PhD students
Yi-lin Chen
BA (National Taiwan University), MA (Otago)
Investigating the plant economics of Neolithic Taiwan: an archaeobotany case study of the Wansan Site, northeast Taiwan
It is often assumed that Neolithic peoples in Taiwan practiced slash-and-burn agriculture for root, tuber, grain and fruit crops as early as the Neolithic Dabenkeng (TPK) Culture (5000-6000 years ago). Over the years, the discussion has focused on the horticulture of rice and millet, while the potential usage of tubers and tree crops has not been explored. This research will re-examine the model of Taiwanese Neolithic plant use through the identification and analysis of charcoal remains excavated from the archaeological site of Wansan, northeast Taiwan. A small-scale microfossils study is also proposed to examine the utilization of selected crops that have economic importance to prehistoric Austronesian societies.
Email cheyi087@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Ian Barber and Associate Professor Anne Ford
Lisa Mckendry
BA, MA (Auckland)
Māori Archaeological Textiles: An Investigation of Māori Textiles from Cave Sites at Te Rae Kura (Redcliffs), Canterbury
Archaeological Textiles represent one of the earliest technologies developed by humans and were a fundamental component of food, clothing, and housing. Textiles hold potential information about past human behaviours through the materials, the type of objects, the range of manufacturing processes and decorative elements, as well as the contexts in which manufacture and use/re-use and discard occurred. Textiles are constructed from various raw materials and with diverse techniques, such as, knotting, twisting, plaiting, twining, weaving, and sewing. A chaîne opératoire framework allows for the clear identification of these diverse technological processes within predetermined production sequences. As part of a holistic approach including archaeological science, ethnographic and customary knowledge, and practical experience this framework facilitates an investigation of the multifaceted, dynamic relationship between people and textiles.
Email mckli495@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Associate Professor Catherine Smith and Professor Richard Walter
Anne-Claire Mauger
BA (Nantes), BA(Hons) (Bourgogne), MA (Montpellier)
Pounamu production and the archaeology of Māori society in East Otago / Ko te whakairo o te pounamu mō te mātai whaipara tangata o te porihanga Māori ki te tai rāwhiti o Otago
In the 19th and 20th centuries, multiple campaigns of fossicking on the east coast of Otago have extracted a large quantity of pounamu, with little regard to the tangata whenua and the archaeological context. The chronological background of these sites remains unknown, especially the framework of innovation in pounamu technology, and the society that enabled its change through time. This project aims to reconstruct manufacturing processes by examining debris and surface traces, and to compare with experimental and ethnographic data. This thesis also proposes to analyse radiocarbon information from archaeological sites, by using Bayesian modelling, to reexamine the chronology of technological change in pounamu manufacture. The research will assess the correlation between the implementation of innovative technology towards standardisation, and the control over specialised manufacture of prestige products by social regulations, guided by the following question: when and how did pounamu become a significant taonga in southern Māori society?
This research is funded by a Fanny Evans scholarship.
Email mauan555@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Ian Barber and Associate Professor Anne Ford
Carl Murray
BSc, BA(Hons) (Otago)
Made in Stone: A case study of stone masonry structures on the Hereweka/Harbour Cone Block, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
The use of stone throughout the early European settlement period of Otago, is not well documented and has not been thoroughly researched. The foundations of Dunedin are made from quarried stone that was available in and around the city, some of this has been recorded but most of it has not. The research I am currently doing seeks to understand the stone and mortar used in historic stone masonry structures that are associated with early European settlement around Dunedin. Detailed recording and analyses of stone masonry structures will be conducted on several sites in the Hereweka Harbour Cone area of Portobello, to better understand the materials the early settlers were using, as well as the technologies they were adapting to these foreign materials. Stone and mortar samples will be taken from the sites and analysed using petrological methods from the discipline of geology, to better understand the use of these materials and to potentially locate the original material sources.
This research is funded by a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship.
