Wikipedia:GLAM/Archaeology Aotearoa
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The Archaeology Aotearoa Wikimedia project looks at possible Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia contributions that could be made to better tell the story of the archaeology of Ōtautahi Christchurch and Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a collaboration between between Mike Dickison (Giantflightlessbirds) and the Christchurch Archaeology Project (CAP), who maintain the online database the Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi (MoAŌ).
This initial project is running one day a week from 30 January to 17 July 2026, and is generously funded by Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand. Mike is usually being hosted those days by Underground Overground Archaeology (95 Wordsworth Street, Christchurch), and otherwise can be contacted at mike
rove.wiki or on his Talk page.
The shortlink to this project is https://w.wiki/HjaL
The team
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- Mike Dickison (Giantflightlessbirds) – coordinator
- Katharine Watson (PhileasPassepartout) – archaeology advisor
- Madeline Snowdon (MaddsSnow) – student intern
- Tamsin Braisher (DrThneed) - as University of Otago Wikimedian in Residence
- Richard Nevell (Richard Nevell) – UK-based archaeologist and Wikimedian, happy to lend a hand where I can
- Gertrude206
Please add yourself to the list if you'd like to be involved in the project!
We will also reach out to WikiProject Archaeology to make use of their network of editors and its expertise.
People
[edit]- Museum of Archaeology people now in Wikidata: Hayden Cawte (Q131176672). Jessie Garland (Q110210563), and Katharine Watson (Q125119626). None of these archaeologists have a public ORCID record yet, and the items could all be improved with more biographical information.
The following is a selection of, for want of a better term, "big names" in New Zealand archaeology; of course it's incomplete, but worth noting that as of January 2026 most had no open-licensed images, several had no Wikipedia articles, and some were not even in Wikidata. Wikipedia has a "New Zealand archaeologists" category with 29 entries.
(Scholia shows the number of publications indexed in Wikidata for each—the tool is currently available via Qlever, a Wikidata query service mirror. The Commons column shows the number of freely-usable photos.)
This is not a list of every New Zealand archaeologist! If you add someone to this list, you're indicating you want to improve the article, Wikidata, and Commons category. And you should add yourself as a team member above.
The following is an essentially random selection of relatively-early-career archaeologists, to provide some balance. Again, there are many more archaeologists than this in Aotearoa, so as and when the project continues we can add more.
| Wikidata | Scholia | Wikipedia | Qual | Wikimedia Commons | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siân Halcrow (Q59700692) | : | Siân Halcrow |  |
Category:Siân Halcrow: 1 | MaddsSnow improving |
| Amber Aranui (Q104532234) | : | Amber Aranui | — | — | 1, 2, 3, 4, |
| Monica Tromp (Q60976617) | : | Monica Tromp | — | — | Otago 1, 2, 3, 4, |
| Charlotte King (Q89931325) | : | Charlotte King | — | — | Otago 1, 2 |
| Anna L Gosling (Q56810212) | : | Anna Gosling | — | — | Otago 1, 2, |
| Rebecca Phillipps (Q111192835) | : | Rebecca Phillipps | — | — | 1, 2, 3, 4, |
| Zac McIvor (Q138311048) | : | Zac McIvor | — | — | Otago 1, 2, 3, |
| Caitlin Smith (Q131302368) | : | Caitlin Smith | — | — | 2, 3, |
| Natasha Phillips (Q57907959) | : | Natasha Phillips | — | — | Otago 1, 2, 3, |
| Naomi Woods (Q138774921) | : | Naomi Woods | — | — | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
Organisations
[edit]| Wikidata | Name | Wikimedia Commons | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christchurch Archaeology Project (Q138335588) | Christchurch Archaeology Project | Category:Christchurch Archaeology Project | Wikidata 18/2. Need more info on dates etc. Logo and Commons cat 3/3. |
| (no entity) | Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi | Category:Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi | Cat and pics uploaded 2024-11-14 |
| Underground Overground Archaeology (Q138335495) | Underground Overground Archaeology | Category:Underground Overground Archaeology | Wikidata and category created 18/2 |
| New Zealand Archaeological Association (Q119373983) | New Zealand Archaeological Association (redirect) | Category:New Zealand Archaeological Association | Article is a redirect to Archaeology of New Zealand |
| Archaeology in New Zealand (Q99196285) | Archaeology in New Zealand | Category:Archaeology in New Zealand | |
| Journal of Pacific Archaeology (Q138333513) | Journal of Pacific Archaeology | Category:Journal of Pacific Archaeology | Wikidata created by Stuartyeates 18/2, logo added 4/3 |
| Australasian Historical Archaeology (Q15708652) | Australasian Historical Archaeology | Category:Australasian Historical Archaeology | |
| Cathedral Square Unearthed (Q138335581) | Cathedral Square Unearthed | Category:Cathedral Square Unearthed | Created 18/2. Logo and Commons cat 3/3. |
Photography
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Jessie Garland
Hayden Cawte
Katharine Watson
- Photos from the substantial CAP collection could be added to Commons where copyright can be cleared; this will require negotiating with clients like the CCC, Christ's College, the Arts Centre, and CERA's successor. The Wikipedian can organise bulk release of photos under an open licence.
- The Wikipedian and the archaeologists have already met to discuss creating a copyright and open licensing policy for CAP and the MoAŌ.
- Many Wikipedia articles could have photos added depicting on-site archaeology: Linwood House, the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Mona Vale, Isaac Theatre Royal, Lyttelton Timeball Station, Knox Church and dozens of others.
- CAP photos could be used to illustrate:
- pottery articles like transfer printing, Copeland, Davenport, Wedgwood, and Staffordshire Potteries
- articles about people like Joseph Brittan
- organisations like the Christchurch Club, the Canterbury Club, Ballantynes, and Christchurch's second Jewish Synagogue
- products like Crosse & Blackwell and Heinz
- The cumulative unique views of these articles will be substantial. Even the Heinz article (1000 readers a day) could have a CAP photo of Heinz Stuffed Olives added.
CAP have also created a Google sheet to help sort out target articles and photo copyrights.
- There is an extensive anthropological/archaeological photo collection at the University of Auckland, but the Anthropology Photographic Archive is now offline for technical and security reasons. A few hundred images that are available date mostly from the the 1960s and 1970s, many have no clear date or phtoographer, and are either All Rights Reserved or available under an unclear attribution condition—none are usable in Commons.
Wikipedia articles to improve
[edit]This project could substantially improve:
- Archaeology of New Zealand
- Christchurch, especially sections on the History of Christchurch (for example, the now-buried tram system) and articles relating to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and subsequent archaeological work
- Historical archaeology, which is a Start-class article citing almost no sources (and not to be confused with contemporary archaeology or modern archaeology)
Because the Journal of Pacific Archaeology became diamond open-access in 2025, citing its articles in Wikipedia is now quite easy, and this will be encouraged by other Wikipedians.
Archaeological sites
[edit]- At a staff meeting, we crowdsourced New Zealand archaeological sites "notable" enough for Wikipedia (notability in this context means having enough journal articles, book chapters, and newspaper/magazine articles published about them). Sites absent or barely mentioned in Wikipedia include:
- Dusky Sound • Tamatea / Dusky Sound (Q1048789) • ref, archaeology barely mentioned
- ✓ Palliser Bay • Palliser Bay (Q912692) • now expanded by MaddsSnow
- Clutha Valley • Clutha River / Mata-Au (Q613522) • ref, no mention of the 1977–87 archaeology project
- Waihemo / Shag River mouth • Waihemo / Shag River (Q2276344) • ref One sentence on the archaeology
- Others created or improved as part of this project include:
- Anaweka waka • Anaweka waka (Q138314158) • ref, created 25/3/26 by Zawed
- Chatham Island waka • (no entity) • ref, created 15/3/26 by Zawed
- Papanui waka • (no entity) • ref, created 11/6/2026 by User:Zawed
- And sites existing prior to the project include:
- Queen's Redoubt • Queen's Redoubt (Q122955547) • created 3/10/2023 by Zawed
Events
[edit]- The editor community in Christchurch, which is currently having monthly meetups and events, will be approached to run a community all-day editing project—an "edit-a-thon"—to work with archaeologists and publications to improve specific Wikipedia articles.
- Part of this project would also involve connecting with archaeologists, universities, ICOMOS Aotearoa NZ, and Heritage NZ Pouhere Taonga. The goal would be teaching heritage professionals, archeologists and archaeology students about Wikipedia, Commons, and copyright, encouraging them to support the project and even improve Wikipedia themselves.
- Giantflightlessbirds will be giving a presentation at the New Zealand Archaeology Association conference in Kaikōura, 29 June to 2 July.
