A small group of iwi kaitiaki (guardians) gathered in Matangireia in May to attend a special handson wānanga (learning session). This room has an important place in our history as the first Māori Affairs Committee Room at OpenedParliament.100 years ago, Matangireia is a modest sized meeting room which, for many years, offered a dedicated space for the Native Affairs Committee, which originally included all Māori Members of TheParliament.purpose of this wānanga is for kaitiaki to re-engage with their ancestral taonga through the conservation process. Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga specialists are supporting them to learn technical conservation care techniques and the repair and maintenance of taonga using traditional materials. Amongst the kaitiaki group are traditional arts exponent Wharehuia Te Tokoihi and architectural graduate Matangireia Yates-Francis. Wharehuia describes the feeling of stepping into this unique space. “Entering Matangireia for me felt like home in the middle of a foreign building. Built almost 100 years ago I’m in awe of what our hautupua were able achieve
Conservation of a unique national taonga
WORDS: Niki Partsch IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
1Heritage QuarterlyKŌANGA • SPRING 2022 KŌANGA • SPRING 2022
A sneak peek into the Matangireia conservation project led by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga staff.
WELLINGTON
Jasmine Hemi cradles baby Kahurangi while mum Rebecca Kiddle records every stitch and any fraying, loose stitches or damage.
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1 WELLINGTON Conservation of a unique national taonga 3 EDITORIAL Where is heritage in the resource management reforms? 5 DUNEDIN Archaeology oral history interview project off to a good start 6 COROMANDEL The reawakening of an art form 8 NORTHLAND Archaeological survey confirms significance of valley 10 TARANAKI Taranaki is set to celebrate its inaugural heritage month 12 FEATURE INTERVIEW Conservation Architect and Built Heritage Advisor Boris Bogdanovic 14 WELLINGTON On the trail of rails - a special heritage feature in Wellington's hills 16 KERIKERI Rather old fruit... 17 BAY OF ISLANDS Excavation to retrieve kōiwi in response to climate change 18 TOHU WHENUA Putting visitors in the picture 20 NORTHLAND Drone used to record heritage mill and shipyard 21 CANTERBURY Canterbury A&P Show stall will highlight Māori rock art 22 WELLINGTON Become part of the ongoing story of Antrim House Showing every stitch
Jasmine says, “It has been a rewarding experience working alongside the kaitiaki of this project. What I have enjoyed the most is knowing that the mahi and wānanga we are doing not only supports Matangireia, but also gives kaitiaki an opportunity to take home what they have learned, share it amongst whanau and potentially apply it to their marae.”
While inspecting the frayed fibres Jim Schuster, Pouārahi Traditional Arts, explains the options and techniques for the process to come. Jasmine Hemi, Pouārahi Tautiaki Taonga, then guides kaitiaki in the delicate application of specialist products to the weakened or broken strands of the old kiekie using fine Jimbrushes.softens some loose fibres on the frame using a cloth dampened with water to make them pliable enough to be pulled tight and refastened. Stubborn dirt and dust are removed from whakairo using special cotton buds and cleaning liquid. The kaitiaki are positive about their experience. Matangireia says, “I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to sit and learn from some of our leaders in the space of conservation. To also be doing this work within Matangireia was special as well, where the carvings and weaving within the space were done by some of my ancestors from TeStillArawa.”photographs using a camera on a tripod were taken to add to the record of the condition of the panels at this time. and any
Following further wānanga and the completion of the conservation work, Matangireia will reopen for its centenary on 23 August 2022, followed by a reopening ceremony in September 2022.
With guidance from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga staff, including project lead Tautiaki Taonga Ellen Andersen, and Deputy Chief Executive Kaihautū Dean Whiting, the kaitaiki begin with a conservation audit which includes mapping every stitch in each of the tukutuku panels in the room. The plans are drawn up on quad paper and pinpoint any damage or marks. Soft bristled brushes and small vacuum cleaners are used to remove the fine white dust from the tukutuku panels and whakairo (carvings).
