Dr Claudia Orange began as Director History and Pacific Cultures in November 2003. In this role Dr Orange is responsible for leading research, curatorial, and collection management functions with the History and Pacific teams.
Dr Orange has most recently been the General Editor of the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, a position she held since 1990. Dr Orange was also Acting Chief Historian at the Department of Internal Affairs from 1997 to 2000, and has worked on the new, online encyclopaedia of New Zealand for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Dr Orange was a history lecturer at the University of Auckland from 1975 to 1983 and received the University’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997.