Dr Rowan Light

Project Curator, Land Wars

Dr Rowan Light

Historian Dr Rowan Light is Project Curator for the New Zealand Wars and Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland. Rowan researches the Museum's collections relating to the foundational conflicts between Māori and British imperial and colonial forces in the nineteenth century. As a historian, Rowan is interested in how communities and societies make sense of violence and how conflict is remembered through objects and taonga.

Research interests and projects

Since 2021, Rowan has been investigating the New Zealand Wars collection at the Museum, a previously unstudied area. In 2024, he co-curated with Nigel Borell Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars, the first stage of a long-term refresh of the Museum's war galleries. His research focuses on the connection between objects and communities, especially hapū and iwi, and how museum collecting has reflected changing memories of the New Zealand Wars since 1852. As a lecturer, Rowan teaches undergraduate courses on nineteenth-century New Zealand and colonial conflict, and supervises postgraduate projects relating to the collections.

SELECTED RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Why memory matters: Remembered histories and the politics of the contested past [Book] (BWB, 2024)

‘How do we commemorate the New Zealand Wars? The history of Anzac Day can be a guide’ [Public writing] (The Conversation, 2024)

Anzac Nations: The Legacy of Gallipoli in New Zealand and Australia, 1965-2015 [Book] (OUP, 2022)

GALLERY

Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars

Step into our newly refreshed gallery that shares the complex and important stories of the New Zealand Wars and their enduring impact on Aotearoa today. Through taonga, contemporary artworks, and diverse perspectives, gain insight into the circumstances, people, and events of the wars, and reflect on the experiences of those involved. This interim display is the first step in a larger programme aimed at creating space for deeper conversations around these pivotal moments in our history. Visit Atarau: Stories of the New Zealand Wars to connect with stories that continue to shape our society.