Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cover image details: Panel from Trounson Forest Park, Northland. Joel Beachman, graphic designer, Lindsay Charman and Anja Pohler, concepts and text. Photo: Fiona Colquhoun.
ISBN 0-478-22572-5
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Foreword
Interpretation is fundamental to the Departments fostering of recreation, heritage, understanding and engagement in conservation. Interpretation helps demonstrate the values we hold and connects us to our communities. We have a fantastic wealth of stories to tell. Stories about species, events and places that help people understand their significance and demonstrate what active conservation actually means. We enjoy hearing the kokako sing, but appreciate it all the more if we know it survives today only as a result of intensive pest management programmes. We tell our stories using a variety of media: seasonal interpretation programmes, talks by hut wardens and concessionaires, visitor centre displays, interpreted walks, panels in huts and a wide variety of publications. But the quality of our endeavours varies. We need to make sure that professional, accurate, high-quality interpretation happens by design consistently. It means clear communication, being creative and not letting the media overwhelm the message. What we say is absolutely critical to achieving our mission. From the complex we need to distil the essence and present understandable, challenging, provocative, useful and meaningful stories in enjoyable ways to visitors. Our stories need to help people make connections with and between places or events. This handbook is about developing and improving our skills in interpretation. It provides some of the ingredients to success, but an ongoing commitment is required. I encourage you to use this handbook and continue to improve your skills so that the experience our visitors have is made all the more meaningful, rich and enjoyable through stimulating, engaging and memorably good interpretation.
Director-General
Te pupurangi panel at Trounson Forest Park, Northland. Designer: Joel Beachman. Lindsay Charman and Anja Pohler text and concepts. Photo: Fiona Colquhoun
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Acknowledgements
Many people have contributed to the development of this handbook by researching, compiling material, writing, editing and proofreading text, supplying photographs and illustrations, commenting on the draft, reference checking and providing advice. Thank you to the following people for their valuable contribution:
DOC staff: Shaughan Anderson and Katrina Upperton, Northland; Brigid McKay, Matt Ward and Annie Wheeler, Auckland; Vanessa Hooker, Waikato; Michelle Elborn, Bay Of Plenty; Jill Hudson and Pam Bain, East Coast/Hawkes Bay; Herwi Scheltus, Leanne Fraser, Petrina Francis and Dave Wakelin, Tongariro/Taupo; Carol Greensmith, Wanganui; Jeremy Rolfe, Wellington; Martin Heine and Warren Chippendale, Nelson/ Marlborough; Annette Hamblet, Gnome Hannah-Brown and Sandra Parkarki, Canterbury; the late Peter Bristow, Otago; Karen Shrubshall, Southland; Jonty Somers, Head Office, Jaap Jasperse, Science Publishing, and members of the national visitor and historic heritage management teams, Brian Dobbie, Michael Edginton, Paul Mahoney, Colin Perfect, Steve Sutton, Gavin Walker, Mariska Wouters. Other contibutors: Michelle Edge, Auckland Regional Council; Bill Gibson and Daphne Taylor, Fiordland Wilderness Experiences; Dyanna Jolly and Rachael Putener, Ngai Tahu Corporation; Tony Nightingale, Office of Treaty Settlements, formerly DOC Science and Research historian; Pynenburg & Collins Architects Ltd; Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi Inc; Jeff Grigs, Sonia Lloyd, Tony Peters and Bruce Postill. Kay Booth, Senior Lecturer, Lincon Univeristy; Professor Sam Ham, Idaho State University; Professor Betty Weiler, Monash University, Melbourne. Interpretation consultants, illustrators, designers, proofreader : Janet Bathgate, Juliane Bauszus, Lynda Burns, Chris Colquhoun, Sonia Frimmel, Tiena Jordan, Susan Marks, Kim Morland, and Simon Witham. A big thanks to Jennifer Falconer who has not only provided design skills but become a budding interpreter in the process.
Many other people provided ideas inspiration and support - thank you!
Fiona Colquhoun, Editor, National Visitor Information & Interpretation Co-ordinator: Research, Development & Improvement Division, Wellington.
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Contents
Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction What is interpretation? Why interpret? History of interpretation iii iv vii viii ix x
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3.8 Drama 3.9 Visitor centre staff 3.10 Associates and partners in interpretation
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Introduction
The Department of Conservation is charged with managing conservation areas to conserve and protect natural, cultural and historic resources, undertake conservation promotion, advocacy and education and foster recreation activities while allowing for tourism. Interpreting conservation sites and their values to the public is an important way for the Department to deliver its charter, fostering conservation awareness and commitment. Outdoor panels, visitor centre models, audio visuals and displays, performances, reenactments, talks, activity programmes, guided tours and roving interpretation rangers enable us to convey important conservation messages to visitors, helping them to enjoy, connect with and value our significant and special places. Crafting interpretive media which is simple, insightful, accurate, sensitive, sometimes provocative and always memorable requires the elements of research, knowledge, vision, project management and experience to come together in a mix of science and art. This handbook is designed to assist DOC staff and others translating the conservation vision into action by developing effective messages and stories about New Zealands great natural and cultural inheritance and its preservation.
New Zealands natural and historic heritage is protected; people enjoy it and are involved with the Department in its conservation. .
DOC vision
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What is interpretation?
Interpretation communicates what is significant about places, people or events. The essence of interpretation provides insight for visitors about whats special and how and why its valued. Its a celebration of place and things, of culture and nature, creativity and folklore, great successes and failures in our history. Interpretation is connected to sites and objects, artwork or living things and it can happen anywhere; in parks, visitor centres, historic sites, city streets, museums, zoos or galleries, at specials events or promotions, and in publications. Techniques include displays, guiding, drama, audio-visual/multi-media and publications. People generally experience interpretation in their leisure time, or as part of formal education activities. There is no one definition of interpretation but here are some well known examples:
Interpretation is an educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by first hand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information.
Tilden (1977:8)
Interpretation refers to information which has the objective of facilitating an understanding and appreciation of park assets and values whilst education refers to information directed towards students with the objective of increased knowledge for education outcomes.
ANZECC (1999)
A three fold approach is best for effective conservation education - education about the environment, i n the environment and for the environment.
Our definition:
Interpretation is an explanation of the natural, cultural or historic values attached to places. It enables visitors to gain insight and understanding about the reasons for conservation and ongoing protection of our heritage.
Where information provides facts, interpretation provides a story. All interpretation includes information, but good interpretation takes facts and connects them with context.
Illustration, Susan Marks
Information: Tane Mahuta is the largest and oldest kauri tree in New Zealand, at 51.5 metres tall, 13.77 metres circumference and 1500 years old. Interpretation: Tane Mahuta and other Kauri trees had perfect trunks for boat building, masts, carving and housing which helped early New Zealand Maori and Europeans survive and thrive. Do not try to satisfy your vanity by teaching a great many things. Awaken peoples curiosity. It is enough to open minds; do not overload them. Just put there a spark. If there is some good inflammable stuff, it will catch fire.
Anatole France
Young Australian water wheel and interpretation panel, Carrick Range, Otago. Photo: Peter Bristow
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Why interpret?
Through interpretation, understanding; through understanding, appreciation; through appreciation, protection .
Tilden (1977:38)
Interpretation helps fulfil our goals and share knowledge with others: We interpret to: