As a waahine Maaori travelling from Aotearoa New Zealand to Australia to study cultural conservation, key principles of Te Ao Maaori (the Maaori worldview) shape the way I understand and engage with the discipline. My interest in cultural conservation grew from a deep love of art and a desire to understand the field through a culturally sensitive lens – one that enables Indigenous First Nations Peoples to continue acts of sovereignty and strengthen sustainable accessibility.
I have been privileged to undertake my studies at the Robert Cripps Institute of Cultural Conservation (RCICC), formerly the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation (CCMC) at the University of Melbourne, guided by inspiring and dedicated supervisors and mentors. Among the many experiences and opportunities within the program, two key highlights were undertaking the on Country subject Ngarranggarni: Gija Art and Country (CUMC90034) and the subject Sustainable Collections (CUMC90029). Both subjects bridged theoretical and applied conservation practice, strengthening my critical thinking and applied skills beyond a traditional lecturer–student relationship and a conventional classroom or laboratory-based environment.
Through these subjects, I was taught directly by community Elders, knowledge holders, and custodians. During Ngarranggarni: Gija Art and Country (CUMC90034), I was taught in community at the Warmun Art Centre and on Country at Texas Downs Station, where we listened to stories from the station days and learned about the importance of sustaining connections with Country for Peoples health and well-being. During Sustainable Collections (CUMC90029), I was taught at The See Yup Temple, where, following a devastating fire on 17 February 2024, students engaged with disaster recovery and preventive conservation practices alongside temple custodians. These experiences enabled me to engage meaningfully with different cultural perspectives and knowledge systems that engage with ‘conservation’ as an inherited responsibility and a means of supporting cultural health.
By maintaining engagement beyond the requirements of each subject’s curriculum, I pursued opportunities to work collaboratively on grant projects with community members, experts, and fellow students. I also continue to foster an ongoing digitisation project with the Warmun Art Centre (WAC) through the RCICC and the WAC Two Way Knowledge Partnership Bangariny-warriny jarrag booroonboo-yoo – Two good ideas talking together – a partnership built on two-way knowledge transfer, where Art Centre Elders and arts workers share Kija culture and Country, and Grimwade students and staff share conservation knowledge and practices.
From my standpoint and experience as an emerging conservator, I believe the profession in Australia should continue its commitment to supporting conservation education and research; prioritising proper-way Indigenous First Nations partnerships over short-term engagement; and advocating to address the continuing interruption of Indigenous First Nations sovereignty. I believe that strengthening proper-way intercultural competency among conservators, while recognising relational aspects in tandem with the physical material of ‘heritage’, is imperative to addressing these commitments.
Through the idiom actions speak louder than words, I continue my commitment to education and research as a 2026 graduate researcher at the RCICC, while continuing my work alongside the WAC. Through these efforts, I aim to uphold responsibilities gifted to me through Kija kinship to support Kija sovereignty, while ensuring my research contributes meaningfully to Indigenous First Nations organisations and community priorities.