This issue Heritage Quarterly is printed with mineral oil-free, soy-based vegetable inks on Sumo paper. This paper is Forestry Stew ardship Council® (FSC®) certified, manufactured from pulp from responsible sources under the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. Please recycle. heritagenewzealandheritage_nz Editor: Adrienne Hannan Designer: Michael Steele Published by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Heritage Quarterly keeps you up-to-date with heritage news from around New CopyrightZealand.©Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. All images credit Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga unless otherwise stated. For more information or to subscribe, write to PO Box 2629, Wellington 6140 or contact the editor, phone: 04 470 8066 or email: ahannan@heritage.org.nz ISSN 2324-4267 (Print) ISSN 2324-4275 (Online). Members of Heritage New Zealand can visit its properties for free, visit visitheritage.co.nz. @heritagenz in a time where everything Māori was being stripped away from us. Toi Māori –traditional Māori art forms – were on the edge of being lost forever. Our rangatira of the time managed to establish this room adorned with Toi Māori in the heart of Parliament. That's a reminder to all of us that no matter the challenges we encounter in life, if the ‘why’ is strong enough and you believe you can, you one hundred percent can.”
frays, loose stitches, or damage.
WORDS: Andrew Coleman IMAGES: Marcel Tromp
It is disappointing, however, that despite best efforts, the narrative does not overtly or obviously include heritage conservation and protection, or the protection of Māori heritage and mātauranga Māori.
It is sounding almost as if the resource management reform process is premised on an oversimplified approach to heritage which risks devolving into an unhelpful ‘us or them’ construct. Many heritage-interested New Zealanders are imploring the reform process to grow its narratives, including ourselves.
A 2022 Research New Zealand survey found 88% of New Zealanders share an interest in the protection of New Zealand’s historic places and buildings. The same survey highlighted that Melanesian Mission, built 1859, now home to a popular café, restaurant and functions space in Auckland’s Mission Bay.
Indeed, it seems the reforms are intent on keeping quiet on heritage. This appears to be from a presumption that heritage impedes what is regarded to be ‘good’.
EDITORIAL
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Where is heritage in the resource management reforms? Is heritage forgotten in resource management reforms, or is it being seen as too hard to balance alongside other competing priorities?
he term ‘resource management reform’ is very topical. It is often surrounded by statements such as, ‘positive natural and built environment protection,’ ‘climate change management,’ ‘sustainability, housing and urban development,’ all which are often referred to as the objectives of the reforms by politicians, local government representatives, ministries and sectors who support these.
To what? Heritage and environmental protection; heritage and climate change management; heritage and sustainability; heritage and housing and urban development. These are all realistic narratives and history tells us that they are achievable and beneficial, including for the stated outcomes of the resource management reforms.
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Three key pieces of legislation are proposed as part of the reforms – the Natural Built Environments Act, the Strategic Planning Act and the Climate Change Adaption Act.
So, what do the ‘resource management reforms’ mean for heritage?
There is clear evidence showing that the vast majority of us have an interest in the ongoing protection of our historic places and buildings; New Zealanders whose voices can add strength to our own at this important time. Once heritage is lost, it is lost Readforever.everystory and article in this Heritage Quarterly edition and whilst doing so reflect on heritage and the matters that the reforms seek to address. They benefit from each other. n Melanesian Mission showing contemporary additions giving the heritage building new life as a café and restaurant.
KŌANGA • SPRING 20224 Heritage Quarterly only 4% were disinterested. This is a compelling statistic, but sadly one that still does not appear to be surfacing in the national resource management kōrero.
a proposed Climate Change Adaptation Act is designed to support Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to the effects of climate change. It will address the complex legal and technical issues associated with managed retreat and funding and financing adaptation. Heritage resides at the heart of these issues, and can help communities cope with adaptation, but we cannot be confident that the role of heritage is recognised here if this must be anchored in the other Acts.
Heritage is not a competing or contradictory concept. Certainly not when one reviews the objectives of the resource management reforms. Heritage is part of the environment, the purpose of its protection is always for present and future generations, and it is full of stories that promote the best things New Zealand has to offer. Heritage teaches us how to stand the test of time and the impacts of climate and environmental changes, and its protected artefacts (land and places) provide intergenerational well-being.
In reference to the use, development and protection of resources, the built environment – where heritage is mostly perceived to be – is effectively left off.
The proposed Natural and Built Environments Act is intended to be the primary piece of legislation to replace the Resource Management Act. As an integrated statute for land use and environmental protection, it will work in tandem with the proposed Strategic Planning Act. Reform narratives state that the Act will set out how the environment will be protected and enhanced in the future system, ensuring people and communities use the environment in a way that not only supports their wellbeing, but also allows future generations the same opportunity. This is proposed to be achieved by ensuring that the use, development, and protection of resources only occur within prescribed environmental limits.
The proposed Strategic Planning Act provides a strategic and long-term approach to how we plan for using land and the coastal marine area. It is intended that spatial strategies in each region will identify areas that are suitable for development, need to be protected or improved, need new infrastructure, have other social needs such as hospitals and schools, and are vulnerable to climate change effects and natural hazards such as earthquakes. These regional strategies are cited as enabling more efficient land and development markets to improve housing supply, affordability and choice, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, but the silence on heritage is Additionally,deafening.
Māori is encouraging, but a seriously good opportunity is missed if it is not nested well alongside the rest of this country’s extraordinary cultural heritage. Assumption risks making fools of all involved so why is the legislation seemingly silent on the topic of heritage, when it should anchor the reform? After all, heritage conservation is the original means of producing positive outcomes for the natural and built environment as it is used, adapted and developed.
Of interest are references to improving recognition of te ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi which suggest the inclusion of ‘te oranga o te taiao’ in the Act’s purpose; a concept of encapsulating the intergenerational importance of the health and well-being of the natural environment. This is exciting as it suggests the Act responds to Māori as Treaty partners, and the Treaty is, of course, an integral part of our heritage.
But we can all read such ideas and miss Andrew Coleman Chief Executive a critical point here that may prove that the ‘us or them’ approach is real and intended. While there is a willingness to speak about environmental limits and to create an understanding of the wellbeing of te taiao/the natural environment, nothing is offered in respect of heritage parameters or ngā taonga tuku iho/ treasures handed down by our ancestors.
An ‘and’ focus, rather than an ‘or’ focus, goes much further in achieving what is being sought through the resource management reforms, and will ensure that heritage is not overlooked.
While we are actively participating in the formal mechanisms of the reform process, it seems to us that heritage interests would also benefit from New Zealanders standing up and taking an urgent stance to influence the process and outcomes sought by the reforms.
Indeed, where is heritage in all this reform? The inclusion of mātauranga
WORDS: Adrienne Hannan IMAGES: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga me in a sense trivial. I realised afterwards it was quite revealing,” says Jill. “I found I was having to think about things in a different Katharineway.”Watson, former president of the NZAA and a member of the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Board, is supportive of the project. “This is an exciting opportunity to capture the life story of someone who’s been a key figure in the development of archaeological consultancy in Aotearoa New Zealand, and we’re looking forward to expanding this project to include other prominent archaeologists. Reading the transcript of Jill’s interview was an absolute delight – she was so generous in the information she shared, and the stories are fascinating.” The hope is that, with time allowing, the project will continue with further oral history interviews with New Zealand archaeologists. “We have a lengthy list of people we would like to interview, but at the moment we will take it one step at a time,” says Rosemary.
In the meantime, Jill’s interview is archived in the Hocken Library, and is available for the public to listen to, with a transcript available to read. n “I always enjoy the personal perspective and the chance to record a full life history."
Archaeology oral history interview project off to a good start
And as for Jill, she found the experience interesting: “Though it initially seemed to
R osemary, who has a doctorate in oral history, became fascinated with Aotearoa New Zealand’s archaeology scene through the creation of the Aotearoa Unearthed podcast. “I love interviewing Aotearoa’s archaeologists about their diverse and fascinating work, and this project has grown out of the podcast,” she says. As part of her partnership with the NZAA (New Zealand Archaeological Association) Rosemary found there were almost no oral histories of the founders of the modern archaeology profession in New Zealand.
