Heritage New Zealand
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ODYSSEY
The new project unearthing Christchurch’s history
LOVE TRAIN
Maintaining Paekākāriki’s rich railway heritage
DIGITAL PROMISE
Is digital scanning the new frontier in heritage preservation?
FLOUR
POWER
The innovative restoration of a former flour mill
REDISCOVER NEW ZEALAND
Discover the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Sites of New Zealand’s remote and wildlife-filled Subantarctic Campbell, Auckland and Snares Islands with their early New Zealand history, the untamed wilderness of Fiordland’s ice-carved mountains, forests, fiords and locations of historic Kiwi firsts, and Stewart and Ulva Islands on this iconic 12-day Kiwi voyage. Observe life at the New Zealand/Hooker’s Sea Lion colony on Enderby Island, wade through waist-deep fields of flowering megaherbs, share in the magic of the rarely seen albatross ‘gamming’ courting ritual, observe the antics of Snares Crested Penguins navigating the treacherous Penguin Slide and more.
BEYOND FIORDLAND | 12 DAYS
28 Dec 2024 – 8 Jan 2025 FINAL BERTHS! 21 Dec 2025 – 1 Jan 2026
From $16,250pp $13,170pp* Deck 4 Superior Stateroom, twin share
© Luis Davilla
© Doug Gimesy
© Tonia Kraakman
© Murray Potter
Heritage New Zealand
14 A modern story
Julia Gatley’s long career in heritage conservation has significantly affected New Zealanders’ views of our built history
18 Love train
Paekākāriki’s rich railway heritage lives on, thanks to a dedicated group of local volunteers
24 Flour power
The restoration of a Christchurch flour mill means the building can adapt to the city’s future needs for years to come
36 An archaeological odyssey
Born out of the destruction of the Canterbury earthquakes, a new project is rediscovering Christchurch’s history
42 Digital promise
Is digital scanning of heritage buildings the new frontier in heritage preservation?
Explore the list
10 Work of art
Once pivotal to secondary education in New Zealand, Dunedin’s former King Edward Technical College is now a community hub for the arts
12 Talk of the town
The Stratford theatre that was the first in New Zealand to screen ‘talkies’ is enjoying a well-earned renaissance
Journeys into the past
28 Literary lifelines
Residencies held in authors’ historic former homes offer valuable connections to the creative wairua housed within their walls
48 Ties that bind
Hawai‘i’s museum of natural and cultural heritage may be on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, but its connections to Aotearoa are strong
My heritage place
For author, photographer and wild horse tamer Kelly Wilson, the Kaimanawa Ranges are like nowhere else on Earth
Heritage New Zealand magazine is printed with mineral-oil-free, soy-based vegetable inks on Impress paper. This paper is Forestry Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified, and manufactured from pulp from responsible sources under the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. Please recycle.
Your visits to these places are free.
But looking after them isn’t.
Last name
Membership number
Yes, I would like to donate
Amount: $30 $60 $100 $150 Other $
Donations over $100 are acknowledged in this magazine. Tick here if you don’t want to be included.
I would like to donate by credit card
Please charge my: Visa
Card number
Name on Card
Expiry Date
Signature
Thank you! Cut out, complete and return this form to: Membership Services, PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140.
Not a member? Don’t want to cut out this page from your magazine?
Then scan the QR code or go to heritage.org.nz/donate to donate online. Or call us on 0800 802 010 during office hours.
Please help protect heritage today. Our operational costs continue to rise, and funding remains stagnant. Your membership fees are aimed towards caring for almost 50 heritage sites in Aotearoa, but rising costs mean that contribution is diminishing.
A donation of $100 will provide much-needed funds towards the upkeep and care of these amazing places.
If you are able, please consider donating today.
Simply complete, cut out and return the form on this page to us, or donate online by scanning the QR code.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you / Ngā mihi
We are very grateful to those supporters who have recently made donations. Whilst some are kindly acknowledged below, many more have chosen to give anonymously.
Mr Alaister and Mrs Jen Bamford
Mr Robert Hill
Mr Alan and Mrs Vivienne Hayward
Mrs Peggy Snoep
Mr Rob and Mrs Mary Mouncey
Mr Pieter Holl and Ms Felicity Cains
Mr David and Sue Lane
Mr Geoffrey Mentink
Mrs Marian and Mr Peter Cameron
Ms Corinna Mansell
Mr Wayne and Mrs Diana Hann
Mr David and Mrs Marilyn Ayers
Mr Ian and Mrs Jenny Thomas
Ms Erica Doran
Mr Graham and Ms Suzanna Fear
Mr Mike and Mrs Rosalind Robertson
Mrs Patricia Taylor and Jo Taylor
Mr Paul and Mrs Natalie Hickson
Mrs Ruth Morton
Mrs Hilary and Dr Jock Allison
Mr Ross Steele
Ms Elaine Hampton and Mr Michael Hartley
Ms Caroline and Mr Alan List
Mr Alistair Aitken and Shona Smith
Mr Craig and Mrs Penny Hickson
Ms Catharine and Mrs Nola Herbison
Mr David and Mrs Marilyn Belcher
Mrs Velma Clarke
Mr Francis and Mrs Annette Piggin
Dr John and Dr Anna Holmes
Mr Roger and Mrs Janice Reeves
Mr Malcolm Wade
Mrs Dianne Aubin
Ms Elizabeth Carpenter and Ms Clare Mills
Mr Noel Armstrong and Jeanette MacDonald
Mr Tony and Mrs Cath Morgan
Mr Desly and Mrs Wendy Pearce
Mr Trevor and Mrs Alison Skilton
Donations in memory of Ben Schrader
Dr Mike Stevens
Ms Lis Cowey
Heritage New Zealand
Issue 175 Raumati • Summer 2024
ISSN 1175-9615 (Print)
ISSN 2253-5330 (Online)
Cover image: An archaeological odyssey by Mike Heydon
Editor Anna Dunlop, Sugar Bag Publishing
Sub-editor
Trish Heketa, Sugar Bag Publishing
Art director
Amanda Trayes, Sugar Bag Publishing
Publisher
Heritage New Zealand magazine is published quarterly by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. The magazine had a circulation of 7961 as at 30 September 2024.
The views expressed in the articles are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Advertising
For advertising enquiries, please contact Tony Leggett, Advertising Sales Manager. Phone: 027 474 6093
Email: tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz
Subscriptions/Membership
Heritage New Zealand magazine is sent to all members of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Call 0800 802 010 to find out more.
Tell us your views
At Heritage New Zealand magazine we enjoy feedback about any of the articles in this issue or heritage-related matters.
Email: The Editor at heritagenz@gmail.com
Post: The Editor, c/- Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140
Feature articles: Note that articles are usually commissioned, so please contact the Editor for guidance regarding a story proposal before proceeding. All manuscripts accepted for publication in Heritage New Zealand magazine are subject to editing at the discretion of the Editor and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Online: Subscription and advertising details can be found under the Resources section on the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website heritage.org.nz
HERITAGE NEW ZEALAND POUHERE TAONGA
National Office
PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140 Antrim House, 63 Boulcott Street Wellington 6011 (04) 472 4341 information@heritage.org.nz
Our stories, your journey
Andrew Coleman, Manahautū Chief Executive of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, encourages you to visit and support heritage destinations this summer
As the warm days of summer beckon, there’s no better time to explore the incredible heritage destinations that tell the stories of our nation’s past. I encourage you to hit the road, take along your friends and family, and immerse yourselves in the rich history that lies within our beautiful country. Our heritage places need your support, and your visits and membership play a vital role in conserving and safeguarding these taonga for future generations.
Heritage destinations are far more than relics of the past; they are the living embodiment of our nation’s history, culture and identity. They offer New Zealanders the chance to connect with the traditions and milestones that have shaped who we are today. By visiting these sites, we gain a deeper understanding of our roots and a greater appreciation for the diverse narratives that weave together the fabric of our society. They serve as invaluable educational resources, inspiring pride and fostering a sense of belonging among visitors of all ages.
As kaitiaki of many of the nation’s most treasured heritage places, we take immense pride in our role and responsibilities. Our commitment goes beyond conservation; it encompasses careful planning, meticulous maintenance and thoughtful interpretation to ensure these places remain vibrant and accessible. We approach our stewardship with the utmost respect, recognising the cultural, historical and emotional significance these places have.
As the nation’s leading heritage agency, we extend our expertise, knowledge and skills to other owners and managers of heritage destinations across the country. Through advising and guiding, and sharing best practices in conservation and site management, we strive to empower those who are dedicated to protecting the places that matter to all of us. Over the years, this magazine has showcased many of these success stories. This issue is no different.
Visitation is crucial to the survival of heritage destinations. It provides the financial support needed for ongoing conservation and brings life to the stories they tell. By exploring these sites, you’re not just visiting locations, you’re actively participating in the preservation of our shared heritage. Your engagement helps sustain these important places, ensuring they continue to inspire, educate and connect us all to our collective past.
From the Far North to the Deep South, Aotearoa boasts an abundance of historic sites that offer more than just glimpses into the past. We’ve made it easy for you to plan your journeys with curated itineraries and visitor information on our website, visitheritage.co.nz. This summer, make the most of the sunshine and the precious time with each other. Together, we can ensure that these treasured sites continue to thrive. So pack your bags, gather your loved ones and set out on a heritage journey like no other. See you on the road – the destination is only the beginning.
kaitiaki: guardians taonga: treasures
visitheritage.co.nz
SOCIAL HERITAGE…
with Paul Veart, Web and Digital Advisor, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
Animals have long had connections to our heritage places.
Sometimes they’ve worked in official roles, such as the dozens of cats who caught rats at Wellington’s Old Government Buildings, while in other cases their connections have been more spontaneous, like the seal who sunbathed on the roof of Kaikoura’s Fyffe House.
However, one animal has been particularly close to our hearts: Skippy, a Jack Russell-cross who once lived
next door to the Lyttelton Timeball Station. From 2003 to 2009, Skippy would make daily pilgrimages to the timeball station, where she would bark until the timeball dropped at 1pm. Job done, she would head home, her mission complete.
In recognition of this commitment, in 2019 a sculpture of Skippy was installed at the Lyttelton Timeball Station. However, in August 2024 the Skippy statue was stolen. We informed New Zealand
Police, the press, and social media. The response was instant. Dozens of people left messages of support. And there were a lot of memories of Skippy herself. It was heartening to read these personal comments, which were great reminders of the importance of heritage places and their ability to create bonds and community. Any information can be reported to infosouthern@ heritage.org.nz or to Police on 105, quoting file reference 240809/3119.
Correction
In the issue 174 editorial, Spring 2024, we mistakenly stated that Blackball is south of Greymouth. Blackball is around 30 kilometres northeast of Greymouth.
Farewell
Have you got a memory or a photo of Skippy that you’d like to share with us? Or do you know of an animal associated with another of our heritage places? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us via our social media or email pveart@heritage.org.nz.*
* By sending us your stories and photographs, you are giving us permission to print/share them, unless you state otherwise. Photos must not be subject to copyright and will be credited to the photographer.
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga would like to farewell Sir John Clarke, who has stepped down as Māori Heritage Council Chair and Deputy Chair of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Board, and thank him for his significant contributions over the past decade. Edward Ellison ONZM has been appointed to these roles.
#SkippyComeHome
HATS OFF TO THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP
When Simon Smuts-Kennedy, the owner of iconic Wellington business Hills Hats, visited the Kerikeri Stone Store a few years back, he saw a wonderful opportunity.
Hills Hats, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, seemed like a perfect fit with New Zealand’s oldest operating shop, which has been in business continuously for 188 years.
“In my heart I thought, ‘Gosh, how wonderful to be in a store like this’,” he says.
Fast forward a few years, and, after a call from Kerikeri Mission Station Property Lead Liz Bigwood, Simon has got his wish, with a range of his company’s hats now featuring as part of the Stone Store’s almost two-century-long heritage of trade and commerce.
Visitors here see the cream of New Zealand boutique manufacturing, according to Simon, who drew on his company’s 150-year heritage for the Stone Store range.
“When we were first approached by the Stone Store, I was wondering
what they would be interested in – and it was all the classics,” he says.