Email murca684@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Glenn Summerhayes, Dr Peter Petchey and Professor James Scott (Geology)
Brooke Tucker
BA(Hons), MA (Otago)
An Archaeological Examination of the Occupation of Rakiura and the Islands of Te Ara-a-Kiwa in the Pre-contact Period
This research contributes to the culture-history of a region of New Zealand that is not well known archaeologically. When referring to Te Ara-a-Kiwa (Foveaux Strait), archaeologists have generally followed ethno-historic models incorporating the islands and coastal mainland within the wider Murihiku interaction sphere observed during contact and post contact periods. However, this dynamic cannot be assumed for initial colonisation. An examination of island sites within the Strait (The Neck, on Rakiura, and Sealers Bay Camp, on Whenua Hou) will provide an “archaeology of starting points” for discussions of island archaeology, strategic migration, and interaction networks, and will investigate the role of "marginal regions" in models of colonisation and cultural trajectories over the duration of Murihiku's occupation.
This research is funded by a University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship and has also been assisted by a Skinner Fund grant (2019) from the Royal Society of New Zealand.
Email dicbr464@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Richard Walter and Dr Karen Greig
MA students
Sabre Baker-Anderson
BA, BA(Hons) (Otago)
An archaeozoological analysis of Cape Kidnappers: insight into patterns of life in the Hawke's Bay 1400-1600 AD
The Hawke's Bay region situated on the east coast of the North Island has had little archaeological investigation. Although there have been a few important studies examining pre-European sites in the Hawke's Bay, these have focused on pā sites after 1500 AD. Consequently, not much is known about the earlier patterns of settlement, mobility, diet and subsistence before a characteristic Māori way of life developed in this region. The purpose of this thesis is to start remedying this by analysing the faunal material excavated from Cape Kidnappers (Te Matau-a-Māui), a coastal site east of Hastings dating to around 1400-1600 AD. This provides an opportunity to examine the early lifeways of people in the Hawke's Bay after Polynesian settlement but before a distinctive Māori society had emerged.
This research is funded by the University of Otago Māori Master's Research Scholarship.
Email baksa159@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Richard Walter and Dr Karen Greig
Nève Beens
BA(Hons) (Otago)
An archaeological analysis of the shell midden material from site Dav3 at Davage, Papua New Guinea
Davage is a site on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea in what is today the Port Moresby region. The site has ties to the hiri trade network through Western Motu oral histories and the ethnographic record. Despite its significance to the Southern Papuan Coast, Davage has had no published archaeological data on its shell midden material. This thesis will provide a tangible link between Davage and the southern coast cultural sequence through its molluscan taxa. Although there have been many studies on shell midden material on the Southern Papuan Coast, these studies have primarily focused on shell for subsistence and shell for artefacts as two separate entities. A holistic approach will be taken, to include manufacturing debris as well as artefactual shell that was used for subsistence prior to being modified, to ensure a complete analysis. This will provide a framework to better understand shellfish exploitation at Davage.
Email beene625@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisor: Associate Professor Anne Ford
Rebecca Benham
BA(Hons) (Otago)
Tuber, or not tuber, that is the question: The investigation of starch cultigens obtained from wetland archaeological Māori ditch systems at Motutangi
This research analyses botanical remains from the site of Motutangi on Aupouri Peninsula to investigate the use and production of Polynesian cultigens during early Polynesian settlement of Aotearoa New Zealand. Motutangi was occupied from c. 1450 - c. 1700 CE, and during this period extensive ditch systems were created for drainage and horticultural practices. The botanical samples were extracted from soil located at the base of a ditch and on the raised platform, both of which show evidence of cultigens. The cultigens are then analysed under both light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This research will contribute significantly to our understanding of Māori crop cultivation and the potential cultivation of staple Polynesian crops like taro (Colocasia esculenta), yam/uwhi (Dioscorea sp.), and kūmara/sweet potato (Ipomea batatas).
This research is funded by the University of Otago Māori Master's Research Scholarship.