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Rosemary interviewed Dr Jill Hamel in Dunedin in early 2022. Jill was the first contract archaeologist in Otago and has an incredibly deep knowledge of the region’s landscape and archaeology. “Jill was an amazing interviewee – so honest and reflective, with a dry sense of humour,” Rosemary says. “Over several sessions we had the time to capture her memories of archaeology, as well as other topics: her rural childhood, experiences as a student at Otago university, her interest in ornithology and environmental activism work.”
Dr Jill Hamel Outreach Advisor, Rosemary Baird, is collaborating with the New Zealand Archaeological Association to begin recording and archiving oral histories with some of New Zealand’s most esteemed archaeologists.
DUNEDIN
“I always enjoy the personal perspective and the chance to record a full life history. When the NZAA and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga supported me to conduct an oral history with Dr Jill Hamel, I jumped at the chance.”
For the duration of the second wānanga the weather was calm, and the sun mostly shone for the participants as they focused on their work and deepened their knowledge of mahi kōwhatu.
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T he tapping sound of rock against rock filled the river valleys of the Moehau Range, in the northern end of the Coromandel Peninsula, for hundreds of years, but for the last century and a half, they have lain in relative silence. Recently, a series of four hands-on wānanga (learning sessions) run by Pare Hauraki, a grouping of the 12 iwi of Hauraki, brought the distinctive sounds of mahi kōwhatu (stonework) back to Moehau. These wānanga are about reawakening the art of mahi kōwhatu and enhancing the understanding of mātauranga Māori through introducing participants to pakiwaitara (legends and folklore), pūrākau (traditional knowledge stories), whakapapa (genealogy) and karakia (incantations) alongside the practical work. They also bring knowledge of
WORDS: Niki Partsch Moehau, the eponymous ancestor of all the wānanga participants, and of Poutini, who is an ancient legendary figure connected with the area through the highquality stone there.
Opening Karakia. Left to Right: Travis Tupaea, Rikki Nganame, Hemi Mason Kara, Mako Hikitapua, Frank Waitai, Mita Hamaka Hoera O'Brien, Bridgette Keil, Raikawhakarongotai Jade Bradshaw-Stevens, Layton Robertson (kaiako) Opening karakia.
Left to Right: Travis Tupaea, Rikki Nganame, Hemi Mason Kara, Mako Hikitapua, Frank Waitai, Mita Hamaka Hoera O'Brien, Bridgette Keil, Raikawhakarongotai Jade Bradshaw-Stevens and Layton Robertson (kaiako)
"It was amazing to engage with the mahi (work) of our tupuna and know that we were doing the same mahi they engaged in hundreds of years ago," recalls Travis Tupaea, Project Manager.
Credit: Jamie Watson
The process of making a toki (axe) begins with breaking and then flaking Hine Kara (basalt) into shape by removing shards to shape the outline of the adze. This is done using a paritauira, which is a hard quartz hammer stone. The next shaping stage is the continuous pecking of rock on rock to reduce any high points. Sandstone and grit are used for finishing/polishing.
Participants learned about kaitiakitanga (guardianship) of the knowledge and processes used to create traditional kōwhatu implements. Their stops included the Ongohi river where they learned how to listen to the language of the river. Later, with the soothing sounds of rocks tumbling against each other on the riverbed, participants carefully selected stone to work with over the next few months.
The reawakening of an art form Funding from the Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme has provided support for Pare Hauraki to work with prized kōwhatu (stone), enhancing the connection between people and place.
In February, a field trip to various culturally significant sites around Moehau began the first four-day wānanga.
Funding for the wānanga came from the Government’s Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme, which funds initiatives to safeguard at-risk mātauranga from the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
Credit: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
The intergenerational knowledge gained from these wānanga have brought back the sounds of mahi kōwhatu, of laughter from kindred spirits working side by side, of the power and presence of karakia and the indulgence of hearing ancient pūrākau recited by expert orators.
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has received a portion of this funding ($2 million) for a work programme to support the revitalisation of vulnerable mātauranga Māori.
Tauira sanding their toki using sand and water. Credit: Jamie Watson
Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation also supported the project by providing a venue at Moehau for the wānanga. All registered participants were descendants of Pare Hauraki.