The Stone Store stocks an amazing selection of 19th-century-inspired hats, including traditionally styled straw hats, top hats, bowlers and even wool felt fezzes.
“Our selection is inspired by the kinds of hats that were commonly worn at that time, and which still have cultural currency,” says Liz.
Many Māori today wear hats that once traditionally epitomised middle class Pākehā aspirations in ways that express their own identities; literally turning what could be seen as the trappings of colonisation on their heads.
Liz enjoys seeing the impacts the hats are having on visitors to the Stone Store.
“People’s eyes are automatically drawn to them – they’re so distinctive,” she says.
“We’re truly delighted to be able to offer a range of fantastic hats from one of New Zealand’s oldest companies at this, the country’s oldest operational store.”
SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT …
with Brendon Veale, Manager Supporter Development
Irecently corresponded with Ted and Susan, who have been members for more than 50 years. This is a phenomenal level of support, and I wondered what had led to the couple staying with us for all these years… so I asked them.
“We joined originally because we were going to Paihia for our honeymoon in February 1972. We knew there were a number of historic sites there, especially the Stone Store, where we had a personal connection through a family friend who had worked there many years before.
“One of our favourite things about our membership is not only being able to visit interesting places but also receiving information through the heritage publications. There is always something interesting to learn.
“Our initial passion for joining remains the same: we want to help keep our history alive, well into the future. We have enjoyed seeing an increase in the number of early Māori sites being found and preserved, such as Te Manunui Rock Art Site, which we have visited, along with early European sites like Edmonds Ruins in Kerikeri, which we hope to visit someday.
“During the time our children were little, we didn’t travel far from our hometown of Auckland, but we did take them to see the local historic homes. Since retiring, we have had more opportunities to travel around New Zealand and visit other sites. It’s definitely value for our membership money – not that entry to sites costs all that much – and we always seem to buy something from the attached shops. (Our garden has Calendula from Fyffe House flourishing in it!)”
I have shared their story because many of you have also been members for extraordinary lengths of time, and we’d love to hear your recollections, anecdotes and memories as well.
Whether it is a place you’ve visited, the reason you originally joined, an event you’ve attended or something else entirely, please share your tales with us. We’d love to share these accounts with other members in turn, as I’m sure they will resonate strongly with our passionate heritage community.
Simply email us at membership@heritage.org.nz, phone us on 0800 802 010, or send material to PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140.*
We can’t wait to hear your history!
YOUR HERITAGE TO-DO LIST
A selection of the wonderful heritage attractions available around the country this summer
Te Rā: Navigating Home, Auckland Museum (until August 2025)
The only known customary Māori sail in existence, Te Rā was woven from harakeke more than 200 years ago. The 4.5-metre-long sail has returned to Aotearoa for the first time in centuries, having been held in a collection at the British Museum since the late 1800s, and is currently on display at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum. Some believe Te Rā was gifted to Captain James Cook, others that it was given to the Tahitian guide Tūpaia, who accompanied Cook on his Pacific voyages. Whatever the origin of this taonga, it symbolises Māori skill and innovation, as well as the importance of voyaging in Māori culture.
aucklandmuseum.com/visit/exhibitions/te-ra
Ngā Taonga i tēnei marama, Heritage this month – subscribe now
Keep up to date with heritage happenings with our free e-newsletter Ngā Taonga i tēnei marama, Heritage this month. Visit heritage.org.nz to subscribe
VISIT
Pompallier Mission and Printery
Those spending their summer holidays in the Bay of Islands shouldn’t miss out on a trip to Pompallier Mission and Printery in Russell. Just a fiveminute walk from the town wharf, this Category 1 historic place and Tohu Whenua was the hub of the Catholic mission in New Zealand and is the country’s only surviving pioneer printery and tannery (and its oldest existing industrial building). Take a guided tour, try your hand at tanning, printing and binding, and enjoy the award-winning heritage garden, which has views over Kororāreka Bay towards Waitangi.
pompallier.co.nz
visitheritage.co.nz
Find us ...
Go to heritage.org.nz for details of offices or visitheritage.co.nz to see historic places around New Zealand that are cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
WALK
Pike29 Memorial Track
The tramping season is well underway, so what better time to explore one of New Zealand’s newest tracks? The Pike29 Memorial Track on the West Coast of the South Island officially opened in February 2024 and is dedicated to the 29 men who died in the 2010 Pike River Mine disaster. The 11-kilometre track tells visitors the story of the mine and what has been learned from the disaster, and connects the mine site (where an interpretation centre is in development) to the Paparoa Track, one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. To explore more of the area’s heritage, follow in the footsteps of gold miners on the historic Croesus Track, or spend the day in the thriving coal mining town of Blackball (see ‘At the coalface’, issue 174, Spring 2024, or scan the QR code below for video content). pike29memorialtrack.co.nz
EXPLORE
Art Deco Festival, Napier (13-16 February 2025)
This annual festival celebrates not only Napier’s famous Art Deco architecture but also the resilience of its community who, after the devastating earthquake of 1931, rebuilt much of their city in the glamorous 20th-century style that it is known for today. Alongside vintage flying displays, fashion shows and car parades is the chance to admire some of Napier’s outstanding Art Deco buildings, including the Daily Telegraph Building, Criterion Hotel, Municipal Theatre and Central Hotel, all Category 1 historic places, and the famous Napier Sound Shell (Category 2).
artdecofestival.co.nz
Paekākāriki Whakaahurangi / Stratford Tāmaki-makau-rau / Auckland
MEMBERSHIP ABROAD
In the last issue of Heritage New Zealand magazine, we asked you to share stories and photos of your overseas travels with us. You obliged and sent us some of your favourite heritage places in the UK – plus a top spot for outstanding coffee.
Just wanted to say thank you for the reciprocal relationships you’ve developed with similar organisations around the world. We have just returned from a five-week around-the-world trip. We spent three weeks in the UK and our membership saved us big! We were able to visit Stonehenge, Culloden and several other sites for free, thanks to our membership. We easily got our membership back four times over from the savings on all the places we visited. Teowai, Sharon and Stephanie
For coffee snobs, like most Kiwis, it is hard to find a decent coffee overseas, especially in England. I think it has improved over the past couple of years. We found a very unlikely place that served excellent coffee – in what used to be an underground toilet in Great Titchfield Street, London. The photo shows they have maintained much of the charm!
Paul Mason
My husband and I returned to the UK in the northern summer and were so pleased to be able to use our Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga membership at several National Trust places.
We lived in West Sussex for 30 years before moving to Dunedin, so we know Petworth House pretty well but still enjoy going back there to walk in the glorious park and admire the wonderful art collection.
Blickling Hall on the Blickling Estate (above) in Norfolk is a Jacobean stately home set in 5000 acres [2023 hectares] of parkland. It's believed to be where Anne Boleyn was born, and is well worth a whole day visit.
Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, is famous for wildlife, particularly the rare red squirrel. It is a short ferry ride from Poole and you do pay for this, but our Heritage card allowed us to wander the island freely.
There are many National Trust places to visit, and we hope to do many more courtesy of our membership during future visits.
Joanna Dunlop, Dunedin
After reading Brendon’s piece (page 5, Spring 2024), I wanted to share a recommendation to visit Cotehele (National Trust) in Cornwall, UK. I was staying with friends in Dartmoor in June, and we drove over to visit, thinking it would be a couple of hours, and stayed most of the day. The house is Tudor, and all rooms are draped in tapestries.
The gardens near the house are lovely, and the old barn café does great meals. But then there is also a set of buildings down by the River Tamar and a flour mill upstream with several outbuildings – we saw a potter and chairmaker at work. The estate is dog friendly and also has cottages you can rent. It was a great day out.
Stephen Parker, Auckland
•
•
•
WORDS: ANNA DUNLOP / IMAGERY: MIKE HEYDON
Work of art
Once integral to the development of secondary education in New Zealand, Dunedin’s former King Edward Technical College is now a community hub for the arts
Dunedin isn’t short of magnificent architecture and grand buildings, but one of the most imposing is the former King Edward Technical College (KETC) – now known as King Edward Court – which sits on a corner of Stuart Street, just 500 metres from the Octagon in the central city.
Designed by prominent architect Harry Mandeno and built in 1914, KETC, a Category 1 historic place, was the largest secondary school in New Zealand for more than 20 years, and one of the country’s first technical schools. The listing information states:
“KETC represents the development of technical education in New Zealand, from concerned citizens adopting international trends to state-run mainstream technical education.”
The school represents the growing importance placed on continuing education for all, not just the wealthy, and is a prime example of a citizenled programme that brought about nationwide change.
In 1888 the Dunedin Technical Classes Association (DTCA) was formed by some of the city’s most prominent citizens, who wanted to provide continuing education
and technical classes for young people.
The first evening classes were held on 1 May 1889 in rooms on Moray Place; 204 students enrolled, with arithmetic being the most popular subject. Classes gradually expanded to include literary (English, French, German and shorthand), scientific (mathematics, chemistry and physics) and manual (freehand, mechanical drawing, carpentry, and wood and metal-turning) subjects.
According to Sarah Gallagher, Area Manager Otago/Southland for New Zealand Heritage Pouhere Taonga, the DTCA aimed to direct the attention of youth to “higher aims and objectives” and was inspired by the City and Guilds of London Institute.
“It served to upskill and uplift individuals and therefore had positive flow-on effects for the community,” she says.
“It became so successful, that it was no longer feasible
for it to be citizen led, so it became a state-run technical education service. It was a complete game changer for education in New Zealand.”
In fact, the venture proved so popular that finding suitable accommodation for students became an ongoing problem.
KETC was eventually purpose built for the task, and the foundation stone was laid on 20 March 1913. Mandeno designed a grand building, constructed in red brick with Oamaru stone pediments, pilasters, quoins and other detailing, and featuring Neo-Baroque and Georgian Revival motifs. Inside, past the grand entrance vestibule featuring wood panelling, a tiled floor and a decorative plaster ceiling, is an extensive maze of corridors that is said to be inhabited by the ghost of a 13-year-old girl.
While the three-storey brick edifice on Stuart Street is the most recognisable
part of KETC, the complex actually comprises a cluster of buildings: the main structure, which includes the Kempthorne Wing and workshops; Burt Hall (added in 1918 and named after Alexander Burt, chair of the DTCA); and the Thomson Wing (named for the association’s founder and first superintendent of the school, George Thomson, and added in 1924).
The former Dunedin School of Art building, located on the corner of Tennyson Street and York Place and not physically connected to the main block, is also part of the KETC listing on the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero. It was designed by government architect John Mair and opened in 1937.
The art school cultivated some of New Zealand’s most influential artists –Colin McCahon (one of the first pupils to enrol), Anne Hamblett, Doris Lusk and Patrick Hayman were all students taught by internationally renowned teachers such as WH Allen and RN Field – and it is believed to be the birthplace of New Zealand modernism.
By 1955 KETC had 2500 pupils, making it the largest secondary school in the country. In the 1960s the school was divided into Otago Polytechnic and King Edward High School
and pupils were later relocated to other premises.
The building was then sold to private owners and renamed King Edward Court (KEC). Classrooms were turned into offices, dance and art studios, ensemble practice rooms and storage units. Over the years, many of the 75 rooms have been rented out to various tenants, including musicians, artists and photographers. Black Seeds guitarist Mike Fabulous (Michael August) even used a storage room as a recording studio in the late 2000s.
Long-term tenants, past and present, include: musician Adrian Mann, who moved his business, Alexander Pianos, into the building in 2016; Rasa School of Dance owner Lisa Wilkinson, who has taught dance pupils in a KEC studio for 20 years; and Matthew Robertson and Fiona ShawRobertson, whose business, Ma-Fi Arts, runs art classes for adults and children.
Matthew first taught in the building in 1999 and later returned with his wife Fiona to run the art classes from three rooms on the first floor. He says he’s seen tenants come and go.
“Sometimes it’s been a full house, other times it’s been emptier as people have moved on,” he says. “I’ve always loved the building, and it’s a fantastic location in which to teach our pupils.
We’ve looked after it over the years, and it’s looked after us.”
