Media Release:
Auckland Museum honoured with three awards at
ServiceIQ New Zealand Museum Awards

For immediate release
Thursday 23 May 2019

Auckland Museum has been awarded three awards at last night’s ServiceIQ New Zealand Museum Awards.

Dr David Gaimster, Auckland Museum’s Chief Executive says he is delighted with the awards wins, which recognise the efforts of a collaborative and innovative culture.

“The ServiceIQ New Zealand Museum Awards honour outstanding exhibitions, programmes and projects, big and small from Museums throughout New Zealand. As both an encyclopaedic museum and Auckland’s War Memorial in the country’s largest city, it is a great honour to have been acknowledged for excellence and innovation in three categories”

Project Excellence

Launched in 2015, Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Online Cenotaph is a digital gathering place for communities to share the personal and official memories of those who served New Zealand in times of conflict.

Dr Gaimster says that Online Cenotaph is one of the most important collections of historical biographical information in the country.

“Online Cenotaph is widely recognised as New Zealand’s national digital war memorial. Its trailblazing platform connects people through history and enables the sharing of memory and information unobstructed by institutional barriers.”

Alongside the website, He Pou Aroha Community Cenotaph took Online Cenotaph into communities across the country. During the WW100 Commemorative period more than 95,000 people used the Online Cenotaph Kiosks at over 100 locations and events.

Since it began Online Cenotaph has over 97,000 public contributions of information and images and over 420,000 digital poppies have been laid on individual records.

Customer Service recognised

Auckland Museum is committed to ensuring all visitors are provided with authentic manakitanga as part of their museum experience.

“Our team of dedicated visitor hosts make the Museum a welcoming place for all,” says Dr Gaimster.

“Parai has been a visitor host at Auckland Museum for five years and was awarded the ambassadorship to celebrate his contribution here and his commitment to both teamwork and learning.”

Recognition for Retail

Museum Shops Association of Australia and New Zealand Best New Product or Range for innovative sustainable and successful museum retail products.

The Kate Sheppard Camellia Range was a collaboration between the museums and the National Council of Women to celebrate the 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage. The range of products feature the symbol of the New Zealand suffrage movement the white camellia.

Auckland Museum was also a finalist in two other categories - Exhibition Excellence Taonga Māori for Te Paki o Matariki: 160 years of the Kiingitanga Exhibition and the Arts Access Aotearoa category.

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