The Lower Nevis Cultural Landscape: Dr Matt Schmidt presents

Topic: The Lower Nevis Cultural Landscape

This event is part of Conservation Week 2023 - www.conservationweek.org.nz

Synopsis: The Lower Nevis Valley has a human history which stretches back to the late 13th century when Māori camped in the valley and hunted moa. Since this time, the valley has been a throughfare between Southland and Central Otago and has attracted European pastoralists and Pākehā & Chinese gold miners over the last ca. 160 years. These people have each left their fingerprint on the landscape and today these layers of human interaction have created a Cultural Landscape of high intactness and readability. This talk will take listeners through the layers of history in the Lower Nevis and demonstrate that one crucial resource links the success of all the people who have successfully lived in this isolated place.

Bio: Dr Matthew Schmidt is the Senior Heritage Advisor Kaitohu Matua Taonga Tuku Iho Southern South Island for Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation. He was formally an independent heritage consultant and a Senior Archaeologist for Heritage New Zealand based in Dunedin. Matt has also been the New Zealand International Correspondent for the Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO for 13 years for whom he writes a paper annually on heritage conservation projects he has been involved in. Matt’s interests in heritage span all periods of New Zealand’s history and he has a particular interest in early Māori cultural heritage sites, contact period sites and sites related to pastoralism and gold mining.

Please RSVP to confirm numbers: contact Juliet Bruce, jbruce@doc.govt.nz.