Email benre849@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisor: Professor Ian Barber
Josephine Hagan
BSc Archaeology (Bournemouth University)
Combined Cultural Mapping and Remote Sensing at Whareongaonga
This research aims to examine whether archaeological work can make meaningfully contributions to an indigenous community. Combining the emerging field of cultural mapping- working with descendant communities to map areas of cultural significance- with the traditional archaeological survey techniques; remote sensing, historic aerial photography and ground survey, to gain an understanding of where archaeological and cultural mapping overlap and oppose. By gaining an understanding the value and limitations of both cultural and archaeological mapping, it is hoped that a more inclusive approach to archaeological mapping can be promoted, where archaeologists incorporate cultural knowledge into mapping and widen the opportunity of those who gets to create, access, and benefit from archaeological information. Thus, archaeological work can begin to make meaningful contributions to indigenous communities.
Email agjo739@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Associate Professor Tim Thomas and Dr Karen Greig
Madison Hickford
BA, BA(Hons) (Otago)
Capturing the Past: an archaeological analysis of photography in historic New Zealand
Through much historical research, we know a lot about the history and use of photography in colonial New Zealand. However, there has been little investigation into how photography manifests in the archaeological record and what we can learn from it. This project is centred around two assemblages with photographic material from Dunedin and Invercargill. Together, these assemblages contain chemical or pharmaceutical bottles, camera pieces, studio paraphernalia, and the rare archaeological find of glass plate negatives.
The aim of this project is to explore how this evidence of photography in the archaeological record enables a deeper investigation into the social history of photography in late 19th and early 20th century New Zealand. The project will also facilitate discussion on how archaeologists should conserve and interpret evidence such as glass plate negatives.
Email hicma400@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisor: Associate Professor Tim Thomas
Natalia C Lopes
BA, BA(Hons) (Otago)
Trade or Manufacture? Using geochemical analysis to source pottery from Popo, Orokolo Bay, Papua New Guinea
The ancestral site of Popo at Orokolo Bay, Papua New Guinea, appears to be one of the first Gulf sites to participate in the hiri, an annual long-distance trading voyage where pots and shell valuables from the Port Moresby area were taken to the Gulf by lagatoi canoes in exchange for sago. The site of Motupore in Bootless Bay, around 15km east of Port Moresby has been argued to be one of the manufacturing centres of the hiri and the source for most pottery excavated at Popo on stylistic grounds. However, Motupore is one of the only pottery manufacturing sites in the region, contemporaneous with Popo that has been extensively excavated by archaeologists. This thesis conducts a geochemical analyses of the pottery of Popo through the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to eliminate assumptions of the pottery's origin caused by a lack of archaeological excavations on contemporaneous pottery making sites.
Email cosna637@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisor: Associate Professor Anne Ford
LilliKoko Muller-Murchie
BSc, PGDip (Otago)
Gone Batty: Using bats as proxies for climatic and human-induced changes during the transition from late-Pleistocene to mid-Holocene in Papua New Guinea.
The Pleistocene to Holocene transition in Papua New Guinea (PNG) was a period of both fluctuating climate and movement of fauna and modern-day humans into new accessible areas, including the altitudinally locked highlands and offshore islands. One species present throughout PNG that has an important relationship with both the environment and people throughout the Pleistocene to Holocene is the bat (Order Chiroptera). Today bats are present throughout the entirety of PNG. This presence is also reflected within the archaeological site assemblages, from both highland and offshore. By implementing bats as proxies for climatic and human induced changes a cranial morphometric analysis will be undertaken upon bat assemblages from several sites. Thus, determining whether any morphometric changes occurring within the bat assemblages can be identified as occurring through climatic or human induced pressure during this transitional period.
