When Craig Reidy (Ngāti Maru, Te Rarawa) was spending time with his grandfather early on in his life it was more than just intergenerational bonding.

Although he didn’t know it at the time, he realises now that he was being shoulder-tapped.

“When I was young, I observed my grandfather Eruera Nikorima Rapihana (Taka Robson) looking after the cultural interests of our whānau,” says Craig, who works today as a Pouārahi with the Mid Northern offfice of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.

“I accompanied him to many of our whānau sites but I didn’t understand at the time as I was young and uninterested. He was introducing me to the kaitiaki role that would take me many years and mentors to develop.”

Today, Craig lives with his wife Melody Chase (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rārua) and their four adult children at Maramarahi on the papa kāinga of Te Ahumua hapū. He remembers some of the issues that impacted cultural sites in his grandfather’s time – and which are all too familiar today.

“Things like farms and subdivisions built on burial grounds, land reclamation over battle sites, sports grounds and toilets being built on Wāhi Tapu and contemporary developments that put him under duress when he was pressured to allow sewage mains to be placed on the Te Ahuma papa kāinga,” he says.

Those experiences made a strong impression on Craig.

“I remember when I was young our Wāhi Tapu was damaged by the building of stop banks to prevent the flooding of Maramarahi,” he remembers.

“There was no consultation until the diggers had unearthed koiwi.”

Craig’s first career move after leaving school was completing an electrical fitters apprenticeship in 1993 with the then Electricity Corporation of New Zealand. The cultural heritage of his whānau was never far away however.

“When my grandfather passed in 1988, my uncle David Nikorima Robson took up the responsibility for looking after our interests. A couple of years later he became Pouārahi for the then New Zealand Historic Places Trust, a role that he filled for 30 years until his retirment,” he says.

Meanwhile Craig’s mother, June Reidy, assumed some of her father’s role wtih Ngāti Maru Iwi, Paikarahi No 2 Trust, and as matriarch of the papa kāinga at Maramarahi.

“She was as instrumental as her brother David in determining my role to succeed as kaitiaki,” he says.

An invitation to take part in an archaeological project in 1993 was a life-changing opportunity for Craig, who joined Auckland University Professor Harry Allen and Dr Caroline Phillips on an archaeological survey of the Hikutaia area. As part of the team, Craig learned excavation methods, mapped an archaeological site using an alidade and plane table, and visited LINZ, the Māori Land Court and Auckland University.

“The project planted the seed and Dr Caroline Phillips encouraged my interest in the archaeological domain,” he says.

A stint as an Environmental Officer for Ngāti Maru followed where Craig’s approach to protecting iwi interests was shaped by the experience of colleagues. The work wasn’t always easy.

“It was a difficult time for Māori trying to look after their interests – the Resource Management Act was new and we were trying to navigate the processes under adverse conditions as there was push back from key stakeholders at the time,” he remembers.

“Forming relationships with local authorities, developers and work crews wasn’t the same as it is now.”

The experience, however, was the best possible training ground according to Craig.

“Ngāti Maru taught me to temper my passion and be diplomatic, proactive and wise when picking my battles in order to achieve sustainable outcomes,” he says.

“At the time I felt that archaeologists were given more standing than iwi and realised that my credibility may improve if I went to university and became an archaeologist. This led to me working in the field uncovering and recording Māori archaeological sites, and more recently working in the Bay of Plenty with Dr Phillips as part of the Mysteries of the Trowel archaeological team.”

Māori have much to contribute to archaeological understanding according to Craig who has encouraged many Māori to pursue archaeology as a career.

“I want to see Māori bringing tapu, noa and tohungatanga to archaeology. Mātauranga is an important lens that is often missed in the field,” he says.

“Archaeology relies on material evidence which can steer you in any way you wish to interpret it – Māori can offer practical experience of their own sites.”

Seeing Māori participate in archaeological excavations has been transformative according to Craig.

“I love seeing the faces of iwi when they pull up their first toki. The last person to touch it was their ancestor – you can see the feeling in their eyes,” he says.

“One of my proudest moments in the field was having a Māori archaeology team digging and recording, photographing, measuring, surveying – everything! Just the feeling of that group, that they were part of the process. A lot of Māori see having their own archaeology teams as the future.”

With the passing of his uncle, Dave Robson, in 2023 an opportunity came up to learn about the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act and use this knowledge to help Māori look after their interests. When the position of Pouārahi in the Mid Northern office was advertised – the role that his uncle had held until his retirement six years ago – it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass by.

Craig has been in the role for over a year now, and says the mentorship of whānau – beginning with his grandfather and later uncle – as well as heritage professionals over the years has equipped him for the job.

“Lack of capacity can hinder Māori participation in heritage management. Particular skill sets are required to enable a fair and just interraction with key stakeholders when development impinges on Māori interests,” he says.

“As Pouārahi I can assist iwi to navigate the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act when exercising their kaitiaki role. I’m also learning the wider Māori cultural footprint and how Māori engage in looking after their interests,” he says.

“My role is to ensure that iwi views are listened to; that they get to express their view and that they are considered.”

Times have changed since his younger days when Māori cultural sites were largely misunderstood, mistreated or their importance overlooked by officialdom.

“We have come a long way in allowing indigenous narratives, but there is a long way to go. I hope to be able to participate as iwi build confidence by enhancing their capacity to determine better outcomes with less compromise as they continue to look after their interests going forward.”