An exciting backdrop for the children as they listened to pūrākau about Poutama and Maunga Moehau. Then as heavy rain poured down around them, they heard about the history of mahi kōwhatu, and then, as the last speaker finished, the skies cleared. Over the next few days, the core group continued with their mahi and also began teaching discussions at six workstations. The schoolchildren were invited to follow their interests. “All the kids engaged well by following their own curiosity,” said Jamie. “This was learning outside the classroom in a Māori-led environment, so they were free to move around, or stay as long as they wanted to.” The children immediately spread out, with some moving around often and others staying put when they became intrigued with Theysomething.learnt drilling and flaking and even made sinker stones from Paretauira (granite) for the woven fishing net.
Their rhythmic tapping again filled the valley with sounds long dormant in this area. Through time the whakapapa and stories of mahi kōwhatu had also become dormant. Some mātauranga has been lost and some important sites forgotten. However, in recent times the combination of recorded story, oral histories and archaeology have combined to identify some of these culturally significant sites. This shared experience of working with stone has led the participants to understanding deeper meanings behind pūrākau. Wānanga Project Leader, Jamie Watson, says, “losing this knowledge led to losing our identity, so being descendants of Moehau is important for the mauri [life force] of the people and the Theplace.”thirdwānanga included refining and finishing work on the stone tools. According to Jamie participants were “so engaged with their mahi that some were rising before dawn to start and others working past midnight.” During this wānanga they went into the bush to select and harvest a single Tānikaha tree (Celery Pine) to make handles for the toki they were making. “The whakapapa of the tree is important, as is reviving our relationship and responsibility to the ngahere (bush).” says Jamie. It took them almost two hours to find a tree that would provide the eight toki handles required. After karakia, the group took turns using a toki pounamu (greenstone axe) to fell the small tree. Says Jamie, “This was a really powerful wānanga and the group were moved through reconnecting with the ngahere in this way.” All of the tree will be used except for the small branches. Wood not used for handles will go to carvers. For the final wānanga the participants became the teachers as the core adult group was joined by two groups of school students. Twenty taiohi (youth) from Te Kura o Te Kauaeranga Thames South School joined them and camped there for two nights. The second group of 40 senior Māori students from Te Kura a Rohe O Waiau Coromandel Area School came for the workshop day. There was a big thunderstorm brewing as the children came into the shed for the hui whakatau (greeting gathering). Thunder boomed and vibrated across the valley and lightning brought crackles of light and energy to the dark sky. Jamie described the situation, “it was theatrical, with adze in hand and everyone else seated on buckets and blocks of wood inside.”
KŌANGA • SPRING 2022 7Heritage Quarterly COROMANDEL
Project lead Jamie Watson says that “overall the wānanga have strengthened iwi connections.” Participants are enthusiastic about continuing their work and about new learning, with some immediately signing up after the wānanga for Māori language courses. n Roimata Taimana guides children with drilling skills at workstation.
I n April 1793 two young rangatira – Tuki and Huru – were kidnapped by British sailors and taken from Northland on board the HMS Daedaus to Norfolk Island where, so the plan went, they would teach convicts to work flax.
As young rangatira, however, the two knew nothing about working flax, and it wasn’t long before Captain Philip Gidley King, Governor of New South Wales, realised that an embarrassing blunder had been made. The pair were returned to Northland in November that same year – but not without first talking to Governor King about their homeland, and even drawing a map identifying places of significance to them.
One such place was a valley recorded as ‘Ho-do-do’ where, up to ‘2,000 fighting men’ resided.
“The ‘Ho-do-do’ area noted on Tuki’s map was in fact Ōruru Valley just north of Taipa – and it’s no surprise that this area would feature so largely in Tuki’s world view,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Manager Bill Edwards.
“The valley contained at least 70 pā sites in close proximity to each other, and the area was famed for its huge food Todayproduction.”thevalley looks much like any other rural New Zealand landscape with a mixture of conventional farming activities peppered with pockets of native bush. With a little help from technology however – and good old-fashioned archaeological research – the history of Ōruru Valley is increasingly being “Northlandrevealed.
A project to map the extensive archaeological features of a valley near Doubtless Bay in Northland is revealing the full extent of a network of settlements that once formed a significant population and economic base.