KEC was sold again in 2022 to a developer who has plans to renovate part of the main building to provide short- and long-term rental accommodation. However, it is hoped it will continue to be a community hub for artists.
As for the art school building, it has recently been given a new lease of life as a suite of art, music and drama rooms for Trinity Catholic College.
Architect Matt Mitchell of McCoy Wixon Architects says the building needed to be upgraded to current standards, adding that the compliance-related work was carefully woven into the fabric of the original building.
“We added internal layers –floating floors, insulation and acoustic material – to bring the building up to scratch acoustically and provide fire safety,” he says.
“We realised that the original concrete basement had a lot of potential, so we removed the old boiler and created a soundproof recording studio.”
The exterior was also carefully restored where possible, with work extending to the roofing, cladding and windows.
“Some of the timber casement windows had been replaced with white aluminium,” says Matt.
Listing:
4712
LOCATION
Dunedin lies on the central-eastern coast of Otago, surrounding the head of Otago Harbour.
“It was important to us that we replaced these and reinstated the timber.”
Sarah says that it’s wonderful to see the building adapted and given a contemporary fit-out to meet the needs of the new students and staff.
“It’s particularly special knowing that fine arts are again being taught in this building, just as when it was first built as the Dunedin School of Art. It carries the legacy of some of New Zealand’s finest artists and art teachers to a new generation.”
Search the listing number at heritage.org.nz/places to read more.
Talk of the town
The
Stratford theatre
that
was the birthplace of
‘the talkies’ in New Zealand is enjoying a renaissance thanks to dedicated community support
WORDS: NICOLA MARTIN / IMAGERY: MARK HARRIS
In the small Taranaki town of Stratford, famed for its Shakespearian-themed street names, it seems fitting that a theatre is taking centre stage.
Rising resplendent in cream, burgundy and gold, TET King’s Theatre is the largest building on Broadway, Stratford’s main street. Built in 1917 and designed by Auckland architectural firm Grierson and Aimer, the theatre was listed as a Category 1 historic place this year after being part of community life in Stratford for more than 100 years.
Drama students from throughout Taranaki have trodden the theatre’s boards, sporting and academic awards have been presented on its stage, and thousands of movie-goers have climbed its grand winding staircase to nestle in its plush surrounds.
TET King’s Theatre was the birthplace of ‘the talkies’ in New Zealand. In 1919 American inventor Lee de Forest patented DeForest Phonofilm, a technological wonder that recorded sound as lightwaves directly onto the edge of a picture film strip, meaning the two were always synchronised. This process gave birth to the modern-day movies, or ‘talkies’.
Stratford District Theatre Trust Chair Patsy Commerford, who has been a member of the trust for nearly 12 years, says it was quite something for Stratford to get the very first showing of talking movies in the Southern Hemisphere in 1925, nearly 100 years ago. It’s testament to the pioneering nature of the locals in Stratford and the theatre’s place in the community, she says.
Listing:
These are the types of people who saw the similarities between Stratford’s Patea River and the River Avon in England and named the town after Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-uponAvon. They also assigned 67 of the town’s streets the names of Shakespearean characters from 27 of his plays.
“We’re a small community, but we always rally around,” says trust committee member Jo Stallard. And rally around they have, to generate a rebirth for the star of Stratford’s main street.
The Stratford District Theatre Trust was formed in 1991 to purchase the neglected cinema and convert it into a multi-purpose venue. Fundraising events, sponsorships and grants from many individuals and businesses saw the theatre redeveloped in stages.
The Taranaki Electricity Trust (TET) is now the major sponsor of TET King’s Theatre, and sponsorship and grants have been
LOCATION
Stratford is located in Taranaki, about halfway between New Plymouth and Hāwera.
received from organisations including Petrocorp, the TSB Community Trust, the New Zealand Lotteries Commission and Stratford District Council. A Roll of Honour board of numerous donors and sponsors in the foyer demonstrates the community’s support.
About seven years ago, Patsy says, the trust recognised that the
theatre needed further restoration. Members set about harnessing both the commitment of their dedicated volunteers and financial backing from passionate theatre supporters to get the work done.
The restoration focused on returning the theatre to its heritage colours – cream, burgundy, deep navy and gold – while also updating the building in line with current fire safety codes and health and safety regulations.
Local businesses such as Stratford ITM donated materials and the theatre's volunteers rolled up their sleeves and did the work.
“We went in on one Easter weekend, started on the Friday, and did the bulk of the work in the following three days," says Patsy.
She says the theatre has survived financially thanks to its corporate sponsors and donations from local benefactors like the Lithgow family, whose contributions were critical.
The trust has also devised other revenue streams, converting what was the building's Marble Bar refreshment rooms into a popular bookshop.
Maintaining the theatre is an ongoing labour of love for the volunteers.
As far as the theatre meeting modern health and safety standards – one of the most critical challenges, says Jo – two volunteers affectionately known as ‘the boys’ played a pivotal role.
Gary Hann and Tony Gordon, both in their seventies, spent countless hours reinforcing the theatre’s rigging alongside a professional builder. Their efforts saved the theatre thousands of dollars, says Patsy.
The work of the trust’s volunteers goes beyond just physical repairs, however. They are the lifeblood of the theatre’s daily operations, from ushering at events to running the box office and showing movies. Without
them, the theatre wouldn’t be able to function.
TET King’s Theatre now shows arthouse and blockbuster movies four days each week, offering adult tickets at $14 each, senior and student tickets at $11 each, and children's tickets at $9. Visitors also get cosy blankets to snuggle under while they watch the shows.
“Because we have such a dedicated group of volunteers, we’re able to keep our prices low, and in the current economic environment we get families from all over Taranaki coming to the movies in Stratford,” says Patsy.
The theatre is also rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of an old projectionist, adding to its lure and charm, particularly with the younger generation.
"We do have what we call a ghost… he’s a friendly ghost and the kids love the story,” says Patsy.
Blyss Wagstaff, Senior Heritage Assessment Advisor for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, says TET King’s Theatre is one of Stratford’s stand-out buildings. It was listed as a Category 1 historic place following an application comprising 103 submissions, demonstrating the affection the community holds for the cultural gem.
“Its striking facade is very prominent as you drive through the town. But inside is another world that takes you back to the glory days of cinema,” says Blyss.
“We take audio-visuallysynced movies for granted these days, but it would have been an extraordinary experience in 1925. Stratford is justifiably proud of being at the cutting edge of this technology,” she adds.
Blyss says the theatre’s history also reflects the fluctuating fortunes of cinemas in the 20th century.
“To me, it’s the social significance that makes the King’s Theatre one of Aotearoa’s special Category 1 historic places. The story of its rehabilitation in the 1990s, its adaptation into a dual-purpose cinema/live theatre, innovative fundraising and, most of all, the huge cast of volunteers who continue to run it with such dedication and passion, is so inspiring for communities who would like to save their own heritage places.”
And the trust continues to look to the future. Patsy says she can see a new roof on the horizon and there are plans to replace the pillars at the entrance to the theatre.
Under the trust's careful management, the theatre will continue to be a central part of Stratford’s identity.
“Above all else, the King’s Theatre has always taken centre stage as a community space in Stratford and that’s how we continue to sell it,” says Patsy.
Search the listing number at heritage.org.nz/places to read more.
A modern story
Julia Gatley’s career has always been entwined with heritage conservation, and as a result she’s had a lasting impact on how we view our built history
WORDS: KERRI JACKSON / IMAGERY: MARCEL TROMP
“Heritage here always feels vulnerable.”
Julia Gatley, Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau, architectural historian and author, says that vulnerability has been apparent since she began her architectural career in the late 1980s.
“There’s always pressure on buildings that owners want to demolish, and replace. It’s why the compilation of heritage lists and schedules is so fundamentally important. If things aren’t scheduled –or ideally, both scheduled and listed – you don’t stand a chance of saving them.”
Julia’s career has always involved architectural heritage – thanks, in part, to the economic crash of 1987, the year before she graduated from Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka.
“There were really no jobs for architecture graduates, so I knocked on the door of what was then the [New Zealand] Historic Places Trust in Wellington.”
Her timing was impeccable. The trust was hiring graduates to undertake a programme of researching buildings identified as candidates for what was then called classification. For the graduates in regional areas, it was a summer job; for Julia it became two years of full-time work. It laid the foundation for a career-long interest in architectural heritage.
“I remember my first buildings: the Truby King House and Karitane Factory in Melrose, Wellington [Category 1]. That really drew me in, just because the whole story was so interesting.”
(Truby King founded the Plunket Society, which ran the Karitane hospitals.)
Julia returned to the trust in 1993 and gradually moved from research to helping to advise on additions or alterations proposed for heritage buildings.
With the building industry reviving post-crash there were plenty of projects to tackle.
“There were lots of proposals involving old railway stations like Dunedin’s, various buildings
in Oamaru, and the old BNZ buildings in Wellington, now the Old Bank Arcade.
“That is a really successful example of the adaptive use of a cluster of disused old buildings.”
While at the Historic Places Trust, Julia discovered her next love: Modernism in New Zealand architecture, the subject of her master’s thesis.
“I was learning so much about New Zealand architecture from earlier periods at the trust, and Modernism felt like a gap in my knowledge. It started with wanting to round out my knowledge, then it became a real interest.”
That love of Modernism later became the subject of Julia’s first book, Long Live the Modern, published in 2008. It remains a formative work on New Zealand Modernism, although, Julia notes, its currency has been impacted by the destruction of some of the important Modernist buildings featured that were damaged in the 2011 Canterbury earthquake.
Since Long Live the Modern, Julia has written, edited and
“We can’t, and shouldn’t, keep everything, though we can, and should, identify the best and most significant”
(sadly, now a victim of the university’s thinning out of small programmes).
Robin Byron, Senior Conservation Advisor Northern Region for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, has worked closely with Julia at the university and as a contributor to her most recent book project, Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands: National Experiences and Practice.
“Her contribution to New Zealand architecture is significant.”
contributed to numerous books, including a study on Athfield Architects and a history of the University of Auckland School of Architecture and Planning.
While researching a book on the groundbreaking Group Architects, Julia met her partner Jeremy Rotherham, son of Group Architects founding member Bruce Rotherham.
In a nice full-circle moment, the couple now live in the 1951 Modernist Group Architects home in which Jeremy grew up.
“Since we moved there, we have talked to so many other people who have moved back, if not to the houses
they grew up in, then to the streets or areas. It’s another very personal expression of heritage, and the affinity people feel for the places they’ve connected to.”
When the New Zealand Historic Places Trust restructured in 1999, Julia moved to Australia to gain her PhD, then to teach architectural history and design at the University of Tasmania. After seven years away, she returned to New Zealand and a role lecturing at the University of Auckland School of Architecture and Planning, where she drove the establishment of its master’s programme in Heritage Conservation
Robin says the effort needed to launch the master’s programme is an example of the energy and commitment Julia puts in to all her work.
“I admire her clarity of thought, her writing ability and the incredible talent and energy that she applies to a number of projects at any one time. It’s staggeringly impressive!
“She created a seminal work in Long Live the Modern, which took a huge effort in coordinating contributions and finding a format that brought everything together. She’s very skilled at that, which makes her the ideal person for editing this latest book,” says Robin.
Julia was initially asked to be an editor for Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands by a US-based editor, who later had to withdraw. Julia then took over the editing role. The book is the fourth in a series by John Stubbs, Emeritus Professor of Preservation Studies at Tulane University of Louisiana. The previous books cover a global history of heritage conservation, then focus on Europe and the Americas, Asia and now the Pacific.
As well as writing sections on New Zealand and French Polynesia, Julia worked with contributors to pull together content on specific New Zealand themes and the islands of the South Pacific, where examinations of architectural heritage had previously been very limited.
“My role expanded because I wanted to make sure the New Zealand chapter did justice to our history and our processes, and I worked with lots of expert writers. The sections on the Pacific Islands
are significant, too – this is new research from writers who are well connected to the various islands, so these chapters are an important contribution to knowledge.”
What stood out for Julia were the different approaches to heritage conservation in many of the islands.
