Tāmaki Paenga Hira: Tui tui hono tangata, whenua me te moana.
Auckland War Memorial Museum: Connecting through sharing stories of people, lands and seas
Auckland Museum is a much-loved culture and heritage organisation at the heart of Auckland's identity, committed to outstanding management of its world-class collections, developing and sharing engaging content through its galleries, exhibition, events, educational programmes and the permanent and volunteer staff who tell the Museum's stories. We are Auckland's home of commemoration as well as the country’s oldest research institution and a major tourist destination.
Job Description
Auckland Museum’s Summer Student Programme is open to promising undergraduate students from a range of disciplines. Students will join a cohort-style programme for ten weeks over the summer to gain career-relevant experience and have the opportunity to train alongside Museum professionals and to gain an insight into the culture and heritage sector. Our Summer Studentships provide an opportunity to undertake a project tailored to your interests and aspirations.
About the programme:
-Summer studentships will run over 10 weeks from 16 November 2026 to 12 February 2027 (with a 3-week break over the Christmas and New Year period)
-Cohort-style programme, with tours and talks from staff at Tāmaki Paenga Hira
- A wide-range of interesting and unique research projects
- A stipend of $7,000 will be awarded to each successfully selected student
Project Description:
Characterisation of Historical New Zealand Game Fish Catches
During the first half of the twentieth century, New Zealand was actively promoted as an international sport fishing destination, with big game fishing clubs established along the east coast of Northland and the Bay of Plenty. Records of anglers' catches were regularly published in newspapers, club reports and museum archives, providing a unique historical record of New Zealand's early recreational fishery. This project will investigate historic game fish catches off the northeast North Island between 1920 and 1980 using museum archives and online historical sources. The findings will provide new insights into the species composition, size and trends of northern New Zealand's sport fishery while enhancing the provenance and documentation of specimens held in the Museum's collections.
Desired Skills and Experience
This project will best suit a student with:
Skilled in the used of Excel
Interest in ichthyology and/or sport fishing
Attention to detail, and ability to accurately transcribe information
Strong literature research skills
Closing Date: 2 September 2026
You must be currently eligible to study in New Zealand to apply for this student training opportunity.
Auckland Museum offers a rich and fulfilling environment where we embrace diversity and nurture our bicultural capability as demonstrated in our Teu le Va and He Korahi Maori strategies. We also offer a range of great benefits including an award-winning wellbeing programme.
This is a great opportunity for someone looking to be part of a fabulous New Zealand organisation committed to telling our national and Auckland stories, reflecting our unique place in the South Pacific.
He Oranga Tangata ka ao Enriching lives. Inspiring discoveries