Credit: Ariana Williams, Peria School
archaeologist Leigh Johnson recorded many of the pā sites in the valley
WORDS: John O’Hare Peria School kids out in force exploring amazing heritage in their own backyard.
Archaeological survey confirms significance of valley
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Waikainga pā is a magical place according to Ariana – peaceful with a very special “Thewairua.students were really intrigued by the pā, the old relics, the kūmara pits and remnants of history. They were also really respectful of the site and our guides from Kauhanga Marae, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Alan Garton as they shared stories about significant aspects of the pā.”
“Life can make us disconnected from the whenua, the people and the places, however having experiences like this and learning about the special archaeology
Recently, pupils of nearby Peria School joined Bill, James and Makere Rika-Heke of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, together with Selwyn Reihana of Te Paatu ki Kauhanga Trust, on a voyage of discovery to unlock the secrets of the pā site located on the Garton whānau farm.
A LiDAR image of Waikainga Pā.
Credit: Simon Bickler
According to Peria School Principal, Ariana Williams, the field trip was part of a larger journey the school is undertaking to discover the pūrākau/stories that make Ōruru and Peria so special.
NORTHLAND
The project to survey the archaeological features in the valley, and to share this information with stakeholders and the wider public, is ongoing. n
"It was said that Ōruru Valley was so intensively settled that messages could be communicated by voice from pā to pā."
“Simon Bickler of Bickler Consultants Ltd has processed the data using an archaeologist’s eye and the result is amazing as we are able to look through the vegetation to see the archaeological features,” says Bill.
“John had told us about the pā site on his land which he had carefully fenced off on his own initiative to ensure livestock wouldn’t cause any damage to the site. He worked with us to measure and accurately survey the Waikainga pā on his land before he passed away a few years ago,” says Bill.
“The site was in extremely good condition – and was probably typical of the 70 or so pā sites that reached up the valley. It was said that Ōruru Valley was so intensively settled that messages could be communicated by voice from pā to pā.”
“The story of the name Ōruru speaks to the significance of the many pā sites in the valley. The local history of this area is significant to our students, our school and staff because it is what makes us unique and defines who we are. If we know where we are from, we know where we are going,” she says.
and heritage of the whenua around us, the students get to see that we have a rich and interesting story to tell. The stories we read are always about somewhere far away – but we have our own stories and uniqueness right here in our backyard.”
Both Bill and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Archaeologist Dr James Robinson had first-hand experience of the extent of the archaeological taonga some years ago when they were asked to record a pā site on private land belonging to retired farmer John Garton, who was also on the Heritage Northland Inc. committee.
KŌANGA • SPRING 2022 9Heritage Quarterly some years ago, and recently LiDAR scans of the valley have been completed by Northland Regional Council.
“The images and maps have confirmed our understanding of the full extent of settlement in the Ōruru Valley and the archaeological significance of this place.”
A survey map of Waikainga Pā recording its key archaeological Credit:features.Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Waikainga(004/1074)Pā
The field trip is part of a commitment by the school to live out its values of kaitiakitanga/guardianship, manaakitanga/ hospitality and courageousnesswhakamanawanui/throughexploration of the local curriculum, according to Ariana.
TARANAKI
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E ngagement with iwi and hapū as well as the wider community, including museums, historical societies and other community groups, have formed the basis of planning considerations for the month, according to organiser Rob Green. Rob says they “are focused on developing a better understanding of our rich and shared past, which is reflected in a programme that will honour and build a greater awareness of the region’s collective heritage.”
“Heritage is a vital component of our unique and regional identity, capturing what we value from the past and promoting that into the present and our future. Heritage forms the fabric of how we can understand one another within our communities. Importantly, heritage is being continually redefined and iterated,” says HeritageRob.Month will commence on 1 October 2022, with a pōwhiri at Puke Ariki in central New Plymouth.
Aotea Waka Memorial at Patea.
“Other cultures, Chinese, Swiss and Polish, have had their narratives woven into the tapestry of Taranaki history. We will hear from them the stories they wish to share of their heritage.”
A Heritage Month planned in 2021, but cancelled due to Covid, is all on for October 2022 when Heritage Taranaki will bring forth a month-long varied programme of heritage events and activities steered toward the reflection and facilitation of community understanding of the province’s complex and interesting past.
