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Freya Hargreaves-Brown from the Ngāi Tahu Archive

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25 February 2022

We are pleased to announce a new development in the collaborative partnership between the Ngāi Tahu Archive and Archives New Zealand.

In February we welcomed Freya Helen Wharerimu Hargreaves-Brown (Ngāi Tahu, Awarua) on a fixed term secondment to Archives New Zealand’s Royal Commission of Inquiry Operational Support team as Digitisation Assistant. While the role is based in the Christchurch/Ōtautahi office, Freya will be part of a national team that operates across all four offices of Te Rua Mahara o Te Kāwanatanga, under the management of Belinda Battley.

The RCI Team was established in 2018 to support the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse, and Freya’s role involves careful and sensitive processing and digitisation of files requested by the Commission.

A smiling woman in a black dress standing in the repository
Freya Hargreaves-Brown

Freya has joined us from Ngāi Tahu Archive

Belinda says she is very happy to have Freya join the RCI digitisation whānau:

"It’s lovely to have Freya join our team. She is already making a valuable contribution to our digitisation work. Her fresh eyes are bringing new perspectives, and we are very much appreciating this opportunity to get to know the Ngāi Tahu team, and the potential this brings for knowledge-sharing.”

Freya has been an Archives Assistant at the Ngāi Tahu Archive since 2019 and is also in the final stages of studying towards a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Māori and Indigenous Studies at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha (University of Canterbury). In her spare time she enjoys spending time with whānau and friends outdoors enjoying all Aotearoa has to offer. The secondment allows Archives New Zealand to benefit from Freya’s experience working for an iwi archive and it also provides her an opportunity for further development in the archival profession, including digitisation. This secondment will benefit both organisations and their kaimahi into the future through the sharing of skills and knowledge.

Freya says she is delighted to have joined the team:

“I am thankful for this opportunity and all the work behind the scenes on my behalf that went into making this possible. I’m really enjoying my role and the small part I am playing in making this important information accessible. I aim to learn as much as possible in this position, always with the intent of hoping to make my whānau and iwi proud.”

Ngāi Tahu Archive Manager, Takerei Norton, is hoping that Freya’s secondment could be the start of creating formal pathways for young Ngāi Tahu to gain experience working within the archives sector:

“We have a responsibility to grow the next generation of kaitiaki who will care for our collections. This is an exciting opportunity for Freya, and we are grateful for the ongoing support of Archives New Zealand in the development of the Ngāi Tahu Archive.”