Email mulli302@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Glenn Summerhayes and Associate Professor Anne Ford
Debbie Stoddart
BA (Victoria University of Wellington), BA(Hons) (Massey University), GradDip (Otago)
Exploring Vertical and Horizontal Transmission in the Story of Māui Stealing Fire
Stories are a human universal. They are both conservative and dynamic—passed down from generation to generation, evolving from one telling to the next. In Ancestral Polynesia the stories migrated with the people, voyaging across the Pacific, linking one island to another. My research investigates the role of inheritance (vertical transmission) and borrowing (horizontal transmission) in the diversification of the Polynesian story of Maui stealing fire from the underworld. Cultural phylogenetic methods adapted from biology will be applied to textual variants of the story to infer the evolutionary relationships between the individual versions. Correlations between the story diversity and three potential predictors of that diversity—geographical proximity, language phylogeny, and inter-island interaction—will be evaluated via statistical testing. In addition to exploring the way that stories evolve this thesis will address the suitability of cultural phylogenetic methods for answering anthropological questions.
This research is funded by a University of Otago Master's Research Scholarship.
Email stode485@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisor: Associate Professor Tim Thomas
Eliza Thompson
BA(Hons) (Otago)
South Island East Coast settlement: A faunal analysis of the Kaikoura Fyffe site
The Fyffe site is one of a number settlement period archaeological sites found along the east coast of the South Island. It was excavated in 1973 and 1982 and is thought to be the earliest settlement site in the Kaikoura region. Though excavated decades ago, the Fyffe site assemblage has never been fully studied. The aim of this thesis is to study the faunal midden material excavated in order to situate the site within the broader settlement phase of the east coast of New Zealand. The proposed research will test the idea that Kaikoura was also a node in an early resource network that may have had a role in linking sites between Wairau Bar and the Banks Peninsula. Such a study is important because it bears on fundamental questions relating to the early dispersal of populations.
This research is funded by a University of Otago Masters Research Scholarship.
Email thoel478@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisor: Professor Richard Walter
Claire Thorrold
BA(Hons) (Otago)
A study of private collections and the sale of taonga tūturu in New Zealand
As New Zealand is moving towards a more bi-cultural view, Māori history and the ownership of Māori artefacts is becoming a highly contested issue. Prior to 2006 there were no laws to regulate the ownership of archaeological artefacts in New Zealand, as a result many unrecorded private collections were created through fossicking, gifting or purchase. Today, under the Protected Objects Act 1975, all archaeological artefacts found need to be registered with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, and only registered collectors can own artefacts. This research will analyse recorded sales of taonga tūturu in New Zealand in recent years to identify any significant changes in private collection trends. Recent museum donations will also be analysed to identify how the change in New Zealand worldview is impacting on private collections and collectors' motivations. Finally, this research will consider how private collections can influence archaeology and the cultural understanding of New Zealand’s history.
Email thocl601@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Richard Walter and Associate Professor Catherine Smith
Sam Wallis
BA, BA(Hons) (Otago)
Ceramic Sequences from the Port Moresby Region of Papua New Guinea
The sites of Nebira, Eriama and Taurama, originally excavated as part of Sue Bulmer’s 1978 PhD, are in the Port Moresby region of Papua New Guinea. These sites have ceramic histories beginning c. 2000 BP with varied periods of occupation between sites. Sue Bulmer originally proposed a three-part cultural chronology of the Port Moresby region comprising red slipped ware, the middle period and modern Motu pottery. This was later expanded into six south coast ceramic styles known as Styles I – VI. However, these chronologies have since been criticized for being too subjective and intuitive. Since the initial research period in the region in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers have proposed various ceramic sequences across the south coast in order to understand wider culture change and standardize typology. Currently, the widest used of these sequences is Early Papuan Pottery (EPP) which occurs between 2000 – 1200 BP (though it has been suggested this should expand to earlier Lapita wares in the region). The purpose of this research is to reappraise the pottery typology for these three Port Moresby sites in order to better understand how this material fits into the current understanding of EPP.
