culture and Heritage, are providing two
digitisation kits to the Cook Islands.
The two organisations are The Cook Islands Ministry of Cultural Development and The Cook Islands Voyaging Society.
Three members from both organisations will attend Rokirokitia training workshops in Wellington from 15 to 18 May 2023.
The trainees are Tui Tupa, Archivist from MOCD along with Byron Brown and Tiana Haxton of the Cook Islands Voyaging Society.
The trip will include visits to Ngā Taonga’s Motutawa vault in Avalon, Te Papa, Heritage NZ and Alexander Turnbull Library.