Canterbury Disaster Salvage Team

This section tells you about the personnel on the Committee of the Canterbury Disaster Salvage Team. They are professionals from a variety of different fields in the cultural heritage sector including art galleries, museums, libraries, universities and archives in the Canterbury Region. The team began in 1987 and has continued over the years with new team members.

Lynn Campbell formerly of Christchurch Art Gallery, having recently returned from the Getty, is now an independent conservator and consultant who specialises in disaster preparedness Lynn has a BA Hons in Fine Art and a Post Graduate Degree in Fine Art Conservation and has worked in the UK, Africa and Antarctica. Lynn set up the Canterbury Disaster Salvage Team in 1987 after attending a disturbing amount of fires in cultural institutions around the South Island of New Zealand.

Jo Smith is the Archivist for the Methodist Church of New Zealand and is responsible for overseeing the archiving of the records of the Church New Zealand-wide. Previous to this position, after graduating from the University of Canterbury with a BA, Jo was the Curator of Manuscripts at the Canterbury Museum. She has attended several disaster training workshops and joined the Disaster Team in 2006.

Penny Minchin-Garvin is the curator for the James Logie Memorial Collection at Canterbury University. She has a BA and a Grad Dip (distinction) in Classics from the University of Canterbury. She has worked as a journalist and writer for the print media and published in both New Zealand and Australia.

Rose O’Neil is an information specialist at Christchurch City Libraries. She is part of the Aotearoa New Zealand team based at the Central City Library and has special responsibility of the archives collection. Rose is a long standing member of the Canterbury Disaster Salvage Team and has participated with other team members in the numerous workshops conducted by the Team.

Joanna Condon is the Manager of the Macmillan Brown Library that looks after all the heritage collections belonging to the University of Canterbury. Before this Jo was Special Collections Librarianat the university. Having also worked as the Southern Regional Manager of New Zealand Micrographic Services and Information Manager/Curator of Manuscripts at Canterbury Museum has given Jo an extensive knowledge in the care of heritage library collections

Terri Elder works as co-curator of the Logie Collection. Terri has a BA Hons in History (Canterbury), an M Phil in Museum Studies (Cambridge) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching. Terri has worked in a variety of museums and art galleries throughout New Zealand, specialising mainly in collection management. She joined the CDST in 2006 as the representative for Canterbury University.

Lydia Baxendell is the Art Collections Curator for University of Canterbury. Lydia has an MA in Art History (Otago) and has worked in a variety of art and curatorial roles throughout New Zealand. She joined the CDST in 2013.

Moya Sherriff is the Canterbury Cultural Collections Recovery Centre Administrator based at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. She has a BA in Sociology and Anthropology as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies. Moya has worked with a number of smaller museums and archives throughout Canterbury and joined the CDST in 2014.

Julie Humby is the Curator of the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology Artwork Collection, and also works in the CPIT Library. She has a Bachelor of Design in Visual Arts from CPIT and is working towards her Diploma in Tertiary Learning and Teaching. Julie is an exhibiting artist, producing prints and sculpture, and is currently working predominantly in cast glass.

Te Awhina Rangimarie Arahange is a Museum consultant specialising in exhibition design and curation, writer and researcher, te ao maori and iwi liaison, social and cultural historian. Achieved service IQ 2016 New Zealand Museum Award for Best Project for Kaiapoi Museum. Has a respect and fondness for quake wax and Perspex rods that helped protect Kaikoura Museum from dishevelment in the 7.8 earthquake November 2016.

Rebekkah Pickrill is an Assistant Registrar at the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu. She has a Bachelor of Design from Christchurch Polytechnic.
She joined the CDST in 2014.

For a quick reference and disaster plan templates use the following links.

The CDST has compiled a selection of examples of Disaster Plans and Plan templates