In the aftermath of the NZHA biennial conference, Histories Meet, it is a great joy to think over the many people who made the conference the exciting and energetic event that it was: from all the President’s nieces (well, some of them anyway, who kept the wharekai clean, and maintained a modest tea-and-coffee station), to the kaitūao volunteers, to the keynotes and guests, to all the Association members, presenters and listeners.
NZHA Executive and conference organising committee thank and congratulate each and every person involved in some way with Histories Meet. Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa – for your individual presentation, panel session or roundtable that gave the conference structure; your presentation, chairing, and questions that brought the sessions to life; for your new contacts and old friendships, your goodwill, engagement, and support. To our keynotes, guests, prize winners and prize judges. To our GLAM sector collaborators – Pouhere Taonga Heritage New Zealand, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, and Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. To the publishers, the authors, and the booksellers; the students and the lecturers; the professors – from the recent to the retired – and the public servants. To all the twitterstorians whose summations, observations, and one-liners extended the reach of the conference to those who could not attend while also contributing to a vibrant online community of conference-goers. Thank you all for coming. We hope you enjoyed yourselves.
Finally, a special thanks to our wonderful team of kaitūao volunteers who fetched and carried water, lugged boxes of books and paraphernalia, set and reset rooms and whare, organised flowers, a flag, and feedback forms, and filled and distributed conference bags. Thank you for managing the rooms, registration table, inquiries, lost property and people; thank you for the podcast interviews, @historiesmeet, and the buzz. Thank you for the Graduate Day – creating space and setting the tone for the cohort of stunning students who attended. Thank you for your graciousness, willingness, patience, and generosity. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.
The New Zealand Historical Association 