Media
[edit]- "Digging into digital knowledge: Wikimedia meets archaeology in Aotearoa". Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand. 2026-02-25. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
Resources
[edit]- Archaeopedia is a New Zealand archaeology resource site created by Simon Bickler and Garry Law, with contributions by Scott Pilkington and Jennifer Low. Although it uses free MediaWIki software, it does not follow the copyright and citation standards of Wikipedia. Archaeopedia has a list of bios within its system Category:Archaeologists - Archaeopedia and further series on women archaeologists Women Archaeologists - Archaeopedia and historical figures Category:Historic Figures - Archaeopedia.
The following were identified as key works on Ōtautahi and Aotearoa archaeology by the CAP team (none at the start of the project were cited in the article on archaeology of New Zealand). All should be added to Wikidata for easier citation; there is a good argument for adding all the NZAA monographs to Wikidata, but Cite Q cannot correctly render a book chapter in a series monograph, so this would not help with citation.
- Acland, L. G. D., W.H. Scotter, and G.R. Macdonald. (1975 4th ed.). The Early Canterbury Runs. Christchurch: Whitcoulls
- Anderson, Atholl J. (February 2001) [1979]. "Prehistoric Exploitation of Marine Resources at Black Rocks Point, Palliser Bay". In Leach, B. Foss; Leach, Helen M. (eds.). Prehistoric Man at Palliser Bay. Bulletin of the National Museum of New Zealand. Vol. 21. Wellington: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. pp. 49–65. ISBN 978-0-9951384-1-4.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) (cite other chapters in this monograph similarly) - Anderson, Atholl; Te Rūnunga o Ngaī Tahu. (2025 2nd ed.). The welcome of strangers : a history of southern Māori. Wellington: Bridget Williams Books, Christchurch: Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu
- Campbell, Matthew; Holdaway, Simon; Macready, Sarah (2013). "Introduction: an archaeology for the modern world". In Campbell, Matthew; Holdaway, Simon; Macready, Sarah (eds.). Finding Our Recent Past: historical archaeology in New Zealand. New Zealand Archaeological Association Monograph. Vol. 29. Auckland: New Zealand Archaeological Association. pp. 1–7. ISBN 978-0-9582977-2-1. ISSN 0111-5715. (cite other chapters in this monograph similarly)
- Cookson, John and Graeme Dunstall (eds.) (2000). Southern capital: Christchurch : towards a city biography, 1850–2000. Christchurch: Canterbury University Press
- Davidson, Janet. (1987). Prehistory of New Zealand. Auckland: Longman Paul.
- Furey, Louise and Simon Holdaway (eds.) (2004). Change Through Time: 50 years of New Zealand archaeology. Monograph 26, New Zealand Archaeological Association. ISBN 0-9597915-9-0
- Hawkins, D. N. (1957). Beyond the Waimakariri : a regional history. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs
- Hawkins, D. N. (1983). Rangiora : the passing years and people in a Canterbury country town. Rangiora [N.Z.] : Rangiora Borough Council
- Morrison, Joan Patricia. (1948). The evolution of a city : the story of the growth of the city and suburbs of Christchurch, the capital of Canterbury, in the years from 1850 to 1903. Christchurch: Christchurch City Council. (Internet Archive)
- Ogilvie, Gordon. (2017). Place Names of Banks Peninsula and the Port Hills. Christchurch, New Zealand : Canterbury University Press. ISBN 978-1-927-14593-7
- —— (1990). Banks Peninsula: cradle of Canterbury. Wellington: GP Publications. ISBN 0-477-01439-9.
- Prickett, Nigel. (1994). Archaeological excavations at the Omata Stockade and Warea Redoubt, Taranaki. Monograph 20, New Zealand Archaeological Association
- Salmond, Jeremy. (1986). Old New Zealand Houses 1800–1940. Auckland: Heinemann Reed.
- Smith, Ian. (2019). Pākehā Settlements in a Māori World: New Zealand Archaeology 1769–1860. Wellington: Bridget Williams Books
- Stapylton-Smith, Mary; Diamond Harbour Library. (2009). Adderley to Bradley: a history of the southern side of Lyttelton Harbour. Diamond Harbour, [N.Z.] : Friends of Diamond Harbour Library
- Katharine Watson (2023). "Historical archaeology in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2004–2019". Australasian Historical Archaeology. 40 (special issue): 46–57. ISSN 1322-9214. Wikidata Q138634460.
Other resources
- Katharine Watson; Jessie Garland (9 September 2019). "Shaken apart: Community archaeology in a post-disaster city". Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage. 6 (4): 257–271. doi:10.1080/20518196.2019.1661945. ISSN 2051-8196. Wikidata Q138237668.