Values
Our core values make us unique and make us who we are. In founding the InSitu whānau, Lynda’s moral compass set the path we take with the key principles below.
Cycle of Caring
The Cycle of Caring feeds into our mahi daily. Originally developed by English Heritage, Lynda has taken this idea and run with it: by helping people to understand heritage, a cycle of caring is triggered and so ensures better outcomes for heritage.
Sustainability & Conservation
InSitu specialises in providing advice for projects where conservation of the archaeological landscape is the default position. Avoiding loss and minimising modification of archaeological sites is our operating premise.
We also collaborate with Iwi/hapū to deliver sustainable kaitiakitanga strategies around heritage sites.
Photos: Puketoromiro Pā before (left) and after (right) eucalypt tree removal and walkway installation, in a project led by Tauranga City Council and Ngāi Tamarāwaho
Succession
In 2020 we decided that it was time to begin training the next generation of Māori archaeologists and established a paid studentship position at InSitu. Our studentship runs through summer and provides a real experience of what consultancy archaeology can look like. Our students shadow our daily mahi, including fieldwork surveys, excavations, hui, and report writing. We also take the time to teach our students practical skills including archival research, GIS, excavation techniques and mapping. The final part of the studentship draws all these skills together, and the student is given the opportunity to conduct their own unique research project of their choice.
You can read more about our current student’s journey in the Te Tāuratanga blog.
Social Responsibility
We have a strong sense of what social responsibility looks like for our business. Here are a few of the ways we put this into practice:
Capacity building and sharing our skills at every opportunity
Undertaking voluntary NZAA work
Providing pragmatic and cost-effective advice - we don’t clip the ticket
Leaving the land as we find it
Waste minimisation
Ensuring our mahi adopts culturally appropriate protocols
Employing appropriate care of taonga
Opening a studentship for early career archaeologists in our team
Support local business
Josie cooks Andy at least one plant-based meal in a month
The list goes on!