With Dr Kurt Bennert, Maritime Archaeologist. As an island nation, Aotearoa New Zealand’s history and identity are inseparable from the sea. This presentation draws on my own experiences in maritime archaeology to explore how submerged sites, vessels, and coastal landscapes illuminate the stories of navigation, trade, industry, and everyday life. Through selected case studies from around New Zealand, he will highlight the diversity and significance of our maritime archaeological record and the challenges and rewards of researching and protecting it. The talk will conclude by celebrating the broader successes of the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival as a living expression of maritime heritage—one that connects past and present through craft, knowledge, and community. In closing this weekend of discussions on maritime heritage and navigating the past, present and future, he reflects on why recognising, valuing, and actively celebrating our maritime heritage remains essential to understanding who we are and where we are going. 

Kurt developed a passion for shipwreck histories while growing up around the Hauraki Gulf. He earned his doctorate in maritime archaeology from Flinders University, South Australia, and returned to New Zealand to apply his skills and knowledge to local maritime cultural heritage. As an archaeological consultant, he specialises in recording, managing and excavating maritime heritage and has worked across New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific. Actively engaged in the wider community, he regularly publishes his findings and serves as a regional expert for the International Committee on Underwater Cultural Heritage and a member of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology. Kurt is dedicated to uncovering and sharing New Zealand’s rich seafaring past.