Guidelines for interpreting history

Without a doubt, New Zealanders have become increasingly interested in their cultural heritage over the past ten years. Perhaps the pace at which the quality of our life is decreasing is a contributing factor towards this. In our often artificial and ‘processed’ world, the term ‘old fashioned’ with its associated connotations of wholesomeness will now sell bread. There was an era when goods, processes and ways of life associated with times past were often scorned as being obsolete. Society in general could not wait to toss the ‘old’ away in favour of obtaining a ‘new improved’ quality of life. Consequently our lives have become increasingly empty of functions that were common in the past, for example, the healthy exercise and satisfaction of chopping wood for fires, for warmth and cooking, is denied to many today. Much of our lives has become ‘softer’ physically, but more stressful mentally. Perhaps it is, that by looking to history, people are seeking to find a balance in their lives. But whatever peoples’ motives are for exploring the avenues of history, it can be a fascinating and valuable past-time. To open these avenues and to share them with others is not only challenging but also an important function to our society. The monumental approach; glittering brass plaques set in concrete or a string of facts and figures has probably never been a very successful method of preserving history. If we desire to see people (not just a select few) take an interest in history and benefit from it, it must be presented to them in such a way as to make it ‘live’. History should not consist of a dead past, but rather be meaningful and living in the minds of present generations. In addition to making history ‘live’ there is also a responsibility to ensure the correct history (pertinent and representative) is being preserved and interpreted accurately and honestly. The aim of this dissertation is to provide a background and some guidelines for the theoretical and practical process of interpreting history. Also, to create an awareness of the need to interpret and preserve accurate, honest and representative history. Most of our national parks and reserves have historic sites and much valuable history. However, I do not wish to restrict this dissertation to the interpretation of history within national parks and reserves only. The Forest Service, museums (run by both private and public organisations), the Historic Places Trust and historical societies are just some of the other organisations responsible for preserving and interpreting our cultural heritage.