Museum Director departure
Kararaina TeIra has been the director at Hokitika Museum for over 2 years and will be leaving in June to take up a fantastic opportunity at Ngā Taonga – New Zealand Archive of Film, Television and Sound. There she will be joining the executive leadership team as Pou Kohinga Taonga – Group Manager Collection Management.
Starting in 2021 leading the Museum through its redevelopment era, Kararaina has delivered many projects, from an exciting new rebrand and website to the planning for the revamped Hokitika Museum and associated facilities. Over her two years, Kararaina has worked hard at making connections with the communities across the West Coast, funders and cultural heritage advocates. 2022 saw a substantial upgrade to the Museum’s collection management system where records have been transferred to a robust collection database. This will easily connect the community with their taonga by enabling most of the museum’s collection to be available online.
Kararaina’s strong leadership, can-do attitude, and enthusiasm has rubbed off on the Museum Team, leaving a positive vision for the future.
Kararaina would like to share this:
‘Tēnā koutou katoa. Being a part of a wonderful team that cares for and uplifts the cultural heritage of Te Tai o Poutini has been a wonderful opportunity. Thank you to all those who have supported me. Special thanks to Te Hono o Ngā Waka, WestREAP, Mayors Taskforce for Jobs, Heritage Hokitika Executive Team and Westland District Library.’
Congratulations Kararaina, we wish you all the best in your new role.
Text and photo: Kararaina TeIra
