New Memory of the World inscriptions celebrated in Dunedin
Four new inscriptions have been added to the Aotearoa New Zealand Memory of the World register this week.
MOWNZ
The new inscriptions were celebrated at a special event which took place at the Hocken Collections Uare Taoka o Hākena, University of Otago, Dunedin on August 28th.
“The event was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the four new inscriptions to the UNESCO New Zealand Memory of the World Register, and in particular, an important collection of Janet Frame’s papers,” said Vicki, who spoke at the event.
“The life of this remarkable writer has connections to two other UNESCO designations – the Waitaki Whitestone UNESCO Global Geopark, which also hosts Janet Frame’s childhood home, and the city where Janet spent most of her life, Dunedin, now a UNESCO Creative City of Literature. This is so very UNESCO – recognising and joining together the many threads that connect us to each other and places,” Vicki said.
The event, which was also the opening of a new exhibition of Janet Frame’s personal and literary papers, took place on Janet Frame’s 100th birthday.
UNESCO’s Memory of the World programme recognises significant documentary heritage in a similar fashion to the way UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention and World Heritage List recognises significant natural and cultural sites. The New Zealand register currently includes more than 50 inscriptions.
The other three inscriptions added to the Register were documentary series Tangata Whenua: The People of the Land; the Frank Sargeson Collection; and the William James Harding Collection of Whanganui-Rangitikei photographs and negatives.
Memory of the World Chair Jane Wild congratulated the five institutions recognised by the 2024 inscriptions for their efforts.
“To be inscribed on the Memory of the World register we require the marriage of unique documentary heritage content and a research environment with capability to preserve the collections and make them available. This is an interesting professional dynamic that these four collections demonstrate ranging from manuscript drafts to shopping lists, through recorded interviews and glass plate negatives of 19th century Whanganui.”
