Dame Anne receives Caird Medal

An international honour recognising Dame Anne Salmond’s contribution to Māori history and Pacific voyaging will be formally presented to her at the New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa November 2, as part of a special public event celebrating the knowledge and traditions of Pacific voyaging. 

Awarded to Dame Anne by the National Maritime Museum in London (part of Royal Museums Greenwich), in February 2020, the Caird Medal recognises her outstanding contribution to maritime history, Pacific voyaging research and cross-cultural understanding. The presentation also reflects the longstanding relationship between the New Zealand Maritime Museum and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich through the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM). 

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited director of the New Zealand Maritime Museum Vincent Lipanovich will formally present the medal to Dame Anne in Aotearoa, following delays of the presentation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It is a privilege to formally present the Caird Medal to Dame Anne in Aotearoa,” says Vincent. “Her work has made an extraordinary contribution to our understanding of Māori and Pacific histories and the significance of voyaging across our ocean.”

Established in 1984, the Caird Medal honours Sir James Caird, the principal founder and benefactor of the National Maritime Museum located in Greenwich, London. Awarded periodically by the museum’s trustees, it recognises individuals whose work makes an important contribution to maritime history and public understanding of maritime cultures and heritage.  

The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion between Dame Anne, renowned Māori navigator and waka expert Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr, and master navigator and voyager Jack Thatcher. Hosted by broadcaster Scotty Morrison, the evening will explore the knowledge, traditions and relationships that have connected Pacific peoples across Moana Oceania for generations. 

Anthropologist, historian and writer, Dame Anne has dedicated much of her career to Māori and Pacific histories, voyaging, environmental relationships and encounters between Māori and European. She is a Distinguished Professor of Māori Studies and Anthropology at Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, and was named New Zealander of the Year in 2013. 

Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr has spent years revitalising Māori voyaging knowledge and supporting the contemporary waka revival, sharing mātauranga associated with traditional navigation and the connections between people and the ocean. Jack Thatcher is a master navigator, ocean voyager and educator who helps sustain and share ancestral wayfinding knowledge, drawing on the stars, winds, currents and natural environment to navigate Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa. 

The public is invited to join this evening celebrating Dame Anne Salmond’s contribution to maritime history and bringing together three leading voices to share their perspectives on the legacy of Māori and Pacific voyaging. 

The event titled Star Canoes, Voyaging Worlds takes place on Monday November 2, from 6pm to 9pm at The Maritime Room. Tickets are $20 per person.