“In the west, we tend to focus on the material authenticity of old buildings. The recurrent theme from the Pacific Islands, where often they’ve built with plant-based materials and are faced with cyclones and tsunami, is they’re not so concerned about the fabric, but they are very concerned about the cultural practices around making.
“They’re interested in conserving the traditional ways of making, as well as the oral traditions and passing knowledge down through generations.”
When it comes to knowing what built heritage should be saved and protected in New Zealand – and around the Pacific – going forward, Julia says it’s about finding a balance between exemplars and cultural value.
“We can’t, and shouldn’t, keep everything, though we can, and should, identify the best and most significant. Another way of thinking about heritage places is recognising those that represent something bigger.
“It might be representative clusters of state housing, or standardised types of school buildings, or bridges that are significant within our history.
“I do think Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is doing a great job building a much more representative list of significant places over time: those that tell stories associated with all of the diverse groups in our society.”
A TALE OF TWO APARTMENT BLOCKS
Wellington’s Dixon Street Flats hold a special place in Julia Gatley’s Modernist heart.
The flats, a Category 1 historic place in the city centre, were completed in 1944 as part of the first Labour Government’s state housing programme. An archetype of Modernist apartments in New Zealand, they might not have survived without Julia’s intervention.
The apartments were included in Julia’s master’s thesis on New Zealand’s Modernist architecture. “Then I wrote a nomination proposal to have them added to the List, and they did end up being listed.
“I thought those flats would be a permanent fixture with no threat to their future, but the future of those buildings has come under threat in recent years. So it actually really counts for something, that they were listed in the ’90s.”
The apartment blocks represent a key point in New Zealand’s history and can continue to have an important function today, says Julia.
As an example of what can be achieved with heritage-listed apartment blocks Julia cites the Symond Street Flats in Auckland, designed by Fred Newman in 1945 as state rentals, but in a state of disrepair by the 2010s. The flats were adapted for reuse as University of Auckland student accommodation in 2018 by RTA Studio with guidance from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Auckland Council and Archifact – Architecture and Conservation.
“It has been fantastic to see the revitalisation of those flats and it shows what can be done. I really like the attitude of Richard Naish at RTA Studio, who described his interactions with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Auckland Council on that project as ‘free advice’ in a really positive way.
“He found it useful for bouncing ideas around and developing his own ideas for that project, which has been such a successful one.” n
LOVE TRAIN
Paekākāriki’s rich railway heritage lives on, thanks to a dedicated group of local volunteers
WORDS: JEFF BELL / IMAGERY: MIKE HEYDON
Steam Incorporated is a living testament to passion and perseverance. Founded in 1972, the organisation has grown from a small group of enthusiasts into a pivotal force in preserving and celebrating the era of steam locomotives, while also embracing the evolution to diesel technology.
Historically, Paekākāriki was a major railway town, serving as the point where electric trains from Wellington would switch to steam locomotives for the journey north. The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company built the first engine shed in 1886 to meet the requirement to change locomotives for the Paekākāriki Hill and grades south into Wellington.
The story of Steam Incorporated began with a simple but ambitious vision. “There was a group of about five who wanted to preserve steam engines,” says Peter Norman, President of the organisation.
Unlike other groups that focused on creating private railways, Steam Incorporated was set up with a clear intent: to operate on the mainline rail network.
The early days of Steam Incorporated were not without their challenges. “The railways didn’t want us there,” Peter recalls.
The management of New Zealand Rail at the time viewed steam as outdated and was resistant to the idea of allowing steam engines back on the main line. Finding a suitable base was also a significant hurdle.
1. Dennis King, Steam Motive Power Manager, inspects a Steam Incorporated engine.
Fortunately, one of the founding members had connections in the property division of New Zealand Rail, and this led to a peppercorn lease for Paekākāriki’s Railway Station Yard in 1972.
From there, the organisation’s drive and ingenuity led to a gradual expansion of its facilities.
Steam Incorporated’s depot occupies a site with deep historical roots, one that is designated an historic area on the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero and includes Paekākāriki Railway Station (a Category 2 historic place).
The site became pivotal with the completion of the North Island Main Trunk Line in 1908, showcasing advancements from steam to diesel and electric trains. The station was integral to the local community, serving as a major hub for freight and passenger services.
“Paekākāriki Railway Station was a vital part of the rail network during World War II, when three large camps for US Marines were built nearby,” says Blyss Wagstaff, Senior Heritage Assessment Advisor for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
The US Marines’ Commissary Shed, also Category 2, was built in 1942 to support the US Marines stationed in Paekākāriki.
In 2001 the shed was acquired by Steam Incorporated, which now uses it as a storage facility.
Blyss says that, as a surviving building associated with the Marines, the shed is very rare and is “really worthy of conservation so it survives for the future”.
Peter’s journey with Steam Incorporated began in his early teens, and was deeply rooted in his upbringing.
“I’m from a family of eight,” he explains. “My older brothers and I used to ride the trains. The crews would let us ride in the cabs back to the depot, and then we’d just wander across the track and go home.”
He also had two sisters who worked at the depot’s famous tea rooms.
“Everyone was a kid of a railway employee, and most people worked for the railways.”
For Tommy Secker, Assistant Operations Manager at Steam Incorporated, the passion for railways was inherited from his grandfather. Hours spent reading railway magazines and books with him laid a strong foundation.
“We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without [our volunteers]. This place is set in the foundations of passion and dedication, commitment and hard work”
As a teenager, Tommy was known as a ‘foamer’ (rail enthusiast) and was frequently spotted at the trackside taking photos.
“Eventually, I turned up at the depot on a sunny day in February 2017,” he recalls.
This visit led to a deep involvement. Steam Incorporated was more than just about maintaining engines; it offered Tommy a sense of community. His dedication led to a full-time role within the organisation, and he now oversees Steam Incorporated’s excursions and charters.
Steam Incorporated relies heavily on a dedicated base of volunteers and a small team of full-time staff, who also volunteer extensively.
Volunteer David Rowland’s journey exemplifies the beating heart of Steam Incorporated. Searching for a new challenge in life, and looking to reignite an old flame for rail preservation, he started helping with various carriage projects. He now has several roles, from serving on the Management Committee to working with the carriage restoration and the On Board Services teams.
The highlight of his experience? “Interactions with our passengers and crew members,” he says. “There are so many opportunities to share experiences, learn new skills and work with a great bunch of people.”
Despite the passionate involvement of its members, Steam Incorporated faces ongoing challenges, particularly in maintaining and restoring its fleet. Peter acknowledges the cyclical nature of membership.
“When I was younger, there were a lot of younger guys who came along. But the trouble is there are
other interests – they meet women, get married, things like that, and that tends to take them away.”
Tommy adds that attracting younger generations is increasingly difficult.
“The inclination to come down and get involved has decreased somewhat,” he observes, citing the myriad distractions of modern technology and social media.
“It’s been a continued challenge to both introduce and maintain members.”
1. President Peter Norman’s journey with Steam Incorporated is deeply rooted in his upbringing.
2. An aerial view of Paekākāriki Railway Station.
3. The large modern carriage shed that houses more than 20 vehicles under cover is a huge asset.
4. The restoration of engine Ab 608 was completed in 2014 and took about 22 years. 3
There might be some light at the end of the tunnel, however. Peter notes their current membership includes a significant number of teenagers and young people. “We’ve probably got upwards of 18 younger people, which is really good,” he says.
One of those younger volunteers, Kāhu Koopu, got involved with Steam Incorporated when he was 13 after seeing one of the trains on the main line. “To me, there was something about seeing that steam engine hauling a 500-tonne train, I just couldn’t get over it.”
“Not only is it an education, but it’s also a showcase of what rail travel used to be like”
In his three years with the society, Kāhu has acquired a strong understanding of steam engine operation and servicing, learned safe practices in a hazardous rail environment, and greatly enhanced his
social skills. “I’m looking to go into the railways as a future career, so it’s all knowledge that’s worthwhile.
“The biggest thing is the skills that people develop. It takes probably 10 to 12 years to get enough knowledge to be able to work on restoring the trains.”
To address this challenge, Steam Incorporated brought on its first apprentice two years ago. “We’re looking to the future,” Peter explains.
Funding for Steam Incorporated comes primarily from public excursions and charters all over New Zealand. Support from grants has also helped facilitate significant infrastructure projects, such as a large modern carriage shed built in 2012 that houses more than 20 vehicles under cover.
Restoring locomotives is a complex and expensive endeavour. Peter describes the lengthy and costly process of restoring one of their engines, Ab 608, which was completed in 2014 and took about 22 years from start to finish.
“We conservatively estimate that cost us $450,000,” he says. This figure does not take into account the countless volunteer hours invested.
Still, the cost is worth the exhilaration of a completed project. Peter notes the Ab 608 completion was given extra impetus by aiming for the start of the First World War Centenary Programme in 2014.
“We were just buzzing when we finally got it into steam, and it ran for its first time.”
So how exactly do you source parts for a fleet of grand old heritage locomotives?
“We were quite lucky when we started out,” says Peter, adding that as steam engines became obsolete, the group was able to purchase many spare parts.
“We basically cleaned out the shops of all these steam engine bits and pieces, and this gave us a good grounding.”
They also acquired patterns for casting missing components. The inclusion of diesel locomotives reflects practical evolution.
As Peter explains, “It just became easier to operate diesels. And also [New Zealand Rail] was getting rid of the first-generation diesels back in the 1980s, and there was an opportunity to purchase them.”
The transfer of knowledge is another crucial aspect of their work.
“In the beginning, our membership was basically all retired railway men, people who had an interest in railways,” Peter recalls.
Nowadays, with the restructuring of railways and the loss of experienced personnel, passing on this knowledge has become more challenging.
“We belong to a national body, so there is a sharing of knowledge with other groups around the country,” he notes.
Peter emphasises the importance of Steam Incorporated’s volunteers. “I think it’s fair to say we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them,” says Tommy.
“This place is set in the foundations of passion and dedication, commitment and hard work.”
For Peter, that commitment goes beyond a meticulous preservation of historic locomotives; it’s about creating unforgettable experiences for people.
“I love the looks on people’s faces, the smiles, and the joy we bring to them.”
1. Assistant Operations Manager Tommy Secker has gained a sense of community from his full-time role with Steam Incorporated.
2. Dennis King in the workshop
3. Bill Town, On Board Services team member.
He highlights the annual North Pole Express – a special train running from Kāpiti to the ‘North Pole’ and offering a magical Christmas experience during the journey.
“It’s just a buzz from beginning to end to see the little kids and their enjoyment.”
Preserving steam locomotives and New Zealand’s railway heritage is about more than nostalgia; it’s about remembering a vital part of the country’s history.
“Until the mid-1950s, most people travelled by train; there were not very many private cars,” notes Peter.
For those of his generation, trains represent a familiar and cherished way of life. Tommy, representing a younger generation, finds deep significance in experiencing the past first-hand.
“Not only is it an education, it’s also a showcase of what rail travel used to be like,” he says. Stepping aboard an historic train is, for him, a journey back in time.
To learn more about Steam Incorporated, view our video story here: youtube.com/ HeritageNewZealand PouhereTaonga
FLOUR POWER
The forward-thinking restoration of a Christchurch flour mill means the building can adapt to the city’s needs for years to come
WORDS: EMMA DANGERFIELD / IMAGERY: MIKE HEYDON
Take a tour of the newly renovated Wood’s Flour Mill in Christchurch’s Addington and you will discover the true meaning of adaptive reuse.
The iconic red-brick, four-storey building, designed by leading industrial architect JC Maddison, operated as a flour mill from 1891 until 1970. Lit by electricity and powered by steam, it was once considered the most modern mill in New Zealand; however, by 1970 it had become redundant and was used predominantly for accommodation.
The building stood abandoned for more than a decade after the Christchurch earthquakes, window-less and a popular target for local graffiti artists. But now it has a bright future in a collection of exciting ventures, thanks to an ambitious renovation project.
Residential apartments, shared office spaces, meeting rooms and a music academy are already in full swing, while a theatre, complete with niche spaces for individual restaurant offerings, is in the making.
The man behind the renovation is Michael King, an enthusiastic structural engineer originally from California. After buying the run-down building in 2016, he threw himself into the herculean task of breathing new life into the 4000-square-metre brick behemoth, with his key motivation being to make the place “fun”.
