ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on perceptions of values and ethics. The notion of values is not just what role values play in cultures and museums but also how both the producers and the collectors value heritage. The term 'cultural values', which might also be expressed as cultural perspectives or attitudes, is ill-defined in the literature and open to interpretation. Aotearoa New Zealand has now moved away from purely European cultural values and is more a mixture or blending, but also distortion, of European and Mori values. Some heritage professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand challenged its status as a bicultural country. This suggests that the country is in a transition period from biculturalism to multiculturalism. The chapter suggests that ethics give consideration to the artifact's well-being, whereas values are more concerned with the beliefs and perspectives of the originating cultures. It examines ethics from a conservation point of view.
