Information on New Zealand society and culture can be found on the Ministry’s Te Ara and NZHistory websites. Teachers and students of history will also find The Classroom of interest.
If you have any queries, please e-mail us at info@mch.govt.nz. Media are welcome to contact us at media@mch.govt.nz. Other details can be viewed at contact us.
Introducing some of our subject specialists
Alison Parr
Senior Oral Historian
Heritage Services Branch
Area of interest is oral history – particularly with New Zealanders who lived through the Second World War
Ashley Mackenzie-White
Adviser, Heritage Operations
Heritage Services Branch
Area of interest are the New Zealand Coat of Arms, the New Zealand Flag and National Anthems
Basil Keane
Director, Māori Digital Projects
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are Māori history and Māori language on the web
Ben Schrader
Historian, Te Ara – the Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are urban and housing history
Brodie Stubbs
Manager, Heritage Projects
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are national monuments and memorials, commemorations and New Zealand’s emblems.
Damien Fenton
Senior Historian
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are military history and the Cold War.
David Butts
Manager, Heritage Operations
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are museums, art galleries, taonga tūturu, heritage places and memorials.
David Green
Editor/Historian
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are the New Zealand Wars, history of government and sports history.
Gavin McLean
Senior Historian
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are maritime, military history, constitutional/politics, business, heritage, local history and publishing.
Honiana Love
Senior Adviser, Māori
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest include Māori heritage, working with iwi, and taonga tūturu.
Ian McGibbon
General Editor - War History
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are military history and international relations.
Imelda Bargas
Senior Historian
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are historic building and sites, World War I home front and Antarctica.
Jamie Mackay
Team Leader, Content Manager, Web Team
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are cycling history and exploring new ways to present history on the web.
Jock Phillips
Senior Editor, Te Ara – the Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are social and cultural history, family history, memorials and royal tours.
Margaret Marks
Senior Adviser (War Graves),
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are war and historic graves and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Mark Derby
Historian, Te Ara – the Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are are labour and film history.
Megan Cook
Historian, Te Ara – the Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are women’s and labour history.
Nancy Swarbrick
Historian, Te Ara – the Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Heritage Services Branch
Area of interest is the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.
Neill Atkinson
Chief Historian
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are are labour history, politics, railways and maritime history.
Paul Riley
Curator
National War Memorial
Areas of interest are the National War Memorial and other Wellington national monuments.
Steve Watters
Senior Historian-Educator
Heritage Services Branch
Areas of interest are education, sporting history, 19th century history and ‘hands on history’ such as field trips.
Timothy Hurd
Carillonist
National War Memorial
Areas of interest are teaching and playing carillon music.







