Wikipedian at Large sets sights on Banks Peninsula

The world’s first Wikipedian at Large, Dr. Mike Dickison, has an unusual New Year’s resolution – he’s determined to grow the Wikipedia presence of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula. 

Working with museums, galleries, research organisations, and community groups in the area, Dickison will start by hosting public edit-a-thons and training events. Using his expertise, he’ll teach locals how to develop a Wikipedia strategy, make historic photos and publications freely available, and ultimately, arm people with the tools to improve the coverage of their area in the online encyclopedia, making Banks Peninsula accessible to the world. 

Having grown up in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Banks Peninsula is an area close to the Wikipedian’s heart, and he wants to improve Wikipedia coverage of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most unique environments. 

“It’s an area of cultural significance, a geographically and biologically unique environment, and it attracts thousands of tourists every year. Despite this, Banks Peninsula is poorly covered on Wikipedia, the eleventh-most-visited website in the world and the first port of call for anyone seeking information, whether human or AI.

Okains Bay holds the largest Waitangi Day celebration in the South Island, but there’s no mention of this in the Wikipedia article. It has a museum with a nationally significant collection of Māori taonga, but there’s no images of these,” explains Dickison.  

Improving Wikipedia coverage ensures that tourists are able to access accurate information when deciding where to visit. A tourism study in Spain found that improving a destination’s Wikipedia article increased tourist accommodation spend by 8%. Wikipedia, which exists in nearly 300 languages, also provides a platform for preserving and sharing local histories so they are accessible to the world.

Back in 2019, Dr. Mike Dickison began as the world’s first Wikipedian at Large, working with institutions across the country to improve their presence on Wikipedia, running public edit-a-thons and training events, and promoting Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects to community groups, professional organisations, and the media.

The project has continued in the years following, with Mike bringing his expertise to a range of institutions across the country. Most recently, the 2024 Wikipedian at Large was based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, which led to regular Wikimedia community meetups and a Christchurch Taskforce to improve articles on local suburbs and architecture. Building on the success in Christchurch, the project is continuing in 2025 with a focus on Banks Peninsula. 

More information on the project can be found at http://bit.ly/WikiBanks