Anoxic treatment
In June 2019, the collection was moved to our offsite facility Manu Tāiko1 in Otāhuhu, and into our anoxic treatment room. This treatment is another precaution against pests prior to moving objects further into the building where, if infested, they could contaminate a very large quantity of our artefacts.
Anoxic treatment involves objects being placed inside a specially made enclosure which is filled with nitrogen in order to force out the oxygen. Objects remain in here for a full four weeks.
From the perspective of a collection manager, this is the least time-consuming, most cost-effective and safest option of pest control, one where everything can be treated in one hit and requiring very little preparation. Freezing, on the other hand, requires tissue to be added to objects to absorb any possible moisture that might cause water damage, then items must be sealed in plastic bags to prevent any moisture ingress from the air during that freezing process.
Image: Door to the anoxic treatment room at Manu Tāiko. Monitoring equipment for the anoxic treatment process is on the left.