Mishelle Muāgututi’a

A passion for the arts—and their history and preservation—inspired Mishelle's tertiary studies and now drives her work with Aotearoa’s audiovisual archives.

Head and shoulders portrait of Mishelle. Mishelle has dark hair and brown eyes and smiles at the camera. In the background a dog lies on a couch. Bookshelves and photos line the rear wall.

I am currently working as the Manager Preservation, Poutaki Rokiroki at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, and I am interested in social history, art initiatives, and audiovisual technology. My role is to lead and support our busy team of preservation archivists. I oversee the team’s research, archival standards in conservation techniques, and digital preservation of analogue video and sound formats. This work ensures that analogue video and sound formats are digitised and protected, and the audiovisual history of Aotearoa is accessible to future generations.

I have always had an interest in social history. Reconnecting people with their history through storytelling and the audiovisual collections in our care is essential to the work we do at Ngā Taonga.

If anyone wants to study Film at the tertiary level, it is useful to take relevant subjects that interest you. The experience is transferable. I initially worked in the performing arts sector. After attending Polynesian Performing Arts School (PUAWAI) in Christchurch, I honed my skills as an event coordinator, contemporary dancer (brief stint), theatre actor, and tour manager with like-minded friends and family members. I worked mainly in theatre and was an original company member of the pivotal performing arts organisation Pacific Underground. Founded in 1993, it is the longest running Pacific performing arts organisation in New Zealand, supporting artists and art initiatives for nearly 30 years.

While working at the University library, I decided to study the theory of Film and Pacific Studies, which seemed a natural progression after many years in theatre. I enjoyed the classes that supported New Zealand film analysis, which became an integral part of my understanding of storytelling and moving image history in Aotearoa. It motivated me to take up postgraduate study in Museum and Heritage Studies, driven by the need to help preserve the creative work of friends working in the arts sector.

In my opinion, life balance should always involve art. I have supported arts initiatives in the community as part of the Kava Club Arts Collective, supporting Māori and Pacific artists in Wellington, and am currently on the board of Playmarket NZ, which supports playwrights’ work. I have been an arts panel assessor for the Arts Foundation, AKAMAI Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka, and Creative NZ and Wellington City Council’s Creative Communities Scheme. I have also been a curator and artist coordinator with the annual Siapo Cinema: Oceania Film Festival at Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision.