The Christchurch Heritage Awards Charitable Trust is pleased to announce that entries are now open for the 2014 Canterbury Heritage Awards with a new category for 2014 – Heritage of the Future. This award will recognise a new building showing sensitivity to the streetscape and one which will secure a cultural legacy for the future.

The Canterbury Heritage Awards recognise excellence in heritage retention and conservation, heritage tourism and future heritage within the public and private sector and promotes the values of best practice heritage retention and conservation to the wider community.

The inaugural Heritage Awards were held in 2010 and focussed on entries from the Christchurch area. The Awards were expanded in 2012 to focus on the wider Canterbury region and the Trinity Congregational Church took out the Supreme Award. In 2014 the Award categories have been revised to more closely align with the post-earthquake environment; this includes the addition of the Heritage of the Future category.

The Right Honourable Helen Clark, ONZ, currently head of the United Nations Development Programme, and former Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage continues as Patron of the Awards. The judging panel for 2014 is chaired by Dr Anna Crighton, QSO, President of Historic Places Aotearoa. The panel also includes international heritage expert Jim Gard’ner from Heritage Victoria, David Hill, prominent Christchurch architect and designer of a number of award winning residential and commercial projects and the immediate past Chairman of the Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, Rob Hall General Manager for Heritage New Zealand and Paul Campbell who holds leadership roles within Opus and is the current President of the NZ Structural Engineering Society. Neil Dawson, prominent New Zealand sculptor, has been commissioned to design the Category Award Trophy and the Supreme Award Trophy.

Nominations for the Awards opened in late May with nominations already steadily rolling in.

“We are extremely surprised with the number of nominations received in such a short period. It is really encouraging to see that Canterbury has a solid base of heritage advocates”, commented Christchurch Heritage Awards Charitable Trust Chair Dr Anna Crighton.

Crighton, a staunch heritage advocate committed to New Zealand’s bi-cultural heritage, established the Christchurch Heritage Awards Charitable Trust to develop and deliver a quality and innovative programme of Heritage Awards.

Organisations and/or individuals must first nominate their own organisation/project or those they believe recognise excellence in heritage retention and conservation, heritage tourism and heritage education within the public and private sector, and promote the values of best practice heritage retention and conservation to the wider community. Once nominated, organisations must submit their entry form and supporting documentation. There are seven categories in 2014: Heritage Retention Award, Heritage Tourism Award, Heritage Restoration Award, Heritage Champion Award, Future Heritage Award, Seismic Award and the Supreme Award.

Nomination and entry forms are available to download at www.heritageawards.co.nz. Award nominations close 1 August 2014 and Award entries close 13 August 2014. The 2014 Heritage Awards Ceremony will be held on 23 October.