Email samwallis@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Associate Professor Anne Ford and Professor Glenn Summerhayes
Oliver Walne
BA(Hons) (Otago)
A Geochemical Analysis of Soils from Site T11/2789, Cooks Beach
Excavated in 2015, T11/2789 was a 13ha site located in Cooks Beach in the Coromandel Peninsula. A large portion of the site consisted of anthropogenic soils which appeared to be modified for agriculture. By using geochemical methods performed in similar studies overseas, such as XRF and pH analysis, it may be possible to discern how human activity at the site was captured in the enrichment of elements in the soil record. The aim is to characterise how agricultural soils were modified by Māori in order to improve the growing conditions for cultivars in coastal dune environments. This investigation builds on a literature review from my BA(Hons) dissertation on the chemical analysis of soils and sediments in New Zealand. The review concluded that soil chemistry is an underutilised resource in New Zealand archaeology.
Email oliver.walne@postgrad.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Ian Barber and Dr Francisco Barraza (Geography)
Jasmine Weston
BA(Hons) (Otago)
The Impact of Earthquakes on Archaeological Sites in Aotearoa
Aotearoa has a long history of devastating earthquakes affecting buildings, roading, and other infrastructure across the country. Some of the physical hazards caused by earthquakes include tsunamis, landslides, ground movement, fire, surface fault rupture, liquefaction and flooding, all of which can cause damage to archaeology. This project aims to create a predictive model that forecasts the impacts of large-scale earthquakes on archaeological sites. This forecast will then be applied to the Alpine Fault Magnitude 8 Scenario to demonstrate impacts of this event on the known archaeology. Evaluating the impacts of earthquakes on archaeological sites is an important question to ask in the attempt to work tofuture-proof Aotearoa’s cultural heritage
Email jasmine.weston@postgrad.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Dr Karen Grieg, Dr Nicola Litchfield (GNS Science)
Bree Wooller
BA(Hons) (Otago)
Mapping Wellington: the changing form and function of a working-class neighbourhood.
Te Aro, a central Wellington suburb, was once the commercial and industrial hub of the colonial city. The district was densely populated, with many living within walking distance from their place of work. This research investigates how the physical form of Te Aro, and its industrial and residential functions, changed throughout the nineteenth century. It considers how the sociocultural context contributed to the urban transformations seen in the archaeological record. This study utilises GIS (geographic information systems) to reconstruct the chronological phases of the cityscape, integrating both historical and archaeological data sets. This thesis considers the city as a site, drawing together the smaller fragments of the archaeological record into a larger cohesive narrative of urban change. Sociocultural information is used to contextualise and interpret the urban transformations, giving an insight into the lives of those who worked and resided in Te Aro.
Email woobr449@student.otago.ac.nz
Supervisors: Professor Richard Walter and Dr Karen Greig
Master of Archaeological Practice students
Jovan Andric
BA (Copenhagen), BCon (Unitec Auckland), DipMS (Bay of Plenty Polytechnic)
I trained and worked as an archaeologist in Denmark before becoming a construction project manager and am currently employed with an engineering consultancy. Now I wish to utilise both skill sets as a consultant archaeologist and I see the Master of Archaeological Practice degree as a pathway to becoming a registered archaeologist in New Zealand. My BA research project concerned the analysis of the flint assemblage from a Late Paleolithic site. Other than CRM and research excavation work in Denmark, I was involved in marine and experimental archaeology. I was a member of a team surveying wrecks and sunken Stone Age sites and in a group which conducted an environmental study which involved a series of scientific monitoring and observational studies over a winter period occupying a replica Iron Age farm.
Dissertation to commence semester 1, 2022
Email andjo894@student.otago.ac.nz
Nigel Bruer
BArc, GradDipCultHerMgmt (Flinders University)
I began my career in Archaeology in Western Australia, working closely with Aboriginal communities to record heritage sites across the state, with a focus on the Pilbara region. Now based in Christchurch, I'm working as a consultant archaeologist in Canterbury with most of my time having been spent working on Pākehā archaeological sites. I have a strong interest in the application of GIS in archaeology and the insight it can provide into site patterning and its use in archaeological management practices.
Dissertation to commence semester 2, 2023 - S1, 2024
Email bruni568@student.otago.ac.nz
Vanessa Clark
BA (Otago)
The impact of sea level rise and vertical land movement predictions on coastal otago archaeological sites.
