Reference Group / Encyclopedia of NZ / Advisory committees

Advisory Committees

Te Ara’s general advisory committee, chaired by the Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer, held its inaugural meeting on 5 November 2002. Te Ara Wānanga, the encyclopedia’s Māori advisory committee, met for the first time in August 2002, under the chairmanship of Professor Ranginui Walker. The Pātaka committee, representing libraries, museums, archives and other collecting institutions, chaired by Allison Dobbie, held its first meeting on 14 March 2003.

Advisory Committee

The general advisory committee has been established to provide advice to the general editor and the Minister for Culture and Heritage with respect to the strategic direction, content and approach of Te Ara. It will advise the general editor on such matters as:

Thematic structure of Te Ara
Nature, form and design of Te Ara's presentation on the web or in print
Selection of entries
Selection of authors
Protocols with respect to the use of images and other media
Consultation with the community and scholarly groups
Branding of Te Ara
Public relations, promotion and launchings of Te Ara
Budget priorities
Staffing

The Advisory Committee has been chosen to reflect a range of scholarly interests and involving people with a special interest in new forms of communication. Its members are:

Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer (chair). A lawyer and former Labour prime minister of New Zealand (1989–90), Sir Geoffrey Palmer was MP for Christchurch Central from 1979 to 1990. After leaving politics he returned to academic life, teaching at the University of Iowa in the United States and Victoria University of Wellington. In 1994 he became a foundation partner in the Wellington specialist public law firm, Chen and Palmer.
Murray Brown, ICT Manager, Ministry of Education. Murray is responsible for the development of educational websites for schools on behalf of the ministry.
Dr Bronwyn Dalley, Chief Historian in the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Bronwyn is the author of a book on the history of child welfare and a photographic history of 20th century New Zealand. She worked on developing the initial plans for the encyclopedia.
Lloyd Davis, Associate Professor of Zoology at Otago University and Director of the post-graduate diploma in natural history film-making and communication. Lloyd is New Zealand’s expert on penguins and is the author of The Plight of the Penguin, which won the New Zealand Post children’s book of the year for 2002.
Allison Dobbie, General Manager, Auckland City Libraries. Allison is a leading librarian and has been active in encouraging the digitisation of Auckland City Libraries collections. She chairs the Pātaka committee for the encyclopedia.
Dr Geoff Hicks, Manager Science and Research and Chief Technical Officer at the Department of Conservation. Geoff was the concept developer for the science exhibitions at Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of New Zealand.
Professor Roger Horrocks, formerly Chair of the Department of Film, TV and Media Studies at Auckland University. Roger has been deputy chair of New Zealand on Air and is the author of a recent biography of Len Lye.
Eric Pawson, Professor of Geography at Canterbury University. Eric chaired the Advisory Committee for the New Zealand Historical Atlas and is one of New Zealand’s leading historical geographers.
Paul Spoonley, Professor of Sociology at Massey University (Albany). Paul has written extensively about ethnicity, Māori development and Asia-Pacific migration.
Margaret Tennant, Professor of History at Massey University. Margaret has written widely in the area of women’s and welfare history.
Ranginui Walker, Emeritus Professor of Māori at Auckland University. Ranginui, whose iwi is Te Whakatōhea, is one of New Zealand’s leading Māori historians, author both of a general history of Māori and of a recent biography of Apirana Ngata. He was for years chair of the Auckland Māori Council and columnist for the Listener. He chairs the Te Ara Māori Committee, Te Ara Wānanga.
Dr Lydia Wevers, Director of the Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Lydia has been chair of the trustees of the National Library, is a member of the Arts Board of Creative New Zealand and is the author of a recent study of tourist literature in New Zealand, Country of Writing.

Te Ara Wānanga

Te Ara Wānanga provides advice on the nature of Māori content in Te Ara. A first meeting of this committee was held in August 2002. Ranginui Walker is the chair of this committee and is also on the Advisory Committee.

The members of this committee are:

Emeritus Professor Ranginui Walker (Te Whakatōhea)
Professor Mason Durie (Rangitāne), professor of Māori Studies at Massey University
Edward Ellison (Ngāi Tahu), deputy kaiwhakahaere, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu
Professor Ngapare Hopa (Tainui), formerly professor of Māori Studies at the University of Auckland
Dr Keri Kaa (Ngāti Porou), writer and educator
Professor Wharehuia Milroy (Tūhoe), formerly of the School of Māori Studies, Waikato University
Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (Ngāti Raukawa), researcher and writer, formerly Head of Research, Te Wānanga o Raukawa
Hōne Sadler (Nga Puhi), Director Matauranga Māori, Northland Polytechnic
Piri Sciascia (Ngāti Kahungunu), Assistant Vice Chancellor Māori, Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Monty Soutar (Ngāti Porou), Māori Studies Department, Massey University
Mere Whaanga (Ngāti Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu), formerly Māori Fellow, History Group, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, writer

Other committees

In addition the following committees are also being established to assist in the work of Te Ara:

The Pātaka Committee will work out appropriate relations between Te Ara and the museums, art galleries and archives which hold materials to be used in the Encyclopedia. Allison Dobbie chairs this committee and is also on the Advisory Committee. Its members are Priscilla Pitts (Dunedin Public Art Gallery and Otago Settlers Museum), Miranda Kaye (New Zealand Film Archive), Rachel Lord (Sound Archives / Ngā Taonga Kōrero), Pat Stuart (Te Papa Tongarewa / Museum of New Zealand), Dianne Macaskill (Archives New Zealand), Margaret Calder (Alexander Turnbull Library), Bruce Ralston (Auckland Museum), Suzanne Porter (Puke Ariki).
An education committee will look at the role Te Ara may play in school education.
A science committee will provide advice to Te Ara on entries and contributors in science.

There may also be ad hoc theme committees as different themes are tackled.