Tag: Media Release

The Arakite Trust: “Public Archaeology award for iwi-led trust” HNZPT Media Release

Public Archaeology award for iwi-led trust

A Northland iwi-led charitable trust has won this year’s New Zealand Archaeological Association (NZAA) Public Archaeology award. 

The Arakite Trust – which headed a two-week archaeological excavation at Mangahawea Bay in the Bay of Islands in January, and more recently a three day wānanga on traditional voyaging and navigation – took out the national award at this year’s recent NZAA conference held on Stewart Island.

The excavation and wānanga was funded by the Lottery Tuia – Encounters 250 Programme, and was supported by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, the Department of Conservation, the University of Otago and Te Rawhiti Marae.

“The Public Archaeology Award is an acknowledgement of Arakite Trust’s commitment to engage with the public in a way that increases understanding and appreciation of New Zealand’s rich archaeological heritage,” says Heritage New Zealand’s Northland Regional Archaeologist, Dr James Robinson, who together with Department of Conservation Ranger Andrew Blanshard, accepted the award on behalf of the Trust. 

The Arakite Trust organised a public open day during the 2019 excavation, as well as the recent wānanga and a historic cruise of the Bay of Islands which was open to the public – all part of the wider Mangahawea project. 

“In terms of fostering engagement with the public and archaeology the project has been a major success, quite apart from the archaeological significance of the work that was undertaken, which would never have happened without the Trust’s commitment to this kaupapa,” says James.

“Archaeology, traditional history and the hard sciences are different data bases, but when combined together can create something bigger than the sum of their individual parts.” 

According to the President of the NZAA Council, Katharine Watson, the Mangahawea Bay excavation project ticked all the boxes. 

“Criteria for winning the award includes making a contribution towards the identification, protection and preservation of archaeological sites; the enhancement of public awareness, enjoyment of and education about archaeology; and the strengthening of the relationship between Maori and the archaeological community,” she says. 

“The programme led by the Arakite Trust engaged the interest of hundreds of people who visited the site over the two-week excavation, as well as thousands of New Zealanders who learned about the excavation through extensive media coverage, which included national radio, television and press. 

“Historic Williams Shed a drawcard for visitors” HNZPT Media Release.

Image: HNZPT

Historic Williams Shed a drawcard for visitors

An unassuming stone shed dating back to the 1880s is proving to be a drawcard for visitors to Paihia. 

The Williams Shed, which sits within the historic Williams Homestead precinct, is making a name for itself as one of the country’s smallest – and perhaps most unlikely – museums.

“The shed is Paihia’s oldest surviving building, and had been languishing for years. It’s now a fully functioning part of the Williams House reserve in the heart of Paihia,” says Marg Civil, who is a Friends of the Williams House committee member.

“The shed has gone from being a bit of an eye-sore to being an attraction in its own right.”

Built from locally sourced brown rock – not known for its durability – the shed survived for over a hundred years thanks to an exceptionally good plastering job. 

After vandals damaged the historic shed in 2004, the Friends of the Williams House began a project to conserve and restore this original feature of the property that was settled by Church Missionary Society missionaries, Henry and Marianne Williams. The project was completed at the end of 2006. 

“More recently, the Friends commissioned Workshop E to design and construct a display facility within the stone shed to showcase its various uses over the years,” she says. 

The result has been the development of an innovative conservation and display solution for a number of artefacts related to the Williams family at Paihia. 

“You really couldn’t come up with a bigger challenge than displaying historic artefacts in a shed made from porous stone,” says Heritage New Zealand’s Northland Manager, Bill Edwards. 

“It’s cold and damp for a start – all the things you don’t want in an environment where artefacts are stored.” 

The solution developed by the Friends and Workshop E, however, is “nothing short of brilliant” according to Bill. 

“The large display cabinet in the middle of the shed is independently climate controlled and provides a secure way to display the artefacts in a way that is attractive and accessible,” he says. 

Kate Sheppard House Purchased By The N.Z. Govt.

Kate Sheppard House (Source HNZPT List)

"This Christchurch home was where Kate Sheppard and suffragist supporters spent much time working towards New Zealand becoming the first self-governing country in the world to grant women the vote.  It was here that the 270-metre petition was pasted together before being presented to Parliament."

The following is the media Release by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga announcing the purchase.

Kate Sheppard House purchase delights

19/09/2019

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and the University of Canterbury (UC) are delighted with the Government purchase of theCategory 1 listed Kate Sheppard House in Christchurch, as announced by Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Megan Woods today.

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“Revamped digital library of archaeological reports launched” HNZTP Media Release

" ....The revamp of the library has made it more accessible, speedy, modern, and user-friendly. Perhaps the biggest change is that users can now download the reports themselves instead of emailing to request the reports they wanted. ..."

" ... The online library will be accessible to anybody who has access to the internet around New Zealand and the world, and the information will be available 24/7 – potentially a valuable tool in protecting archaeological sites.

Users of the digital library can search reports by keyword – including geographical location – as well as other filters like report date, author, iwi, year published and territorial local authority. ..."

Media Release as follows:

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Bishop’s decision to demolish the Basilica, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch- Historic Places Canterbury Media Release

Historic Places Canterbury Media Release: 

5thAugust  2019

Bishop’s decision to demolish the Basilica, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch-

Mark Gerrard Chair of Historic Places Canterbury:

“Historic Places Canterbury is very disappointed to hear that Bishop Martin has chosen to demolish one of our finest neo-Classical Buildings.”

“The Basilica is one of New Zealand’s most iconic and beautiful neo-classical buildings.”

“George Bernard Shaw preferred the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch to our Christ Church Cathedral.”

“Historic Places Canterbury is surprised the Bishop appears to have lost faith in the cost of restoration of this unique beautiful heritage building”

“The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch has for many generations been a beacon of faith and inspiration. Today we are left with the impression that cost and location are more important considerations.”

"Christchurch has lost many special heritage buildings under the CERA Section 38. CERA’s legacy still lives as it is being used to demolish a heritage building and bypass the RMA. "

Mark Gerrard
Chair Historic Places Canterbury

“Hon. Marian Hobbs appointed Heritage New Zealand Board Chair” HNZPT Media Release

18/07/2019

Hon. Marian Hobbs
(Image HNZPT)

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga welcomes the appointment of the Hon. Marian Hobbs as its Board chair, for a three year term that ends on 30 June 2022.

Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Hon Grant Robertson, announced the appointment recently on behalf of the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Marian replaces the Rt Hon. Wyatt Creech who has stepped down after just over five years as Board Chair.

"This very welcome appointment as Chair of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga continues a lifelong celebration of all that is and has been Aotearoa New Zealand," Marian says.

"I always taught New Zealand literature to my students: I ensured that at least 25 percent of music played on New Zealand radio stations was New Zealand music.

"Like Wyatt, I believe that we know ourselves if we know and understand where we have come from."

Marian was a list member of Parliament from 1996 to 1999 and Member for Wellington Central from 1999 to 2008 before retiring from politics.  Prior to this she had an extensive career in education, including seven years as principal of Avonside Girls’ High School in Christchurch.  In 1993 she was awarded the New Zealand Suffrage Centennial Medal.  Today, Marian is based in Dunedin.

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Chief Executive, Andrew Coleman, says the new appointment reflects an appreciation of the importance of heritage in the well-being of all New Zealanders and telling the story of who we are.

"Marian’s appointment will further strengthen and advance the experience, guidance and stewardship that Wyatt provided our organisation.  These are exciting times for heritage with strong Government support.  Marian brings not only a wealth of knowledge to this position but also a genuine passion for heritage and the arts."

“New Zealand’s first national historic landmark announced” Hon Grant Robertson Media Release

Te Pitowhenua Waitangi Treaty Grounds is the country’s first National Historic Landmark, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Grant Robertson announced at Waitangi today.

The new programme to establish National Historic Landmarks will help protect New Zealand’s defining moments in time and the special places that are the cornerstones of national identity.

“Some of these sites are associated with important and sometimes challenging discussions about the events that have shaped our past and will influence our future,” Grant Robertson says.

“Given the cultural, historic and social significance of this place, both before and after 6 February 1840, it’s appropriate the Waitangi Treaty Grounds is New Zealand’s first National Historic Landmark.”

Te Minita Whanaketanga Māori Minister for Māori Development Nanaia Mahuta says places such as Waitangi have deep significance to New Zealanders and its safeguarding is important to us all.

“Following discussions with site owners, iwi and the community, further Landmarks will be identified and added to the programme to recognise and preserve the heritage value of these places throughout the country,” Nanaia Mahuta says.

“A key objective of National Historic Landmarks is to help prioritise Government’s heritage conservation efforts. This includes developing long-term risk planning and management to ensure these places are earthquake resilient and protected from other natural disasters as much as possible.”