He also planned to make a bit of extra money, and while Covid-19 and subsequent delays thwarted this part of the plan somewhat, his excitement for the project has never diminished.
“I’m not a developer… I dream too much, so I spent money with different goals,” says Michael.
“Covid definitely kicked me in the head too, and then we had an issue getting materials – things like plywood and Gib were like gold, so I had to put the project on hold and that cost me more. But at the end of the day I wanted to create something cool for the city, and for me the fun is still definitely there.”
Michael is passionate about creating a new space from the old, giving the mill a fresh lease of life, and the potential for an exciting but as-yet-unknown future for the next century and beyond. It’s all about creating a mixed-use space, he says, one that can adapt over the years and lend itself to whatever the need is at that time.
He has a wealth of expertise in post-earthquake building repairs, gained from his decades living in California, where quakes are a regular occurrence.
In San Diego alone, 420 at-risk brick buildings were identified by the Structural Engineers Association, and the vast majority, 408, were fixed to a new code. This allowed many of the derelict areas of the city to be brought back to life.
“I worked on hundreds of buildings. Several buildings I worked on several times, creating New York lofts and then a hotel out of the same building, or an office block – the economics of it are so important.”
Taking an economics approach is critical if we are to keep historic buildings alive for generations to come, he says.
1. The man behind the project is Michael King, an enthusiastic structural engineer originally from California.
2. Windows have been cut in the old warehouse to fit its new residential purpose.
3. Phase 2 will see the old theatre renovated and made available for a variety of community uses.
“What I really want is somebody who has watched way too much My Kitchen Rules and thinks they can do it – I want people to come in here and have fun”
“You get heritage people saying, ‘We need to save the building because it’s history’. Well, that’s lovely, but this was a flour mill until 1970. It will never be a flour mill ever again, and there is absolutely zero requirement for a flour mill museum.”
Thanks to the adaptive reuse philosophy, the Wood’s Mill building is now a mixed-use site that suits the needs of today, and is adaptable to meet the needs of the future. It houses 17 beautiful New York-style apartments, each with a northfacing deck and floor-to-ceiling windows, which reflect the industrial character of the building.
Christine Whybrew, Director Southern at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, says there are significant benefits to adapting heritage buildings for modern use.
“Demolishing buildings is a major source of waste and carbon emissions, so adapting and reusing buildings makes both environmental and economic sense.
“But more than that, it means wonderful old character buildings can be reborn, and not only used but really enjoyed by generations to come, and that’s what’s so exciting about a project like Wood’s Mill.”
Phase 2 of the project will see the renovation of a theatre and venue space, which will be available for the community to use for performances throughout the week. The theatre will be complemented by the establishment of small individual eateries, with kitted-out kitchens, for any would-be operator wanting to have a go.
“I don’t want to do the things you see everywhere,” says Michael. “What I really want is people who have watched way too much My Kitchen Rules and think they can do it too – I want people to come in here and have fun.”
Wood’s Mill is listed as a Category 2 historic place, and Michael has taken great care to retain the historic features where possible. The exterior brick facade is, of course, its most prominent characteristic, but inside, the brick is also a key feature, along with the old exposed kauri floor-to-roof pillars and the colonial windows, which have been remade using red cedar.
The heritage covenant includes a requirement to keep the outside space clear as a gathering space. Historically it was a place for mill workers to gather, eat lunch and play bowls, so Michael has built a stage and hopes the area will be used for markets and as an outdoor events venue.
During the renovation, much of the ceiling space was left unclad to showcase the wooden beams, juxtaposed with new components such as concrete, black steel girders and industrial bolts throughout the staircase and elevator tower.
The floors on each level will be finished with coloured resin, a nod to the graffiti that covered much of the outside of the building during its derelict phase.
“My philosophy is, ‘If it’s original, let it be original. If it’s new, say it’s new’,” says Michael.
Some modifications have, of course, been necessary. The warehouse where flour was stored had no windows, so those needed to be cut for residential use. Due to the explosive nature of flour, some of the walls are seven bricks thick, and the building also has steel within its walls, a construction feature that was almost unheard of back in the 19th century. This is most likely the reason for the building coming through the earthquakes with only minimal damage.
Along with the apartments, the top floor is occupied by an architect, who shares the space with other businesses. The next two floors are taken up by shared office spaces and hot desks rented out to a variety of businesses, while the ground floor is home to the SOLE Music Academy.
SOLE Director Sacha Hocking says that for her and husband Slade, Wood’s Mill was attractive as a long-term place for their business set-up in many ways. Of course, the plan to resurrect the theatre was an exciting prospect in itself, but the couple also share Michael’s passion for heritage buildings.
“We have renovated residential heritage properties and purchased several commercial heritage buildings throughout the country,” she says.
“We enjoy activating once-derelict buildings and giving them a second lease of life.”
Sacha says that because brick-and-timber buildings like the mill are sadly not as prevalent in Christchurch since the earthquakes, when SOLE took on the space, the building and its history became real talking points with their clients.
“Arriving to work in a heritage building is always a pleasure and a breath of fresh air, which flows on to the students and clients.
“It has also been a huge drawcard for local and national artists who have attended and featured in our SOLE Speaker Series. Once Phase 2 is completed, it will certainly add to the Addington area and wider Christchurch.”
4. Black steel girders and industrial bolts are juxtaposed with the building’s original materials.
5. The iconic red brick and wooden beams allow the interior to retain its heritage feel.
6. Modern shared work spaces have brought the building’s useability
Literary LIFELINES
Residencies provide writers with peace, quiet and uninterrupted time to work, but those held in authors’ historic former homes offer something more – connections to the creative wairua housed within their walls
WORDS: JOHN O’HARE / IMAGERY: MIKE HEYDON
Number 3 Titan Street
Number 3 Titan Street in Dunedin is the original tiny house.
‘Typical’ would best describe the brick workingman’s cottage, which, over 79 years, housed a range of working- and middle-class tenants ranging from cooks to fruiterers.
When Number 3 came on the market in 1988, however, it caught the eye of a man for whom the word ‘typical’ did not apply. Robert Lord, a New York-based playwright, bought the cottage, intending to split his time between the entertainment capital of the world and Dunedin.
Born in Rotorua in 1945, Robert Lord was larger than life. He had forged a career as a playwright in the US, where his work was characterised by wit and an ability, as his friend American director Jack Hofsiss wrote, “to honour the little and understand it as a gateway to the larger”.
Robert won the 1969
Katherine Mansfield Young Writers Award at the age of 24, and his first full-length play, It Isn’t Cricket, premiered at Wellington’s Downstage Theatre two years later. Before his 30th birthday, Robert had co-founded Playmarket, a not-for-profit organisation providing representation for playwrights in New Zealand. Today, more than 50 years later, Playmarket continues to invest in playwrights and theatremakers.
Robert’s other legacy to New Zealand literature is the Robert Lord Writers’ Cottage in Titan Street, now a Category 1 historic place.
Murray Lynch is Director/ Tumuaki of Playmarket and
a trustee of the cottage. In a recent edition of the Writer’s Toolkit podcast hosted by internationally renowned playwright, screenwriter and producer Paul Kalburgi, Murray reflected on the influences that had shaped Robert’s philosophy.
“Robert was working at Downstage Theatre in Wellington and had the opportunity to see the Eugene O’Neil playwriting development programme and the Australian Playwrights Conference. He returned, saying: ‘We must have some support of this kind to be able to help develop new plays’,” he says.
“Robert spent a lot of his time living and working in New York and was able to experience the wonderful development opportunities there and in Canada.”
Robert was New Zealand’s first professional playwright, with works performed around the world. He was also New Zealand’s first openly gay playwright at a time when homosexual law reform had only recently been passed.
When he returned to Dunedin he was dying from an AIDS-related illness – but despite this, his eye was fixed on the future when he set up the Robert Lord Writers’ Cottage Trust. His house would be used as a writer-inresidence, providing rent-free accommodation for writers working on literary projects.
Since 2003 more than 90 writers have taken up Robert’s invitation and enjoyed his hospitality.
One of these is Aucklandbased playwright and performance poet, Nathan
Joe. After developing a production for Auckland Fringe in 2019 entitled I am Rachel Chu, Nathan, who is of Chinese descent, was ready to take some time out to “just figure out my life; survive”.
He had previously applied for a month-long Robert Lord Residency through the New Zealand Young Writers Festival, pitching a new project that would become Scenes from a Yellow Peril
“I was able to spend a month doing research and development. I had time to read a lot of race theory and cultural criticism to ground the play in a more thoughtful, considered space,” he says.
“In some ways that onemonth residency was like a lifeline for me to come back into my practice, which I thought I had abandoned in 2019.”
More recently, Nathan completed a two-festival term as Auckland Pride Creative Director, in which he developed the Praise the Lord Residency at Robert Lord Cottage, which every year enables a Queer writer to develop a new play.
The Robert Lord Residency affects people in different ways. In his podcast, Paul Kalburgi recalls his own two-week residency at the Robert Lord Cottage as “a truly spiritual experience”.
“I hadn’t anticipated how deeply I would feel connected to him in the cottage itself. His presence is palpable in every corner of the place. It feels like he’s just popped out for a moment and might return at any second,” he says.
The posters of Robert’s plays on the walls, the blankets on the sofa and the books on the shelves; even the vinyl records and his coffee pot all add to the ambience.
“I felt that Robert was very much in the fabric of the cottage, inviting me to a
coffee, to sit by the fire, and bestowing on me the gift of time to write and reflect on my thoughts and ideas.”
The Robert Lord Residency is open to writers in any medium, although trustees like to support playwrights and projects that have connections to Dunedin.
For Karen McMillan, author of Turbulent Threads – her historical novel set in 1890s Dunedin – the residency provided space, time and access to a city she was trying to recreate.
“Being based in Dunedin enabled me to visit all the locations that feature in the book, including the infamous Devil’s Half Acre, a thriving area where Scots, Irish, Lebanese and Chinese immigrants lived side by side,” she says.
“The small cottage in the narrow-gridded streets gave me a glimpse of how life would have been for families in the era I was writing about. There were many layers in the novel that I had time to flesh out.”
Sarah Gallagher, Area Manager Otago Southland for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, believes that using heritage buildings for residences is “beautifully complementary”. “Residencies maintain heritage buildings and keep them alive and connected with their history and original purpose, enabling funds generated to be funnelled back into maintenance and restoration.”
Residencies also place New Zealand, and Dunedin – a UNESCO City of Literature – on the international map, providing accommodation and venues that connect communities through creativity while inspiring future creatives.
“They are prestigious appointments and a great source of pride for the city.”
Writer Emma Hislop, who is currently in residence at Number 3 Titan Street.
Hone Tuwhare crib
For the Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust, restoring the great poet’s crib at Kākā Point, Catlins, was a 10-year labour of love.
When Hone’s son Rob first visited his father’s house in the early 1990s, friends picked him up from Dunedin airport and proceeded to take him to distant parts unknown. Rob and his whānau have since fallen in love with the isolated home in which his father penned four of his books.
After Hone passed away in 2008, Rob took the first step towards preserving his crib as a retreat for creatives by contacting his old mate, Stan Scott.
Most DIY-ers will recognise Stan as the face of Mitre 10’s ‘how to’ videos, but Stan is no ordinary tradie. Rob’s path crossed Stan’s some years earlier when they worked together in Auckland.
“I asked Rob if he was related to Hone Tuwhare, and he said, ‘Yeah, he’s my dad’,” remembers Stan.
A fan of New Zealand poetry, Stan began instituting ‘Poetry Friday’, where workmates were invited to recite poems: “Not quite the done thing on building sites, but we didn’t really care.” When the time came to work on the crib, Rob immediately thought of Stan.
“I fell in love with the crib and took it upon myself to make sure that everyone was aware of the building’s importance and the need to renovate it in a sympathetic way,” says Stan.
A conservation plan for the house enabled a light-touch renovation.
“Stan was an absolute leader,” says Rob. “Stuff that a normal builder would have thrown in the skip was kept. Stan would say, ‘No, no – some artist will use that’.”
In areas where the floor sat only 15 centimetres above the ground, Stan used a collapsible army spade to stabilise the floor without –counter-intuitively – making it level and compromising the crib’s character. He even sourced Axminster carpet and other materials from its original era.
The result is special.
“It’s weathertight, watertight and warm,” says Hone Tuwhare trustee and co-chair Jeanette Wikaira. “Rob and Stan basically handcrafted the crib back together again.”
According to Jeanette, this is the first creative residency in the name of a Māori writer – and trustees feel the responsibility.
“It’s also a Māori home, of a grandfather and a father, and a whānau,” she says. “We’ve had a lot to do with Rob and his wider whānau to ensure that their grandfather’s home and whare is still theirs. Getting the kaupapa and the whānau balance right is everything.”
Rob feels the connection to the place through his father and his father’s connection to the community and landscape that embraced him.
“Dad loved the different moods of the ocean – right to the point where these big rocks are getting pushed around the reef. You can hear them clunking in a big storm,” he says.
“At other times it’s just dead flat and everyone’s out fishing for blue cod. All the surfers are there enjoying Hone’s Break, which locals named in honour of my father.”
Far left: Jeanette Wikaira, trustee and co-chair of the Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust, with Mark Mckeever, also a trustee, who lives locally.
Maurice Shadbolt House and Studio
Set in the green suburb of Titirangi in West Auckland, Maurice Shadbolt House and Studio is a recent Category 1 addition to the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero. The unprepossessing Californian bungalow was home to Maurice for most of his adult life.
It was here from 1964 that he wrote most of his literary output, including in his purpose-built garden studio, which was added in the early 1970s.
Today it is managed by the Going West Trust, which is working to establish a writers’ residency in what Maurice described as his “hermit hideout”.
Project Manager Tracey Wedge is guiding the project through the prosaic stage of securing foundations and stabilisation, and is hopeful that the first resident writer will be able to move in in late 2025. It’s been a slow burn, but Tracey has been buoyed by strong support from the Shadbolt family.
“As Maurice himself said, writing requires isolation – ‘the ability to disappear into a different world for hours at a time’,” she says.
“Transforming this physical space into a cultural touchstone for writers – both present and future – to contribute to the creative wairua housed within these walls and on this whenua elevates the legacy of an artist to an entirely new level.”
The residency will provide much-needed income, as well as a workspace for writers of a range of genres, including long-form journalism.
“Residencies allow writers to immerse themselves in their work, free from distractions. This often leads to new and impactful work, enriching the Aotearoa literacy world with new ideas and voices,” she says.
The listing reflects West Auckland’s support for cultural built heritage in general, including Lopdell House, Corban Estate and the Colin McCahon House, according to Mary Kienholz, Area Manager MidNorthern for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
“Support for this project has come consistently from the Waitākere Ranges Local Board and its championing of heritage identification and protection, and by valuing places like Shadbolt House for community use.”
kaupapa: principle, purpose, initiative mahi: work wairua: spirit/ atmosphere whare: house/building whenua: land
Maurice Shadbolt House and Studio. Imagery: Marcel Tromp
Randell Cottage
In early 2020 Michalia Arathimos, her partner and their two children escaped the catastrophic bushfires of Victoria and the unfolding Covid-19 crisis to return home to New Zealand.
In the middle of that year, Michalia took up a six-month residency at Randell Cottage in Wellington’s Thorndon.
“I felt so grateful that we were welcomed into that space at a time when the world was shutting down against a global pandemic, and that somehow my writing had provided a safe house for us,” she says.
Category 2-listed Randell Cottage is one of the few residencies in the world that offer writers the option of having their children stay with
Writer Michalia Arathimos (below) says a residency can make the difference between a book being published or rejected.
them – a lifesaver for Michalia and her family.
Completed in 1868, the modest dwelling housed William and Sarah Randell’s 10 children. When it came on the market in 1994, William’s greatgranddaughter, writer Beverley Randell – whose children’s books have been published internationally – bought the cottage and established a writer’s residency.
“My children were obsessed with the history of the house and the lives of the children who’d lived there,” recalls Michalia.
“The cottage has a collection of children’s toys that were discovered under the house, including some spinning tops. My kids looked at the collection and slept in a
room that had housed at least four Randell children.”
Working in a space that has been carefully restored and preserved to look much the same as it did a century ago inevitably affects a writer’s mahi, according to Michalia.
“The space itself likes to dream you back in time. One of the Randell children became a music teacher and taught music in the room now used for writing. I like to think that writing there was a continuation of that legacy.”
At a time when the value of the arts is often questioned,
the existence of writers’ residencies is both validating and miraculous according to Michalia.
A residency can make the difference between a book being published or rejected, she says; to her a residency is a great gift.
“Writers and artists are the witnesses to our lives. If we spent more time actively witnessing ourselves and the planet, we might be doing better,” she says.
“It’s beyond appropriate that historic houses are used to house resident writers.”
AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ODYSSEY
Born out of the destruction of the Canterbury earthquakes, a new project is rediscovering
Christchurch’s history
1. Ceramic and glass artefacts recovered during post-earthquake archaeological work in and around Ōtautahi Christchurch.
2. Katharine Watson, one of the founders of the Christchurch Archaeology Project, holds a ginger beer bottle from the firm Curtis & Co., which operated in Lyttelton in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The bottle is impressed with CURTIS & CO. / LYTTLETON – note the misspelling.
WORDS: KIM TRIEGAARDT / IMAGERY: MIKE HEYDON
In the heart of Ōtautahi Christchurch, a groundbreaking initiative is reshaping our understanding of the city’s past. The Christchurch Archaeology Project has launched a cutting-edge online database that combines archaeological, artefactual and historical data. This remarkable resource, called the Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi, is freely available to the public and will enable both researchers and enthusiasts from around the world to explore the rich history of Christchurch in unprecedented ways.
The journey to create this database began in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 and 2011 earthquakes that wracked Canterbury. The wave of archaeological activity that followed during the rebuild of Christchurch and its surrounding towns uncovered a treasure trove of historical data, says Katharine Watson, Director of the Christchurch Archaeology Project.
“The project was conceived out of necessity,” she says. “The catastrophic earthquakes necessitated extensive rebuilding efforts, which, under the archaeological authority process administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, required archaeological information to be recovered during earthworks on pre-1900 sites.”
This mandate led to the investigation of hundreds of archaeological sites and the recovery of more than a million artefacts. Documenting approximately 800 years of history, this collection provides one of the most comprehensive records of 19th-century colonial settlement in the world, and a greater understanding
1 of the Māori communities that lived in the region before the settlers.
“I could never have predicted how much work we would need to do,” says Katharine. “Nobody knew how much was going to be demolished and rebuilt.”
More than 4000 earthquake archaeology authorities were issued.
“Many of the pieces we’ve found are just fragments, but they still need to be celebrated. They are fragments of history, and every piece tells a story,” says Katharine.
1. Artefacts being washed prior to analysis.
2. & 3. Ebony Pike and Katharine Watson wash artefacts in the lab at Underground Overground Archaeology.
4. Quintessential Christchurch: part of a Ballantynes sewing machine.
5. A large ewer recovered on the site of Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre.
6. Jessie Garland with a woman’s hat found on the site of the Christchurch Justice & Emergency Services Precinct. Imagery: supplied
“This database … allows us to explore the past in rich detail, understanding the complexities and nuances of the lives of those who came before us”
“They might not be big stories, but they are the anecdotes of the people who built Christchurch – entrepreneurs like JG Ruddenklau, who was instrumental in the city’s development, and activists like Fanny Cole, who championed social change. These individuals sought new opportunities in a new world, not just to improve their families’ lives but to effect broader societal transformation.
“These stories are fascinating, and they are part of what makes Christchurch Christchurch,” she says.
The archaeological record of Christchurch begins with the settlement of the land by Waitaha, descendants of the explorer Rākaihautū, who arrived in the waka Te Uruao. Successive waves of settlement by Ngāti Mamoe and Ngāi Tahu followed, each leaving its mark on the landscape. Early Māori occupation was concentrated around the beaches of Te Raekura Redcliffs, but sites have been found throughout the city.
The arrival of Europeans in the 1840s, spurred by the Canterbury Association’s colonisation efforts, brought significant changes. Archaeological evidence from this period includes remnants of early roads, bridges, wells, tramways, shops, schools, factories and more.
The city’s built environment forms an important part of this archaeological record, with the Christchurch Archaeology Project team ensuring pre-1900 buildings were documented before and during demolition.
Katharine’s favourite story from her years-long work on the project started with just a shop front with a faded sign across the top that emerged during a building demolition after being hidden for decades.
As she uncovered more about the history of the shop, she got to know its owner, Mrs Lizzie Palmer.
“I love women’s stories because so much of our history of women in the 19th century has been hidden as a result of subsequent attitudes,” says Katharine.
“Lizzie ran a shop and was eventually able to buy land and a beach holiday house in New Brighton, and also leave her children a small inheritance.” Katharine found Lizzie’s story so fascinating that she included it as part of her PhD.
Katharine’s support for the substantial amount of work involved in this project has come from Christchurch Archaeology Project co-founders Hayden Cawte and Jessie Garland, who are both just as passionate about archaeology. It is the trio’s collective vision that has seen the database come to life.
“This database is not just a repository of data; it is a dynamic tool for education and engagement. It allows us to explore the past in rich detail, understanding the complexities and nuances of the lives of those who came before us,” says Katharine.
“These personal stories bring the broader historical context to life, illustrating the diverse motivations and aspirations of Christchurch’s early settlers.”
Christine Whybrew, Director Southern Region for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, echoes Katharine’s acknowledgment of the importance
of having a collection of such national and international significance.
“The launch of the Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi represents the enormous archaeological need that followed the Canterbury earthquake sequence.
“It opens the door for the public to make use of this collection, to engage with it, explore it and piece together the stories waiting to be told.”
The creation of the database was a monumental task. It involved organising and indexing vast amounts of data and making it freely accessible via the internet in a platform that is the first of its kind in New Zealand. This resource now serves as a critical research tool, enabling archaeologists to identify artefacts and residents to learn more about their city.
1. Christchurch Archaeology Project founders Katharine Watson, Hayden Cawte and Jessie Garland. Image: supplied 2. Part of the exhibition curated for the launch of the Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi held at Tūranga 3. Items discarded by Amelia and Edward Hiorns, who lived on the site of what is now The Music Centre. Imagery: Chris Hoopman Photography
Katharine explains that the legislative role of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and the archaeological authority process are crucial in preserving these stories.
“These frameworks ensure that valuable historical information is not lost during development activities, and it highlights the importance of archaeology in understanding our past.”
The Museum of Archaeology Ōtautahi ties into other resources, such as ArchSite and the Archaeology Digital Library at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, creating a comprehensive network of historical information. It’s a public database that the founders of the Christchurch Archaeology Project hope will be well used.
“I hope that historians will use it, that genealogists will use it and that school students will use it as part of the syllabus of New Zealand’s European history,” says Katharine.
“People question why we’re doing this and if it’s important; my response is that this is our past and noone else’s,” she says. “It helps us understand who we are and where we’ve come from. If we don’t value it, we can’t learn from it.”
To learn more about the Christchurch Archaeology Project, view our video story here: youtube.com/ HeritageNewZealand PouhereTaonga
Find out more about the Christchurch Archaeology Project at christchurcharchaeology.org
You can search the database at museumofarchaeology.org
DIGITAL promise
From providing records in case of natural disasters to improving access and enabling virtual tours, digital scans of heritage buildings have numerous benefits. Is this the new frontier in heritage preservation? 2
WORDS: MATT PHILP
For years the Colonial Ammunition Company Shot Tower defied its fate, remaining untouched even as a residential apartment complex was built around it. Erected in 1916 to produce shot balls from free-falling molten lead, the 35-metre tower in suburban Mt Eden became a Category 1 historic place, the only remaining shot tower in the country and the only one of steel-framed construction in the Southern Hemisphere.
Tragically, by February 2023 it had been deemed a hazard, and after Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked its havoc on New Zealand, the call was made for urgent demolition. Before it fell, however, the structure was documented in minute detail – not by a heritage specialist directly, as it was considered unsafe, but by a drone.
Drones. Laser scans. Photogrammetry. Digital scanning is the new frontier of recording and experiencing heritage. Essentially, it’s the direct capture of a building, the first step to creating an exact digital twin. That has obvious benefits when heritage structures are threatened by cyclones or fires or other disasters, but it also has potential applications for education and to improve public access to heritage.
As well as the Shot Tower project, half a dozen New Zealand heritage properties have been digitally scanned to date, including: old Carrington Hospital (Category 1) and St David’s Memorial Church in Auckland; the Edmonds Ruins (Category 2) and the Stone Store (Category 1) in Northland; and a number of artefacts held by the Thames School of Mines (Category 2) in the Coromandel.
1. A ‘digital twin’ of the Category 2 Edmonds Ruins, created by Vision Consulting Engineers [VCE]. Image: VCE 2. The ruins of John Edmonds’ mortared stone farmhouse. Image: Jess Burges 3. Aerial shot of the ruins. Image: VCE 4. Using digital scanning opens access to a remote property. Image: Jess Burges
Ben Perry, Managing Director of Kerikeri-based civil engineering firm Vision Consulting Engineers, donated his expertise and time to digitally scan the Stone Store in 2021.
“I’m interested in heritage preservation, and I thought it would be a cool thing to do,” he says, adding that the property’s significance was another motivation.
“I felt there was a need to preserve it in time because you never know what can happen. Now, if you ever wanted to recreate the Stone Store, you have a millimetre-accurate model, a digital twin.”
Last year Ben’s teenage daughter, Sunny Perry, laser-scanned another heritage-listed Kerikeri
property: the ruins of a mortared stone farmhouse built by John Edmonds on the south side of the inlet between 1840 and 1858.
Sunny, who at the time was a Year 13 student and a recent winner of the Prime Minister’s Te Puiaki Kaipūtaiao Ānamata Future Scientist Prize, had the more challenging job because of the site’s exposure to the elements. But the scanning project still yielded an incredibly detailed, high-resolution, 3D model of the ruins, accurate to within six millimetres.
Ben points out that the ruins are located in a relatively remote paddock.
“Put that model online and anyone in the world can access it, opening the door to people with disabilities
and who, for whatever reason, can’t visit the site. For me, that’s one of the most exciting things.”
Bill Edwards, Area Manager Northland for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, says both scanning projects are likely to help with the management of the properties.
“We now have a fantastic set of images – bird’s-eye views, front views, et cetera – that we are able to drill down into, as well as measurable, quantifiable data. That can help inform us if the site is changing due to weathering or vegetation.”
Digital scanning can also deepen our understanding of these sites and structures, adds Bill, who is an archaeologist by training.
“You can use it for education and to show people the techniques that were used,” he says, citing the Edmonds Ruins, where a five-room farmhouse was built using mostly field rock from the surrounding paddocks.
“What was the vision behind it? How did they fit the rocks together? It’s like a giant jigsaw, and digital scanning lets you understand, down to the elemental level of each rock, how it happened.”
The Stone Store and Edmonds Ruins were essentially pilot projects “to show people what can be done”, according to Bill, who acknowledges that Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and other domestic heritage organisations are still getting to grips with digital scanning’s potential.
“I think we need to expose people to the value of these technologies, which are being used internationally.”
That said, the momentum is building. In 2022 Auckland’s Unitec Institute of Technology established a Digital Heritage Research Centre, and its School of Architecture students are now taught digital scanning as part of their studies.
Among recent projects, the centre collaborated with industry partners to scan and 3D-model ‘Building One’, the former Carrington Hospital, in a part of Auckland tagged for intensive housing development. It has also scanned St David’s Memorial Church in Grafton.
Associate Professor Renata Jadresin-Milic, who heads the centre, reiterates the point about scanning offering a way to digitally preserve buildings in danger
1-3. The Category 1 Stone Store at Kerikeri was laser-scanned by Vision Consulting Engineers in 2021. Image: VCE 4. L-R: Sunny Perry, Bill Perry and Bill Edwards at the Edmonds Ruins. Image: Jess Burges 5. Sunny Perry was a Year 13 student when she digitally scanned the Edmonds Ruins. Image: VCE
1
of being lost to decay, neglect or natural disaster. Along with Massey’s Professor Regan Potangaroa, Renata conducted the urgent drone scan of the Shot Tower, and she laments that the technology arrived too late to capture the built heritage destroyed by the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
“Digital data gives precise measurements – a millimetre-accurate record – that can be used to restore elements of dilapidated structures and ornamentation of irreplaceable heritage sites,” she says.
“Scanning also helps us take an active rather than reactive preservation approach, to closely monitor the rate of decay in or damage to a structure. And the data can be used to create digital models and virtual tours, allowing remote access to inaccessible and dangerous sites and parts of a building.”
There are other, less obvious, benefits. In the case of the former Carrington Hospital, where the Point Chevalier Social Enterprise Trust has argued Building One should be preserved as a community
space, the digital project “can help decisionmakers make informed decisions about that building’s future use,” says Renata.
As for St David’s, whose custodians and owners require funding for restoration, adaptive use and maintenance, the scanning project provides “powerful visuals that showcase the building’s beauty, intricate details and overarching vision to potential donors and government agencies that may be interested in supporting heritage preservation and adaptive reuse projects”.
pounamu: greenstone pouwhenua: carved wooden post, a marker of ownership or jurisdiction of an area
taonga: treasure
And there are smaller projects underway. At the Thames School of Mines (1886), for instance, a dozen artefacts donated to the school’s museum over the years have been digitised. Ranging from a five-centimetre-long pounamu adze to a two-metre-high pouwhenua, the 12 pieces were captured using photogrammetry, in which
overlapping images were stitched together to create high-fidelity digital models.
Kay Kendall, Property Lead for the Thames School of Mines, says the catalyst was a project conducted a couple of years ago by Auckland University of Technology post-grad Vanessa Cocal-Smith, who used photogrammetry to create 3D images of rare rocks and minerals held in the museum’s collection. The recent digitalisation will be used to engage and educate visitors, particularly young ones, says Kay.
“It provides a hook for that young generation and for people who want something more from a museum.”
In addition, creating digital twins enables the taonga to be more widely shared, which could help museum staff to flesh out the background of each piece. Rather than relying on standard photographs or removing the curated items themselves, “we can send out these top-quality images to help us build the stories of these pieces,” says Kay.
So many uses, so much potential. Renata says it’s time to step up digitising our heritage, and that the ultimate goal should be to digitally scan all of the properties cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga around the country and build a webbased geographic information system online platform. The first step will be to secure funding, then expand the pilot programme in Northland.
“The data can be used to create digital models and virtual tours, allowing remote access to inaccessible or dangerous sites or parts of a building”
“I’m talking about a high-level data platform that ensures seamless accessibility by stakeholders and users. It would enable heritage agencies to collect, preserve and share data, and it would increase awareness of and engagement with our heritage places and cultural heritage overall, including the intangible aspects,” she says.
“This could help shift that common perception I often encounter that ‘we’re a young country and we don’t really have heritage’. Well, we do have a rich heritage, and we have to tell those unique stories.
“We have everything we need. We’ve got the heritage professionals who know how to work with our beautiful existing built heritage, and the industry professionals who own the digital technology and the software to develop the raw data. Working together is what’s important.”
1. St David’s Memorial Church in Grafton, Auckland, is in the process of being digitally scanned by Unitech Institute of Technology’s Digital Heritage Research Centre. 2. The Category 1 Carrington Hospital (Former) has also been scanned by the centre. 3. Once in danger of demolition, St David’s is now owned by the Friends of St David’s Trust and houses Kāhui St David’s music and community centre. Imagery: Unitec Digital Heritage Research Centre
WORDS: JACQUI GIBSON
Ties that bind
Hawai‘i’s museum of natural and cultural heritage may be on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, but its connections to Aotearoa are strong
In 1936 Bishop Museum in Hawai‘i changed the career direction of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s brightest minds. Today, as a leading authority on Pacific heritage and culture, it continues to influence the country’s sharpest thinkers.
One of those thinkers is Ngāti Maniapoto textiles conservator Dr Rangituatahi (Rangi) Te Kanawa.
In July 2022 Rangi travelled to Bishop Museum to talk about her experience in treating an ‘ahu ‘ula (traditional Hawai‘ian feather cloak) and a mahiole (traditional Hawai‘ian helmet).
The artefacts were gifts from Hawai‘ian Chief Kalani‘ōpu‘u to Captain James Cook and had been in the collection at Te Papa Tongarewa since 1912.
Over 90 minutes Rangi described what was involved in readying the pieces for handover from Te Papa Tongarewa to Bishop Museum, a key step in a repatriation process that began in 2016.
“I’d never been to Hawai‘i before,” says Rangi, recently home from Cambridge and Durham Museums in the UK, where she treated several traditional kākahu in the museums’ collections.
“Presenting to an audience whose ancestors had made the garments we’d worked on was an incredible privilege. But it was also an opportunity to explore the wonderful Māori taonga within the Bishop Museum and read journal notes Te Rangi Hīroa had made decades before.”
New Zealander Te Rangi Hīroa (Sir Peter Buck) was appointed director of Bishop Museum in 1936, a post he held from his mid-fifties until his death in 1951 in his eighties.
Initially trained as a medical doctor, Te Rangi, of both Māori (Ngāti Mutunga) and Pākehā (Irish) descent, became interested in anthropology as a practising surgeon in his thirties.
While still new to the discipline, he carried out field work in New Zealand and the Cook Islands and was published in the Journal of the Polynesian Society. According to Te Ara, the online encyclopedia of New Zealand, he became “a celebrity on the lecture circuit”.
In 1926 he made the leap into full-time anthropology, taking up a five-year research fellowship offered by the then director of Bishop Museum, Professor Herbert Gregory.
“It’s now widely accepted that many of the twining and netting traditions of the Pacific predate the loom, and as such are some of the oldest weaving techniques ever developed”
kākahu: woven Māori cloaks
mātauranga: knowledge taonga: treasures
Travelling throughout the Pacific, Te Rangi continued his anthropological studies, becoming expert in the material culture of the Pacific, and eventually replacing Herbert as museum director.
In a 1949 radio interview, published online by Sound Archives, Ngā Taonga Kōrero, he said: “I started out to try to put on record the technique of the Māori arts and crafts. It was a field that had been neglected, [but] until you understand the details of the technique, you can’t compare the arts and crafts of one culture with another.”
Rangi Te Kanawa says it was fascinating reading his technical notes on traditional Māori weaving during her visit to Bishop Museum.
“I’ve spent my career learning as much as I can about those early technologies. My role nowadays is as much about gathering and passing on that mātauranga as it is about the actual practice of conservation itself.”
The detailed descriptions and line drawings by Te Rangi Hīroa provided insights into the unique qualities of Polynesian weaving, says Rangi.
“It’s now widely accepted that many of the twining and netting traditions of the Pacific predate the loom, and as such are some of the oldest weaving techniques ever developed,” she says.
Bishop Museum was founded in Honolulu in 1889 by American banker Charles Reed Bishop in honour of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the Hawai‘ian royal Kamehameha family.
Today it houses the world’s largest collection of Hawai‘ian and Pacific artefacts and is considered a global centre of Hawai‘ian and Pacific archaeological research.
Inside the museum’s Hawai‘ian Hall are exhibits of indigenous gods, legends and beliefs, and information about both pre-contact and contemporary Hawai‘i.
The Pacific Hall, meanwhile, focuses entirely on Oceania, taking visitors through the origins and migration story of Pacific peoples.
Where to go for culture and heritage in Honolulu
1. Bishop Museum
Visit Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum on Bernice Street. The museum holds more than 25 million natural and cultural artefacts that help to tell the story of the peoples of the Pacific. Go this summer to see an exhibition about the Hawai‘ian strategies used to assert authority in the early days of colonisation called Kū a Lanakila! Expressions of Sovereignty in Early-Territorial Hawai‘i, 1900-1920. Find out more at bishopmuseum.org
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum
2.
