Staff profile: Lynette Townsend

I have worked as a historian and history curator for the past 20 years. After studying cultural anthropology and New Zealand history, I became interested in working in the museum sector, and did an MA in museum and heritage studies. A key focus of my work was telling cultural and historical stories through objects and images in museums. I worked for many years at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, curating exhibitions and building the history collection. My next position was at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage where I was a historian developing audio-visual content. A common thread throughout my work has been a passion for telling historical New Zealand stories, especially those lesser-known and invisible ones. It’s something I would like to continue to do in the development of collectable stamps and coins, alongside celebrating some of our major much-loved and well-known events and people of course.

I’ve had a long-standing interest in exploring background invisible histories. My MA thesis and many of my publications have focused on the history of New Zealand childhood, and I’ve done a lot of work focusing on different New Zealand cultural communities and LGBTIQ+ histories, as well as women’s history. A key project while at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage was Suffrage 125. As part of the research and publishing team, I created an online exhibition for the NZHistory website named Women, the Vote and Activism. Here I juxtaposed historical stories about women’s suffrage and 1970s’ women’s liberation, with women activists today – telling their stories through videos.

I greatly enjoy working with the New Zealand Post team who have heaps and heaps of ideas for stamps and coins. I also get lots of great ideas from the community, organisations and groups throughout New Zealand. One of the biggest challenges I face is navigating a plethera of great ideas – knowing we can’t develop them all. I’m really enjoying the challenge of curating the programme and thematically grouping our work into streams that we will grow and develop each year. These themes include a body of work that focuses on the environment and endangered animals, Māori stories, historical events, artists and a new strand that explores diverse cultural experiences in New Zealand, for example Diwali.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on who and what it is that makes up New Zealand today, and then present it in a tiny format that’s completely new to me. I’m so excited about the fact that our products reach so many people, those already

Photo by Zoe Rae

collecting stamps and coins, also that there is an opportunity to reach new people. I’m excited about working with all our stakeholders, community groups, designers and artists. I’m a real people person and happiest when working collaboratively with creative, passionate people.

I’ve met a few collectors and can see that they are an extremely passionate group. I would very much like to meet more and hope to get along to some of the exhibitions and clubs as soon as I can.

I’m really keen to hear people’s ideas for stamp and coin releases and create a programme that has a little something for everyone. I would like the programme to excite and satisfy our long-standing loyal collectors and perhaps add a little something new and unexpected as well.

I love a good dinner party with dear friends, so they would need to be there with me. But if I could invite anyone else it would be Ricky Gervais for his humour and provocative conversation, the Dalai Lama for his spiritual leadership and Nina Simone – I absolutely love her voice.