We are pleased to announce the release of two new workforce development plans:
Torona Pakiakatia | Stretching Deep for Māori and Pacific conservators and curators
Torona Kaupekatia | Reaching Out for libraries and archives.
These plans highlight the challenges and opportunities in attracting, training and retaining employees in these sectors, offering proposed actions and recommendations for building a thriving and sustainable workforce. Find more details of the plans and how to provide feedback below.
The draft plans are out for public consultation until Sunday 10 August 2025.
Conservators & Curators workforce development plan
Aotearoa needs to invest in training more indigenous conservators and curators to preserve and care for the thousands of nationally significant taonga held in museums, iwi and Pacific collections and other cultural institutions.
Torona Pakiakatia, the Māori and Pacific Conservators and Curators Workforce Development Plan, addresses this critical need for indigenous perspectives in the culture and heritage sector.
This plan has been developed to ensure taonga are preserved, treated and cared for in ways that honour tikanga, mātauranga and indigenous whakapapa.
The research reveals that combining indigenous knowledge with Western conservation methods produces the best outcomes for preserving taonga, ensuring cultural values are honoured while applying necessary technical expertise.
The draft plan outlines proposed actions and recommendations for Toi Mai, the Industry Skills Boards and the wider industry to undertake.
Click the buttons below to read the draft plan, and have your say by filling out the survey. Consultation closes Sunday 10 August 2025.
Libraries & Archives workforce development plan
Libraries have evolved from traditional book-lending institutions into community information hubs providing internet access, meeting spaces and social services. Archives are the vital repositories of public and private documents and records, manuscripts and maps, and manage all kinds of information. Together, these institutions play essential roles in preserving and providing access to Aotearoa New Zealand’s taonga, history and knowledge.
However, these industries face several workforce challenges that limit diversity and retention: career information reaches students too late in their education, and training programmes are largely based on European approaches, making it harder for people from different backgrounds to see themselves in the profession, and affecting members of the workforce seeking to develop cultural knowledge and skills.
This draft plan addresses workforce challenges through the metaphor of nurturing new growth in a forest, emphasising partnerships with iwi and Pacific communities, improved cultural competency for the greater workforce, and visible career pathways from an early age.
Torona Kaupekatia provides a suite of proposed actions and recommendations for Toi Mai, the Industry Skills Boards and the wider industry to undertake to ensure these sectors are better supported and more sustainable.
If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]