Check out Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Historic Ford Island for vintage aircraft and various heritage exhibitions and events. Go on 7 December for the Love of Country Gala, to be held in memory of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service, which led to the US formally entering World War II. Find out more at pearlharboraviationmuseum.org
1. Field notebook of canoe drawings by Te Rangi Hīroa, made on a trip to Sāmoa in 1927.
2. Tōtara wood tiki by master carver Pakariki Harrison, gifted to the museum in 1985.
Imagery: Bishop Museum
3. Bishop Museum exterior, Hawai‘i.
Image: Alamy
4. Hawai‘ian Hall display, Bishop Museum.
Image: Dreamstime
In 2023 Te Papa Tongarewa published a report by the Matada Research Group called Pride, belonging and identity: Exploring access to and consumption of museum content by Pacific Peoples.
It found Pacific people wanted better access to museum collections but faced barriers, including feeling unwelcome and underrepresented in museums, and were generally unaware of the range of Pacific taonga held in museum collections.
Overall, it recommended that work be done to bring museums and the Pacific community together.
Dr Safua Akeli Amaama, Head of History and Pacific Cultures at Te Papa Tongarewa, says a twoyear pilot, carried out in partnership with Bishop Museum, has taken steps in that direction.
Called Mapping the Sāmoa Collections, the pilot involved reviewing the Sāmoa collections at both museums, updating information and improving online access to the collection items.
Approximately 1500 items, including the ethnological book by Te Rangi Hīroa, Sāmoan Material Culture, based on his 1920s fieldwork, were included in the pilot project.
“Community workshops held in Sāmoa told us people were really pleased with and at times surprised by the range of items within the collections — from very old to‘i ma‘a or stone adzes to the precious ‘ie tōga or fibre cloth gifted to Prime Minister Helen Clark after her public apology to the people of Sāmoa in 2002,” says Safua.
Overall, the community was pleased its artefacts were housed safely and supported the museums’
3.
‘Iolani Palace
Located on the corner of King and Richard Streets in downtown Honolulu, ‘Iolani Palace is a National Historic Landmark built in 1882 as the official royal residence until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893. Sign up for the new 90-minute Kalākaua legacy tour to learn about the life and legacy of Hawai‘i’s last ruling king. Find out more at iolanipalace.org n
ongoing efforts to add indigenous references, terms and historical information to the collection data.
“The decolonising and indigenising museum work done by Te Papa is often a point of reference for our efforts,” says Healoha Johnston, Bishop Museum’s Director of Cultural Resources and Curator for Hawai‘i and Pacific Arts and Culture.
The joint project with the team at Te Papa Tongarewa is one example.
The new Te Rangi Hīroa Curators and Caretakers Fellowship, which aims to boost the number of professionals trained in indigenous frameworks and museum practice, is another.
This year, Bishop Museum also reissued Arts and Crafts of Hawaii by Te Rangi Hīroa to celebrate the late director’s lasting contribution to the study of Hawai‘ian material culture, says Healoha.
These projects and others are testament to the continued relevance of his work, she says, and help to maintain Bishop Museum’s all-important ties to New Zealand and the wider Pacific.
WORDS: ANNA KNOX
The Time Traveller’s Guide to Hamilton Gardens
Peter Sergel and Grant Sheenan
RRP $80 (Phantom House)
Hamilton Gardens, voted in the top 1 percent of tourist attractions globally on Tripadvisor, tells the story of human gardening histories throughout the world. A new book with text by the garden’s longtime director, Peter Sergel, and images by award-winning photographer Grant Sheehan (see ‘Picture this’, issue 174, Spring 2024), documents the extraordinary success of this living museum.
Organised into seven time periods, from ‘Gardens of the Ancient World’ to ‘Gardens of the New Age’, 30 existing and proposed gardens from these periods are represented, including Te Parapara Garden, the Japanese Garden of Contemplation (considered the best in the world outside Japan), the Mansfield Garden (the imaginary garden of the writer’s ‘The Garden Party’ brought to life), the Hamilton East Cemetery (a particularly good national example
of a mid-19th-century colonial cemetery) and the Surrealist Garden.
However, it’s the story of the community-funded transformation of a foulsmelling city rubbish dump into the international phenomenon the gardens are today that is the most interesting. Unfortunately, it’s also the most sparsely covered. Peter focuses instead on a punchline-filled account of human history for each period and the history of each type of garden, including colourful anecdotes such as ones about the man who lost his hairpiece, and the worker who got stuck in the mud and was extracted by a digger.
Peter writes in wonderfully easy prose, like he’s talking to you over a cup of tea and a biscuit – although his constant pop-culture references and groan-worthy asides (you can almost hear the drumroll and the cymbals clang) will appeal to some readers more than others.
One gets the sense, though, that this tone is somehow inseparable from Peter’s gardens project and his personality, and is perhaps an essential part of the answer to the question he faced in the early days as a director with zero funding and a grand
vision: “In a conservative, provincial and very riskaverse environment, how can we persuade people to accept and support something radically new and unfamiliar?”
The Invasion of Waikato / Te Riri ki Tainui
Vincent O’Malley RRP $39.99 (Bridget Williams Books)
At times, Dr Vincent O’Malley’s new book, The Invasion of Waikato / Te Riri ki Tainui reads like a piece of dark fiction. It’s 1863 and British Crown officials are trying to assert control in New Zealand and obtain new land. But they feel threatened by the recent rise of a new monarch in the Kīngitanga or Māori King Movement and invade the Kīngitanga lands with the intention of destroying the movement. A bloody and brutal battle ensues. The Crown imports thousands of imperial troops to take on the Māori, who are outnumbered four to one and encountering terrifying artillery, like gun boats, for the very first time. The Māori use a series of elaborate ground fortifications, or pā, and muskets as their main defences.
The book is far from fiction, of course; it’s an intricately detailed and sensitive account of a pivotal and often forgotten part of our history.
rangatira: tribal chiefs taonga puoro : traditional Māori musical instruments
Vincent’s rich research is accompanied by stunning photos, including portraits of rangatira and their families, as well as annotated maps and historical documents.
Crisp prose portrays the bravery and desperation of the Māori defenders: “As the British sap steadily crept between eight and 15 yards of the outer defences, it became just a matter of time before the pā’s walls were breached. Later in the morning, Carey ordered one of the Armstrong guns to be hauled into the sap to speed up the process.”
An earnest examination of how the invasion has been remembered and forgotten over time, and how we have struggled – or neglected – to commemorate such a terrible series of events appropriately, this book is an essential read.
Review by Julia Gabel
The Near West: A History of Grey Lynn, Arch Hill and Westmere
Tania Mace
RRP $70 (Massey University Press)
The Near West: A History of Grey Lynn, Arch Hill and Westmere is a story of people and buildings. I spent much of my twenties bouncing around drafty Grey Lynn villas all with the same layout: two rooms at the front with heavy sash windows, creaky but sturdy floorboards, and French doors at the back opening to a modest, green backyard. The houses we could afford to rent were filled with character but in desperate need of a lick of paint. Despite this, I knew very little of the history of Grey Lynn and its neighbours, Arch Hill and Westmere.
Other titles of interest
Grid: The Life and Times of First World War Fighter Ace Keith Caldwell
Adam Claasen
RRP $65 (Massey University Press)
Illustrated biography of Air Commodore
Keith ‘Grid’ Caldwell CBE, MC, DFC & Bar, Croix de Guerre, one of New Zealand’s greatest military heroes.
Edith Collier: Early New Zealand Modernist
Edited by Jill Trevelyan, Jennifer Taylor and Greg Donson
RRP $70 HB (Massey University Press)
Featuring over 150 artworks, examining the continuing impacts of Whanganuiborn and British-trained Edith Collier and her artistic legacy.
Echos from Hawaiki
Jennifer Cattermole
RRP $50 (Otago University Press)
The sturdy Victorian-style villa is the main character in Tania Mace’s extensive new book: a comprehensive and illustrated history of Auckland’s inner west. Beginning with a brief chapter on Tāmaki Makaurau’s origins, covering how Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei gifted a 3000-acre (1210-hectare) block of land to the Crown, which would later become the city of Auckland, Tania guides the reader deftly through the many guises the inner west has worn, from early residents (among them British, Māori, Pasifika and Chinese) striving to make lives for themselves, to Dame Whina Cooper’s purchase of 1 Cockburn Street in 1951 as she became a “guiding light” for Māori who were new to the city, and the formation of advocacy group the Polynesian Panthers, who found a home on Keppell Street.
Many of the crumbling villas that once housed working-class immigrants and bohemian creatives like Theo Schoon (a flamboyant artist known for Javanese dancing and an obsession with Māori gourds) now gleam with fresh coats of white paint and sell at auction for millions.
Divided into 10 chapters that could be read as a series of short stories, the book is rich with archival photography. For anyone interested in local New Zealand histories, it’s a highly satisfying read.
Review by Julia Gabel
BOOK GIVEAWAY
We have one copy of The Invasion of Waikato / Te Riri ki Tainui to give away. To enter the draw, send your name and address on the back of an envelope to Book Giveaways, Heritage New Zealand, PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140, before 31 December 2024. The winner of last issue’s book giveaway (A Different Light: First Photographs of Aotearoa) was John McTavish of Tauranga.
Comprehensive illustrated account of taonga puoro ancestral musical traditions and instrument-playing techniques.
Becoming Tangata Tiriti: Working with Māori, Honouring the Treaty
Avril Bell
RRP $29.99 (Auckland University Press)
Stories from 12 non-Māori professionals, activists and everyday individuals who have attempted to bring te Tiriti to life in their work.
Leslie Adkin: Farmer Photographer
Athol McCredie
RRP $70 (Te Papa Press)
A superb selection of the work of one of New Zealand’s finest early photographers.
The Welcome of Strangers: A History of
Southern Māori
Atholl Anderson
RRP $59.99 (Bridget Williams Books with Ngāi Tahu Archive)
Richly illustrated exploration of the distinct lifestyles and histories of the southern Māori communities of New Zealand from a leading Ngāi Tahu archaeologist. n
My heritage place
For author, photographer and wild horse tamer Kelly Wilson, the Kaimanawa Ranges on the North Island’s Central Plateau are like nowhere else on Earth
Ifirst visited the Kaimanawa Ranges in 2012 when I learned about the urgent need to rehome some of the Kaimanawa horses who roam within the bounds of the Waiouru Military Camp. The combination of the military heritage, the wild herd and the landscape had an instant impact on me. I remember being just as fascinated with photographing the horses as I was with the bullet shell casings on the ground, and the other army features that were in the terrain.
Because of the military camp, the area is closed to the public, so it’s a privilege to be granted access. I’ve been back many times in the past decade, photographing the annual musters and attending several of the bus and photography trips run by Kaimanawa Heritage Horses.
In 2020 I also spent five days photographing the herd for my book, Wild Horses of the World. I continue to be amazed
AS TOLD TO ANNA DUNLOP
by the environment, flora and fauna, particularly the tussock high country and huge jagged cliffs that come to a head at the Moawhango River. It’s a phenomenal landscape unique to New Zealand. I’ve done a lot of travelling around the world and the Kaimanawa Ranges are, by far, my favourite place on Earth.
Recently I’ve been collecting data and documenting the herd for The Wild Kaimanawa Field Guide and the Wild Kaimanawa Database, which I do pro bono for the Kaimanawa Legacy Foundation. This has involved recording when horses are born, as well as their lineages. My colleagues and I have gone back through a decade of archive photos from the army and other photographers, and from that we’ve been able to determine, for example, the sires and dams of hundreds of horses.
The Kaimanawa horses are very well regarded by the army; they view them as part of the appeal of the landscape. In the regions where the army trains, the horses have been habituated to vehicles and humans. I have seen soldiers in formation walking down the road, and tanks rolling through, and horses close by just continuing to graze. In other areas of the mountains – the live firing zones where the army has no access – there are around 150 horses and they are much wilder.
During my career I’ve spent time living among wild horses in Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand, and it’s shown me that the Kaimanawa horses live in paradise. They have easy access to food and water, have no predators, and are protected from people, meaning they’re not hassled by the public, which is very rare. They are some of the luckiest horses in the world.
IMAGERY: MONA DE VILLIERS, KELLY WILSON, JAN MAREE
Your itinerary to history where it happened
