Between 1954 and 1969, Jack Golson, Roger Green, Wilfred Shawcross and Les Groube held positions in the Department of Anthropology, where Wal Ambrose was the photographer, cartographer and field organiser. An immense amount of fieldwork was carried out over this period and all five contributed to debates about the theoretical nature of New Zealand archaeology, seeking to build on, or tear down, the culture historical framework of Moa-hunter and Māori Periods first mooted by Roger Duff in 1947. These debates and their continuing significance for New Zealand archaeology in the 21st Century are the subject of this seminar.

Presented by Doctor Harry Allen. Dr Allen taught Archaeology and Heritage Studies in the Anthropology Department at the University of Auckland until his retirement in 2014, where he is now a Research Fellow in the School of Social Sciences. He has conducted archaeological research in Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand.