MCNZ Archivist Jennie Hood, is currently living and working in Rarotonga as part of a one-year assignment with Volunteer Service Abroad.

Based at the University of the South Pacific, her job is to appraise, catalogue and digitise the archives of Ron and Marjorie Crocombe, both highly respected academics prolific Pacific researchers and academics. She has been warmly welcomed by USP Director Dr Debi Futter-Puati and the staff at USP, and shares news of her work - and life - four months in.

Ron Crocombe was known as the ‘Father of Pacific Studies’.  He was the founder and first director of the Institute of Pacific Studies at USP.  His wife, Marjorie Tuainekore-Crocombe, was an anthropologist and highly respected academic. She was at one time the director of the Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland.  Marjorie assisted Ron with much of his research and although the bulk of the papers I am working on are Ron’s, Marjorie’s input is reflected in this collection.

In the 1960s, Ron’s work on Land Tenure in the Pacific was groundbreaking in its use of vernacular sources to understand and reconstruct the pre-European contact land tenure system in the Cook Islands.  The archive contains original source material used in this work which is incredibly important for people of the Cook Islands.  The collection also includes a tranche of correspondence with other academics around the world and Ron’s indefatigable personality shines through in the lively exchanges recorded in these letters.

Until now, much of the material has been untouched since Ron’s death in 2009.  The hot and humid conditions here in the Cook Islands have accelerated the deterioration of the records and unfortunately mould and pests have taken hold.  When the collection was transferred to USP it was stored in a shipping container and a wooden shed.  The shed can get extremely hot and is not entirely weatherproof so it has been quite a challenge to complete the appraisal process!  The first couple of months I was working in intense temperatures and it has been demanding work in tough conditions.  Despite this, the appraisal process is now complete and I will be moving on to cataloguing and selecting items for digitisation as the next step.

In addition to this work, I am working one day per week at the Ministry of Culture on various projects, mostly assisting at the National Library.  My husband Ryan is accompanying me here on assignment.   He joins me at the National Library to assist with technology issues (and anything else that needs attention!) and has also been getting involved with environmental projects at Muri Environment Care.

Outside of work we are making the most of the beautiful weather.  We go swimming and snorkeling regularly in the lagoon and enjoy trying the delicious local food.  I attend local dance classes and we have both had Cook Islands Māori language lessons. We are taking the opportunity to explore the other islands here and recently visited Aitutaki.

VSA do such valuable work across the Pacific and I feel very fortunate to have been selected for this role.  It is quite a process to go through – rigorous interviews, medical tests, vaccinations and a lengthy visa process – but to work here, experience the culture and assist in improving access to the archives for staff and researchers alike is life changing. For more information about the great work done by VSA, have a look at their website here.

Meitaki maata!