The National Historic Landmarks/Ngā Manawhenua o Aotearoa me ōna Kōrero Tūturu programme was introduced by the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.  Heritage New Zealand works in partnership with Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage and other stakeholders including the Department of Conservation to deliver the programme.

Details about National Historic Landmarks is available on the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website at: www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/national-historic-landmarks

Questions and Answers

Q 1: What is the National Historic Landmarks programme?

A: The National Historic Landmarks programme was introduced by the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 (HNZPTA) to acknowledge those places that New Zealanders demonstrably care about as cornerstones of national identity.

Q 2: Haven’t we already got a Landmarks programme?

A:Tohu Whenua is the new name of a tourism programme covering a nationwide regional group of visitor assets.  A pilot programme, under the name Landmarks Whenua Tohunga, was initiated in 2015 in Northland. Otago followed with the West Coast included in December 2018 under the new name Tohu Whenua.  The National Historic Landmarks programme, in contrast, recognises heritage places of deep significance to New Zealanders as the stories they tell are meaningful and their survival important to us all.

Q 3: Who runs Tohu Whenua?

A: Tohu Whenua is run by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the Department of Conservation and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. The aim is to showcase our historic and culturally important places to locals and tourists in a coordinated way.  Heritage New Zealand now oversees this programme, with a programme manager based in Wellington.

Q 4: What is the aim of National Historic Landmarks?

A:The aim is to protect heritage places most important to New Zealanders through long-term risk planning and management, including from natural disaster. These places have rich historical, physical, and cultural significance and without them we are losing something special that identifies us as New Zealanders. A key policy objective of National Historic Landmarks is to help prioritise the government’s heritage conservation efforts, including earthquake strengthening. 

Q 5:  Who runs National Historic Landmarks?

A:The National Historic Landmarks programme was introduced by the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 (HNZPTA) as a way to better recognise and protect this country’s most outstanding heritage places.  Heritage New Zealand works in partnership with Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage and other stakeholders to deliver and promote the programme.

Q 6: How much is National Historic Landmarks costing the taxpayer?

A:The programme is being undertaken by Heritage New Zealand within existing baseline funding.  Heritage New Zealand adjusted some of its programmes to generate the financial and capacity requirements for National Historic Landmarks.

Q 7: What are the sites selected for National Historic Landmarks?

A:In 2015 Heritage New Zealand, in consultation with Manatū Taonga and the Department of Conservation, short-listed potential National Historic Landmarks. Te Pitowhenua Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Meretoto/Ship Cove and the National War Memorial (Wellington) are currently being progressed. Under the HNZPTA criteria and process, Heritage New Zealand recommends places for inclusion following public consultation with the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage making the final decision.

Q 8:  How many National Historic Landmarks will there be?

A:Recognition is not based on achieving a set number, but rather by sites put forward meeting several thresholds. Any site can be proposed for recognition as a National Historic Landmark, and is then assessed in terms of heritage significance, risk management and community engagement. Rigorous criteria are applied to the assessment of what makes a National Historic Landmark.

Q 9: What is this ‘rigorous criteria’?

A:Places on the National Historic Landmarks list must be of outstanding national heritage value, having regard to the outstanding historical significance of the place in relation to people, events, and ideas of the past; the outstanding physical significance of the place in relation to its archaeological, architectural, design, and technological qualities; and the outstanding cultural significance of the place to tangata whenua and other communities in relation to its social, spiritual, traditional, or ancestral associations. Any nomination must first be listed on the New Zealand Heritage List and put through a public consultation process before being presented to Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Hon. Grant Robertson for approval.

Q 10: Are there any regulatory impositions on places deemed National Historic Landmarks?

A:All National Historic Landmarks have to demonstrate appropriate legal protection and risk management planning. Should Heritage New Zealand consider these are not fulfilled anymore by the owner a recommendation can be made to the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage to remove the place’s recognition as a National Historic Landmark.

Q 11: So are the National Historic Landmarks places the government is going to protect if there is a natural disaster?

A:As these places are those recognised as most valuable to all New Zealanders priority will be given to ensuring they remain part of our history. Insightful conservation is key to the long-term protection of these places. To achieve this will require close relationships between government and those caring for these places to ensure long-term plans and daily efforts are closely aligned, with natural disaster risks appropriately managed.

Q 12: Why was an Act, the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014, required to get them off the ground?

