Mr Al Fastier, of Glenorchy, New Zealand Antarctic Medal for services to Antarctic heritage conservation
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.