Department of Conservation (Doc) senior heritage adviser Matthew Oskam-Schmidt, of Dunedin, was the 2024 recipient of the national Public Archaeology Award, which is awarded by New Zealand Archaeological Association every two years.
He said winning the award last week was "pretty cool", especially from an organisation he had so much respect for.
"The association goes back to the 1950s and is made up of a huge range of archaeologists from all over New Zealand and overseas."
Dr Oskam-Schmidt received the award for his efforts to promote heritage throughout the South by involving youth, teaching and giving presentations about his work.
Some of his heritage work included teaching school-aged children about the Chinese miners during the gold rush in Otago, and his part in the restoration of the William Rathbun grave on the Milford Track in Fiordland after it was damaged in the 2020 floods.
"I started a project, drummed up some support, and managed to track William’s great-grandson to the West Coast.
"He came over and we got a new gravestone installed at the foot of Lady Bowen Falls."
Dr Oskam-Schmidt said most people did not associate Doc with heritage preservation, but it was an important and large aspect of their job.
"The archaeological association helped set up the world’s only national site recording scheme and Doc support this scheme.
"We all contribute to it and we have recorded about 70,000 heritage sites so far."
