DOI: 10.32912/papahou.60.176367

Authors: Kendall Morman, Jacqueline Beggs, Peter Bellingham, Gavin Lear

Abstract: This report characterises the soil chemistry beneath kahika trees (Metrosideros kermadecensis) on two remote, subtropical oceanic islands in the South Pacific, Rangitāhua, which currently has a lower abundance of seabirds but supported dense populations until the 20th century, and North Meyer Island, which supports a dense seabird population. Soil was collected from five locations on both islands in November 2023. Soil Chemistry testing was conducted by Maanaki Whenua Environmental Laboratory, and, for Rangitāhua samples, further testing was carried out by Hills Laboratory. Key results: ∙ Soil pH was 6.16 ± 0.22 (mean ± SE) on Rangitāhua and 4.12 ± 0.25 on North Meyer Island. ∙ Soil organic carbon was 10.36% ± 1.09 on Rangitāhua and 11.39% ± 3.51 on North Meyer Island. ∙ Total soil nitrogen was 0.58% ± 0.039 on Rangitāhua and 0.77% ± 0.226 on North Meyer Island. ∙ Soil C:N ratios were 17.74 ± 0.93 on Rangitāhua and 14.16 ± 0.72 on North Meyer Island. ∙ Total phosphorus was 856.8 mg/kg ± 81.53 on Rangitāhua and 3462.8 mg/kg ± 908.74 on North Meyer Is. Soil nutrient concentrations offer critical insights into soil fertility, forest health and the functioning of soil microbial communities. The differences observed between the two islands may reflect variations in seabird abundance and disturbance history (including invasive mammals) and can inform future ecosystem management and conservation strategies. These results suggest that seabird presence is linked with lower pH and elevated phosphorus on North Meyer. Meanwhile, carbon and nitrogen values remain within a comparable range across both islands.

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.60.182732

Authors: Jane Groufsky, Chanel Clarke

Abstract: n/a

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.59.182859

Authors: Zoe Richardson, James Taylor

Abstract: N/A

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.59.174843

Authors: Cathrine Patten, Libby Easterbrook, Amelia Willems, Georgia Rudd, Caroline Walker, Kane Meissel

Abstract: NA

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.59.152870

Authors: Joshua Emmitt

Abstract: James Tannock Mackelvie sent many items to Auckland in the late nineteenth century, amongst which were objects of archaeological provenance. Auckland at the time was home to fledgling societies such as the Auckland Acclimatisation Society and the Auckland Institute, and the membership of these societies frequently overlapped. The overlap in these interests in Mackelvie’s case resulted in him frequenting the town of Hyères on the French Riviera later in life, a famous acclimatisation area. There, he made connections with other acclimatisers who also had a background in antiquities and could obtain material through them to send to Auckland. This antiquities trade, as well as broader acclimatisation activities, was in the context of the colonisation of Aotearoa, New Zealand, by colonial settlers and played a part in the colonisation process. Here, the collection history of material from the Swiss Lakes and Roman pottery from Hyères is outlined and discussed in the context of colonial Auckland and the antiquities trade in the nineteenth-century.

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.58.143697

Authors: Genevieve Silvester, Gretel Boswijk, Shaun Higgins

Abstract: In 1980 the Auckland Institute & Museum received a bequest which included a small oil painting, “The Music Lesson”, noted as by Jan Steen, a Dutch artist active in the mid-17th century. However, there was doubt about this attribution, with the possibility the painting was by a contemporary or a 19th century pastiche of the 17th century Netherlandish style. With attribution of the painting unresolved, a technical art history survey of the painting was undertaken to inform understanding of when, where and who executed the painting. This included pigment analysis of the paint and dendrochronological analysis of the oak panel. Attribution of “The Music Lesson” to Jan Steen could not be refuted, but several hypotheses remain open, requiring further investigation of the artistic style. However, the use of specific pigments not used after AD 1700 and a terminus post quem date of AD 1623 for the oak panel provide clear indication of mid-seventeenth century Northern Europe in the period and place of manufacture. This aligns well with the composition, costume, and subject matter and rules out the likelihood of the work being a 19th century pastiche.

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.58.143696

Authors: Victoria Passau

Abstract:

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.58.143685

Authors: Jane Groufsky, Janene Smith

Abstract: NA

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.58.143694

Authors: Sascha Nolden, Hugh R. Grenfell

Abstract: This paper presents an annotated English translation of Ferdinand Hochstetter’s handwritten German-language manuscript diary from the period 7-13 June 1859 when he travelled on Captain John Grundy’s cutter Maid of the Mill to Coromandel and Waiheke Island in the company of Charles Heaphy and Julius Haast. Heaphy, explorer, surveyor, landscape artist and expert on the Coromandel goldfields, furnished Hochstetter with valuable information, and his maps, watercolours and pencil sketches from the excursion add visual evidence to the text. The diary is complemented by Auckland War Memorial Museum’s archival volume (MS-18) of receipts from Hochstetter’s visit and geological survey commissioned by the Auckland Provincial Government.

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DOI: 10.32912/papahou.58.143687

Authors: Catherine Hammond

Abstract:

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