A View from Across The Ditch: Public Engagement, Community Archaeology, Underwater Cultural Heritage Management and The Impact of GIRT Scientific Divers In New Zealand

In January 2019, the GIRT Scientific Divers citizen science programme was taught for the first time in New Zealand. GIRTs introduction to New Zealand was supported by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. In 2018 and 2019, GIRT initially encountered resistance by some individuals from the New Zealand Underwater Heritage Group. Nevertheless, by 2020, GIRT has broadly been supported by the public and members in the Maritime Archaeological Association of New Zealand and the New Zealand Underwater Heritage Group. As of November 2020, GIRT has 30 members in New Zealand who to date have adopted 10 underwater archaeological sites and completed surveys of seven of those sites. This paper briefly reviews the history of public engagement, community-based archaeology and underwater cultural heritage management in New Zealand and contextualises the GIRT Scientific Diver citizen science programme within the framework of New Zealand public archaeology and avocational maritime archaeology groups, exploring what GIRT potentially means for community engagement and underwater cultural heritage management in New Zealand.