The effects of climate change will inevitably have a major impact on New Zealand archaeology and will influence our ability to broaden our knowledge of early settlement in New Zealand. This research will focus on what archaeological sites in the coastal Otago region are at risk from rising sea levels, vertical land movement and climate change weather events, and to what extent could information from these sites potentially contribute to filling gaps in our knowledge of New Zealand’s archaeological record? This study will seek input from the archaeological community on the potential value of archaeological sites in coastal Otago and will assess how recent sea level rise and vertical land movement predictions may affect them.
Supervisor: Dr Karen Greig
Email vanessa.clark@postgrad.otago.ac.nz
Wikitoria Moore
MSocSc (Waikato)
Ko Mangatiki tōku maunga,
Ko Manawarakau tōku awa,
Ko Takitimu tōku waka,
Ko Ngāi Te Oatua, Ngāti Hikatoa, Ngāi Tamatera rātou ko Ngāti Kurukuru ōku hapū,
Ko Ngāti Kahungunu tōku iwi,
Ko Robert August rāua ko Elizabeth Swann ōku mātua,
Ko Simon Moore tōku hoa tāne,
Tokurua aku tamāhine,
Ko Wikitoria Moore tōku ingoa,
Nō Kairākau ahau.
Dissertation to commence semester 1, 2022
Email moowi366@student.otago.ac.nz
Leela Moses
BSci (Auckland)
Ko Tūtumapou te māunga
Ko Te Hoiere te awa
Ko Kurahaupo te waka
Ko Kaikaiāwaro te Taniwha
Ko Matua Hautere te Tangata
Ko Te Hora te marae
Ko Te Tauihu tōku kainga tuturu
Ko Ngati Kuia te iwi pakohe, ko Ngati Apa ki te Rā Tō, ko Muaūpoko ōku iwi
Ko Leela Pere Moana Moses tōku ingoa
I am a MArchP student living in Auckland where I have been working as a kaitiaki and archaeologist. I hope to gain some useful skills to bring to my homeland in Te Tauihu.
Dissertation to commence semester 2, 2021
Email mosle318@student.otago.ac.nz
Christina Paterson
BA (Otago)
Based on Rakiura, I currently work for the Department of Conservation and have an interest in Sub-Antarctic, Rakiura and West Coast heritage. Prior to moving to the Island, I spent several years working in the museum sector where I specialised in developing public programmes. I have enjoyed the transition to an active ranger/kaitaki, conserving heritage sites on Public Conservation Land. Specific areas of interest are: public archaeology, databasing, and heritage management/conservation planning.
Dissertation to commence semester 1, 2024
Email patch996@student.otago.ac.nz
Kirsa Webb
BA(Hons), BSc (Otago)
Based in Christchurch, I began working as a consultant archaeologist after the Canterbury earthquakes. My work has mainly been in Canterbury and on the West Coast on both Māori and Pākehā archaeological sites. With a special interest in built heritage, I will undertake further research on the houses that I recorded during the post-earthquake demolitions in Christchurch as part of the MArchP dissertation. This research will focus on building technology and materials and their relationships to material availability, quality, design choice and socio-economic status of the occupants of the houses.
Dissertation to commence semester 2, 2021
Email webki750@student.otago.ac.nz
Quinta Wilson
BA (Auckland), DipGrad (Otago)
The Repatriation of Waikaretu Taonga to Weraroa Marae
There is anecdotal evidence from archaeology and museum professionals that there has been a significant increase in private collectors of found archaeological artefacts wanting to transfer their collections from their family to descendant communities and museums. The purpose of this project therefore, is to explain the apparent change in attitudes, by interviewing the parties to a 2019 repatriation case study involving my own hapū, Ngāti Tahinga of Waikato-Tainui, and the private collector Al Mannering.
Supervisors: Professor Richard Walter, Associate Professor Tim Thomas, Dr Gerard O’Regan (Adviser)
