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Tēnā koutou katoa,
Do you use Te Ara, NZ History, the DNZB, or Te Akomanga? Have you ever visited Pukeahu National War Memorial Park with a school group? Updates to all of these websites will stop and there will be no more educational tours. Manatū Taonga which lost $2m in the recent Budget announcement will lose 24 roles, including three of its seven historians, most of its digital production roles that supported websites honouring the 28th Māori Battalion and recording the history of New Zealand's participation in the Vietnam war.
These are the proposed changes to Manatū Taonga / Ministry for Culture and Heritage. We know these websites are so valuable for all New Zealanders looking for reliable information and especially for history/social sciences kaiako and ākonga. Cutting these positions is a direct cut on all of us. These websites (written by Steve, Neil, Ricky and the rest of the team at Manatū Taonga) are an invaluable resource for every history kaiako across the motu, let alone the resource it is for ākonga.
The NZHTA, alongside the Professional Historians’ Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (PHANZA), and the New Zealand Historical Association (NZHA), urge all educators to voice their opposition to these cuts during the consultation period. Our history deserves better. Our students and educators deserve better.
What YOU can do:
Write directly to the Ministry's Chief Executive Mac Leauanae, mac.leauanae@mch.govt.nz and via his Executive Assistant Bridie.Cooper@mch.govt.nz
Write to Erica Stanford, Minister of Education, E.Stanford@ministers.govt.nz
Write to Paul Goldsmith, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage P.Goldsmith@ministers.govt.nz
NZHTA Petition and Survey
AND, please complete this brief NZHTA petition and survey that identifies how Manatū Taonga/MCH resources are used in your programmes. It includes an NZHTA petition that we will collect signatures from members on.
Your petition and survey responses will be compiled and sent as part of a written statement in support of MCH’s historical work to be sent on 30 June.
More info at: https://phanza.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Statement-from-PHANZA-NZHA-and-NZHTA-regarding-proposed-staffing-cuts-at-MCH-16-June-2025.pdf
Ngā mihi
Nick Fitness and the NZHTA Executive |