A: National Historic Landmarks/Ngā Manawhenua o Aotearoa me ōna Kōrero Tūturu was introduced by the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 to better recognise and protect this country’s most outstanding heritage places and help prioritise the government’s heritage conservation efforts.  Heritage New Zealand was charged with identifying places of outstanding national heritage value in terms of their historical, physical, and cultural significance.  The purpose of a National Historic Landmarks list is to promote an appreciation of the places of greatest heritage value to New Zealanders and the long-term protection of such places, including protection from natural disasters.

Q 13: How will I recognise one?

A: Every National Historic Landmark will have a wakahuia, a carved treasure box holding the certificate of Landmarks status, as a symbol of its National Historic Landmarks recognition. This recognition will be communicated via Heritage New Zealand and the owner’s website

The world’s daftest Indian? (HNZ Media Release)

The mysterious Army Indian Scout motorcycle.

May 23

MEDIA RELEASE

The world’s daftest Indian?

Was it an accidental wrong turn? Was it an ill-timed twist of the throttle? Was it the result of a night’s inebriation that may have led to a Court Martial? Nobody knows.

But one man would certainly like to find out.

Jack Kemp – a volunteer researcher for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga – is keen to learn more about how this Army Indian Scout motorcycle (pictured) wound up in a swamp near Kerikeri.

“The army motorcycle had been retrieved from the swamp some years ago, and is now being cared for by members of the Vintage Car Club in Whangarei,” says Jack.

“People believe the motorbike found its way into the swamp during World War II, but nobody knows the circumstances in which the bike disappeared.”

Jack is appealing to anybody who may know – or may have heard stories, perhaps from family members in the past, about how the classic army motorcycle ended up in a bog.

“As part of carrying out research for Heritage New Zealand’s heritage inventory of war sites in Northland I have been involved in a number of oral history interviews, including people sharing mementoes and photographs from the war,” says Jack.

“We’ve discovered pictures of mysterious American float planes landing in Mangonui and a mine sweeper clearing sea mines from the Bay of Islands – and when we’ve put them out in the public domain it’s been amazing how much more information people have been able to share about them. We’re hoping we can pull it off again with our formerly submerged Indian.”

The Army Indian is made by the same company that made the Indian Scout motorcycle that was suped up by Invercargill speed king Bert Munro in his successful bid to break the motorcycle under-1000cc world record at Bonneville in August 1967. His epic run was later made famous in the movie The World’s Fastest Indian.

Although much loved by Munro, the Indian was not an easy motorcycle to drive as Heritage New Zealand’s Northland Manager Bill Edwards can attest.

“When I was younger I owned, briefly, an Army Indian Scout 741B. It was only 500cc, and was a very difficult bike to drive, with the right hand throttle set for ‘advance’ or ‘retard’ to line up the pistons properly for ignition. It also had a gear stick and a foot clutch. The throttle was operated by the left hand grip, and oddly enough you had to take your hand off the throttle to change gears,” Bill says.

“Presented with such a complex sequence of operation I can see how a driver could lose control of the bike quite easily during a tricky manoeuvre – or even encountering something a bit unexpected on the open road.”

Whether the complexity of operation was a contributing factor to the motorcycle ending up in the clag, or whether other factors came into play, the mystery of the misdirected Indian is worth following up according to Jack.

“Our research has touched on the daily lives of men and women in military service, volunteers and civilians, all of whom have shared some wonderful stories with us,” says Jack.

“We’d really love to hear the story of how the driver of this military motorbike may have taken the thrill of off-roading just a bit too far.”

Do you know what happened to the Army Indian motorcycle? Contact Bill Edwards on Ph 09-407-0471 or email bedwards@heritage.org.nz 

“Latest heritage buildings to benefit from Government fund” Hon Grant Robertson M.P. Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage (Media Release 16.05.2019)

The following announcement / media release was taken from the Heritage Equipement Govt site.
Note: The next round of Heritage EQUIP funding closes on Monday 29 July 2019.
16 May 2019
NEWS

Latest heritage buildings to benefit from Government fund

Ten heritage buildings from across New Zealand will have a more secure future, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Grant Robertson announced today.

The Heritage EQUIP earthquake strengthening programme is providing $958,962 to recipients in a number of regional centres as well as main cities, with $842,472 going directly to seismic upgrade works.

"As part of a large restoration project, $250,000 has been awarded to help strengthen the Former Chief Post Office in Christchurch, one of Cathedral Square's oldest buildings and a Category 1 historic place," Grant Robertson said.

"About $116,490 in new grants will help regional heritage building owners get suitable professional advice.

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