Skip to main content

 

People were asking - how does one go about getting to be an archaeologist – or at least involved in archaeology?

Let’s deal with being an archaeologist working or being employed as such.

 


Part One - The Professional

Professional archaeologists in New Zealand generally follow these pathways:

·         University (research and teaching-based) archaeologists.

·         Heritage or Cultural Resource Management archaeologists.

·         Museum (curatorial) archaeologists.

University-based Archaeologists

These are primarily academic or technical roles based in tertiary institutions. Most are involved in teaching as well as research. This involves archaeological excavations, laboratory work. The number of roles is limited in New Zealand.

Heritage or Cultural Resource Management archaeologists.

Most archaeologists employed in New Zealand area in the heritage management field. These include:

·         Private consultants. Principals of such firms are full time jobs, but they often employ experienced researchers and excavators on either a permanent or on contract/project basis.

·         Public servants either at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (HNZPT), Territorial Local Authorities (TLAs, i.e., council) or at the Ministry of Cultural and Heritage (MCH). These archaeologists specialise in heritage policy and compliance with heritage or resource management laws.

 

Museums

Archaeologists working in museums are involved with research, public interaction, display development and collection curation.

 

Other

In addition, some related specialists that may work close in both public and private heritage work including conservators, built heritage, environmental scientists, planners and historians. Forensic work is another area that has employed archaeologists.

Here is a local consulting archaeologist talking about a job, working on a highway project, indicating how the work might fit into a bigger picture. The importance of archaeology – October 2019 - YouTube

For a broader view of the range of New Zealand Archaeology look here: New Zealand Archaeology Association - YouTube

 

Training

The route to any of these is first a bachelor’s degree, specialising in archaeology. Auckland and Otago teach these within anthropology or anthropological science degrees. Both are well regarded teachers of the subject with many graduates who work as archaeologists, here and many other parts of the world. These give a flavour of what they are offering:

·         Archaeologist - The University of Auckland

·         Careers, Archaeology, University of Otago, New Zealand.

The Bachelors degrees will allow you to work in junior roles in public and private heritage management and museum roles. Typically 3-4 years.

A master’s degree is generally considered to be a requirement for long-term archaeological professional roles especially for supervising archaeological excavations.  Typically 1-2 years.

Post-graduate archaeology Masters degrees are available at both Auckland and Otago Universities.  Research-focused archaeological Masters are available at both universities and Otago also offers a heritage management-focussed Masters as well.

For academic jobs a doctorate is required for most teaching and research positions. Commonly a PhD from a university other than your first is often preferred for research positions. 

Doctorates are not required for most general archaeological roles in public or private heritage management but are not unusual. Typically 3-5 years.

Degrees in related disciplines are offered at the other universities, particularly useful for archaeologists with special focus on specialities such as radiocarbon dating, history, Māori heritage, and policy.

 

Excavation

Archaeological excavations can only be undertaken in New Zealand with an “Authority” from HNZPT under the direction of an HNZPT-approved archaeologist.  This includes research and heritage management projects.

Archaeological sites are protected by law whether they are recorded or not.

Requirements for HNZPT approval to direct an excavation include academic qualifications, relevant field-experience, local Māori engagement, and landowner permission. 

 

Overseas trained archaeologists can work here but are required to meet the HNZPT requirements, especially relating to local experience and knowledge to advance to directing archaeological excavations.

 

Job Prospects

Job prospects are reasonable, but advancing beyond first jobs might involve career shifts to being self-employed, employed as private consultancies or in public organisations.

Pay rates vary considerably based on qualifications, experience and role.

 

Advancing your employability:

·         Archaeology has overlaps with geology, soil science, botany, zoology, history, historical linguistics, physical anthropology and more – so following a secondary interest in one or more of these may well help. It is becoming more specialised so think about how you might be limiting your career before you get put in a silo.

·         Computer skills are essential.

·         Statistics or GIS / spatial analysis or surveying also desirable.

·         Take any opportunity for fieldwork that is available. At university this is usually through field schools.

·         Take any opportunity for laboratory work that is offered, particularly if it links back to field school work.

·         Collaborate: If you end up working in Heritage / Resource Management it is not solitary work. You will be interacting much of the time with other professionals such as engineers, lawyers and planners, and with clients. If you have some time in research, these days it is not a solo exercise. You will be working with a team of people expert in aspects of the research and collaboration is central. Take any opportunity to collaborate in what you are doing.

·         Network: It applies in many careers but job opportunities in archaeology are not always advertised. Develop a network.

·         Be flexible – that entry opportunity may be short term, anywhere in New Zealand or elsewhere, ill paid, uncomfortable, but make sure it is an opportunity to learn.

·         Archaeology of the relatively recent is often about people whose descendants are still resident, who have an understandable interest in their own past, and their own perspective on it. Indeed, they can form part of the community of archaeologists.

·         Archaeology in many parts of the world engages such with communities as the guardians of their own culture and seeks to include their knowledge. It is certainly the case here. Be prepared to work in that world. There is an increasing focus on Mātauranga Māori and te reo is desirable. Becoming comfortable with tikanga Māori is becoming necessary and is encouraged.

·         Archaeology is taught here as part of anthropology, so understand its wider perspectives.

·         Some people come to archaeology from other specialisations and bring skills with them, but not many are a complete set for archaeology, so a new qualification is usually necessary.

 

Research

Does the broad church of archaeologists in New Zealand undertake research?

·         Few archaeologists are typically employed to do that alone. Those in Universities certainly do when not teaching and often those in Museums do as well.

·         There is a long tradition of non-university/museum-based archaeologists undertaking local and international quality research. This is often an outcome of commercial projects, personal research interests or collaborations between private and public archaeologists. However, most privately employed archaeologists do such work voluntarily aa part of their professional development or training.

·         New Zealand archaeology is not a localised interest. Techniques and ideas about the human past flow worldwide. Stay open to them.

 

Professional Organisation

Is there a professional association that might be a guide in this career?

Not at the moment, but NZAA is looking to establish a professional arm so keep a lookout for that. A mentor might help.

 

What to join? Why NZAA of course – there are student rates. Membership - NZ Archaeological Association (nzarchaeology.org)

 

Thanks to Simon Bickler for assistance with this.

 

Part Two - getting involved - to follow.

Popular posts from this blog

  Part Two -Getting involved in Archaeology as an Interest.   Part One looked at archaeology as a profession to get into, this looks at other aspects for people with other ambitions.   The early 19 th C origins of archaeology were from a time when there were no archaeologists – the people that pioneered it were often trained in other fields and many of them were employed in other fields. Now the field seems to be dominated by professionals, with a long path of training and experience needed to become one (See Part One).   Is there now no role for those with an interest in archaeology?   There is.   An Invitation to Archaeology:   “We are all archaeologists now.” ( The Archaeological Imagination . Michael Shanks)   If we have an interest in archaeology, it is because we have been exposed to archaeology in some form. Through that exposure we can start to see that the hand of past people is still with us in the physical world, that forgotten aspects of their exist
Read more
  Quotes for Archaeologists I used to have these in the page formatting of this blog - but it didn't work on iPhones and the ilk so took it down. Here they are as a post instead.
Read more