Organisation

Dunedin Gasworks Museum Trust

Purpose

Help to keep an important part of New Zealand's Heritage alive! Inspire and inform visitors by running scheduled tours at their unique industrial heritage museum in South Dunedin!

Description

The Dunedin Gasworks Museum is a small industrial history museum based on the site of the New Zealand's oldest gasworks, in South Dunedin. As one of only a handful of preserved gasworks museums in the world, it is a significant local and World Heritage site. The Museum is entirely volunteer-run, and opening hours are limited to 12 - 4pm on Sundays. They also run regular live steaming days and blacksmithing classes.

While some visitors are happy to look around the Museum, at their own pace, others appreciate a guided tour of the site. To accommodate this, scheduled tours are run by volunteers every Sunday afternoon. They are now looking for another tour guide to join their team.

As a Museum Tour Guide you will be:

• Introducing visitors to the Museum and its exhibits

• Showing small groups of visitors around the site

• Chatting with visitors

• Providing tours at 12:30 - 1pm once a month

Training and Support Provided:

• You will be provided with a full orientation around the history of the museum and its exhibits

• You will always be rostered on with an experienced volunteer, who will be responsible for all other aspects of running the museum
  (eg. opening, taking admissions, closing etc)

Benefits of Volunteering:

• Keep an important part of NZ heritage alive

• Practice your public speaking skills with small, friendly groups

• Gain customer service experience

• Learn all about South Dunedin's grand industrial past

• Connect with fellow heritage enthusiasts

• Witness their (sometimes) working Victorian steam engines and heritage blacksmith's forge

• Impress your pub quiz team with your newly acquired niche knowledge

• Free wi-fi

Requirements

• Effective verbal communication skills

• Comfortable speaking to small groups

• Ability to engage with diverse audiences

• Friendly and visitor-focused

• Knowledge and/or enthusiasm for industrial heritage or local history a plus

• Complete full training - provided by their experienced, knowledgeable tour guides

• No prior knowledge of gasworks is expected!

Time commitment

• One Sunday afternoon per month for 0.5 hours, from 12.30pm - 1pm

• Due to the length of the training period, they require for a commitment of at least one year from volunteers

How to apply

Email Ruth Barton / ruthabarton@gmail.com

Please copy (CC) volunteer@otago.ac.nz into your application email. Also, we have a great email template and helpful tips on making an effective application here: https://www.unicrewotago.org/aboutpriceless