Cosmos Archaeology Heads to NZ for AIMA Meet

By Tara Chilcott

April 7, 2025

Cosmos Archaeology was a proud sponsor of the recent Australasian Institute of Maritime Archaeology Conference, held in Auckland, NZ. It’s been twenty years since the event was last hosted in New Zealand, and attendees experienced a range of presentations inspired by the theme, “Collectively Navigating Ocean Horizons”. The annual event attracts specialists, practitioners, academics and students from across the Australasian region and recognises innovation, research and achievements in the fields of maritime archaeology and cultural heritage management.

Tara Chilcott and Jane Mitchell at the Auckland AIMA Conference
Jane Mitchell presenting her paper on the PBY-5 Catalina

Cosmos Archaeology Senior Maritime Archaeologist Jane Mitchell and Maritime Archaeologist Tara Chilcott both presented papers at the conference. Jane’s presentation detailed CA’s recent work with the Department of POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) for the excavation of a PBY-5 Catalina in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. Her paper built on the investigation work undertaken in 2022, and outlined the maritime archaeology techniques employed in the 2024 recovery mission for the missing crew. Tara’s presentation outlined preliminary findings relating to a former opium clipper, shipwrecked in the Coral Sea, as part of her Master of Maritime Archaeology thesis at Flinders University.