Pacific Islands Museums Association
Encyclopedia
The Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA) is, as its name suggests, an association of museum
s located in the region of the Pacific islands
. Its stated aims include facilitating the "safeguarding and preservation of Oceania
’s heritage and heritage places"; "disseminat[ing] cultural heritage information" among Pacific Islanders; and advising governments on policies to manage cultural heritage.
Founded in 1994, the association was initially based in Noumea
, hosted and supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
. Incorporated as a non-profit organisation in May 1999, PIMA established itself on the site of the Fiji Museum
in Suva
. In 2006, PIMA relocated to the site of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre
in Port Vila
. It is now expected to rotate between museums in the region "every few years".
Its members comprise forty-five museums and cultural centres in the Pacific, as well as a number of "national trusts, cultural departments and ministries, national park
s, historic preservation offices, interpretative centres, cultural associations and arts council
s". Among its members is the New Zealand Pacific Museums Network, which includes the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum. PIMA is, itself, a member of the International Council of Museums
.
As of 2006, the Chaiperson of PIMA's Executive Board was Faustina Rehuher, Director of the Belau National Museum
. Simon Poraituk, Acting Director of the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, served as her deputy.
PIMA has received funding from, among others, AusAID, NZAID, various departments of the Australian government
, France
's embassy to Suva, the International Centre for the Study of Conservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property, the International Council of Museums
, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
's Cultural Affairs Programme, UNESCO
's Pacific Regional Office, and the World Heritage Centre.
AYAD describes it as "the first regional, multilingual, multicultural and non-profit collective of heritage institutions" in the Pacific, and "an established leader in cultural heritage education, training and capacity building".
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s located in the region of the Pacific islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
. Its stated aims include facilitating the "safeguarding and preservation of Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
’s heritage and heritage places"; "disseminat[ing] cultural heritage information" among Pacific Islanders; and advising governments on policies to manage cultural heritage.
Founded in 1994, the association was initially based in Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, hosted and supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Secretariat of the Pacific Community
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, or SPC , is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations and territories...
. Incorporated as a non-profit organisation in May 1999, PIMA established itself on the site of the Fiji Museum
Fiji Museum
The Fiji Museum is a museum in Suva, Fiji located in the capital city's botanical gardens, Thurston Gardens.The museum houses an extensive archaeological collection dating back 3,700 years and relics of Fiji's indigenous cultural history...
in Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
. In 2006, PIMA relocated to the site of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre
Vanuatu Cultural Centre
The Vanuatu Cultural Centre , founded in 1959, is the national cultural centre of Vanuatu. It is located in Port Vila...
in Port Vila
Port Vila
Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...
. It is now expected to rotate between museums in the region "every few years".
Its members comprise forty-five museums and cultural centres in the Pacific, as well as a number of "national trusts, cultural departments and ministries, national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s, historic preservation offices, interpretative centres, cultural associations and arts council
Arts council
An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad...
s". Among its members is the New Zealand Pacific Museums Network, which includes the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum. PIMA is, itself, a member of the International Council of Museums
International Council of Museums
The International Council of Museums is an international organization of museums and museum professionals that is committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible.- Overview :Created...
.
As of 2006, the Chaiperson of PIMA's Executive Board was Faustina Rehuher, Director of the Belau National Museum
Belau National Museum
Belau National Museum was established in 1955 and is the oldest museum in Micronesia.It is located in Koror in Palau.It was located in the former Japanese Administration Weather Bureau building and later relocated to a new building.-External links:**...
. Simon Poraituk, Acting Director of the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, served as her deputy.
PIMA has received funding from, among others, AusAID, NZAID, various departments of the Australian government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's embassy to Suva, the International Centre for the Study of Conservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property, the International Council of Museums
International Council of Museums
The International Council of Museums is an international organization of museums and museum professionals that is committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible.- Overview :Created...
, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Secretariat of the Pacific Community
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, or SPC , is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations and territories...
's Cultural Affairs Programme, UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's Pacific Regional Office, and the World Heritage Centre.
AYAD describes it as "the first regional, multilingual, multicultural and non-profit collective of heritage institutions" in the Pacific, and "an established leader in cultural heritage education, training and capacity building".