The New Zealand Antarctic Medal:
FASTIER, Mr Alastair Robin (Al)
For services to Antarctic heritage conservation
Mr Al Fastier was the Conservation Programme Manager for the Antarctic Heritage Trust (AHT) from 2006 to 2023 and a Conservation Advisor from 2023 to 2024.
Launched in 2002, the Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project (RSHRP) is an international project to secure five historic explorer bases and their artefacts, associated with Scott, Shackleton, Borchgrevink and Hillary. Since 2006, Mr Fastier has overseen the implementation of the RSHRP on-ice programme of conservation work, developing implementation plans for each site from conservation plans prepared by heritage experts. Under his leadership, the AHT completed a major phase of work on Ross Island, including the completed conservation of four historic bases, survey work and repairs on Borchgrevink’s remote base, and conservation of more than 20,000 artefacts. He chaired the Building Conservation Design Team for 18 years, an international multi-disciplinary team tasked with ensuring conservation work at each site meets best practice. His mentoring and leadership of more than 80 heritage experts has developed an extensive network of conservation alumni, facilitating sharing of RSHRP methodologies internationally. He has demonstrated hands-on leadership by personally undertaking challenging and unpleasant tasks and has led innovations to improve team comfort, safe working conditions and hut environmental conditions. This included designing hard-shell field accommodation, conservation labs and carpentry workshops for on-ice use, new ice melting equipment, installing snow deflectors at Terra Nova hut, and building a field-use solar-powered system. Mr Fastier’s contributions have helped position New Zealand as a leader in cold-climate heritage conservation, with the RSHRP being an internationally recognised model for how to undertake major multi-season conservation projects in remote areas.
The New Zealand Antarctic Medal:
MONTEATH, Mr Colin Chalmers, QSM
For services to Antarctic field support, archival preservation, literature and photography
Mr Colin Monteath has contributed to Antarctica in the areas of tourism and library services and as a researcher, photographer and author, since being awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for his contributions to the Mt Erebus 1979 air crash recovery operation.
After working for the New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme as Field Operations Officer from 1973 to 1983, Mr Monteath established his reference library on Antarctic and Arctic books and archival material, which is now New Zealand’s most extensive polar library. He assists authors and publishers both nationally and internationally with information and historic images, and his library is used by researchers, expeditioners, and the University of Canterbury. He is a Life Member of the New Zealand Antarctica Society and is recognised internationally as a leading authority on Antarctica, with his work spanning 51 years. He has advocated for and promoted conservation practices, as well as safety and security practices. He has been a photographer and author/co-author for numerous book projects, including ‘Wild Ice – Antarctic Journeys’ (1990), ‘Vanishing Wilderness of Antarctica’ (2010) and his award-winning 2023 book ‘Erebus the Ice Dragon – A Portrait of an Antarctic Volcano’. Notably he was principal photographer for the 1985 Reader’s Digest book ‘Antarctica’ and his Antarctic photographs have since been published in dozens of polar books. From 1983 to 2020 Mr Monteath worked as an expedition leader, lecturer and guide for various polar cruise and adventure companies.
HONOURS
Queen’s Service Medal for Public Services, Queen’s Birthday 1981
New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus), 2006