Taranaki is set to celebrate its inaugural heritage month
WORDS: David Watt IMAGES: Ron Lambert
Whanganui’s Heritage Month this year is also being held over 8-30 October, with over 35 events. Their Heritage Month line-up includes Whanganui’s first heritage parade with horse-drawn carriages, cycles and vintage cars.
Former long-serving South Taranaki Mayor, Ross Dunlop, will host a wool bales stencils exhibition in the woolshed at his Hawera farm showing people the history of wool bale markings from the early days of large sheep stations and the wool export market. This exhibition has been developed by the Massey University School of Design led by Dr Annette O’Sullivan, who undertook the research, design and photography for the project.
The Whanganui programmme is available to view www.whanganuiheritagetrust.org.nzat:
For full details on Taranaki’s Heritage Month, go to www.heritagetaranaki.com n
View from Memorial to Te Rangi Hiroa (Sir Peter Buck) Okoki Pā Urenui.
Other places to visit will be Owae to Pukerangiora, a mystery bus tour, the historic streets in Hawera and a trip to HeritagePatea.
also includes engagements with all Taranaki Museums: Puke Ariki, Aotea Utanganui (Museum of South Taranaki), and Nigel Ogle’s renowned Tawhiti Museum, along with historical societies and other organisations across the province. Several field trips are planned in North and South Taranaki, led by local archaeologist and historian Ivan Bruce, and historian Ron Lambert.
The Gables, Brooklands, New Plymouth, one of four colonial hospitals commissioned by Governor Grey.
Month will end on 5 November. Heritage Taranaki hopes that at its conclusion people will feel that they have a better grasp on local heritage and a thirst for more. “Our aspiration is that Taranaki Heritage Month becomes an annual fixture for our province,” says Rob.
A new mural will be unveiled on the wall of Puke Ariki followed by shared kai. Buses will then provide transportation to New Plymouth Airport where they will learn about Ngā Hinga Whakairo –the beautiful artwork embedded within the interior architecture of this awardwinning terminal.
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On 6 October a panel discussion, which includes Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Chief Executive Andrew Coleman, will focus on the broader definition of heritage; what it is, who has ownership of it, the consequences of decisions made, who do we entrust to make these decisions, and how do those decisions resonate from our past into our present? The discussion will invite audience Robparticipation.Greenemphasises that the stories we tell ourselves of our heritage will naturally be different according to our own perspective; our ‘lens’. “We need to challenge ourselves to better understand how our identity is reflected and reinforced through monuments and heritage chosen to be honoured and Heritagecelebrated.”Month
Recently joining the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga northern office in April 2022, Boris brings a wealth of international experience to the team, including conflict zones in Afghanistan and urban regeneration projects in Jordan. Antony Phillips IMAGES: Boris Bogdanovic
Conservation Architect and Built Heritage Advisor Boris Bogdanovic
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ARTICLEFEATURE
What does your job at Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga entail?
I am a Conservation Advisor, and my job is to give advice to historic building owners on best practice approaches to the conservation of their heritage place. They can be people who own, manage, or look after historic buildings – from humble houses to grand museums. I coordinate my advice with colleagues in Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and use it to support Councils in their decisionmaking. My wonderful colleague, Robin Byron, Senior Conservation Architect and I make up the built heritage advisory team for the Northern Region. Tell me about your background before coming to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Before coming to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga I was working for the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2006. Turquoise Mountain is an NGO focused on cultural heritage. I lived and worked with local communities affected by conflict in Afghanistan and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Prior to this I was in the United Kingdom working as an Architectural Designer and Conservation Advisor. I was born in Croatia, but my family is from Bosnia and Herzegovina. I still have a strong connection to my Serbo-Croatian heritage. My family and I are also proud New Zealanders, emigrating to Aotearoa in the early 1990s. I grew up in Tāmaki Makaurau and started my architectural studies at the University of Auckland.
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I have loved history since childhood; my family are great story-tellers and both grandfathers were history buffs, sharing tales of the past and encouraging my interest. Then I discovered ‘art history’ in high school and was even more delighted to find that architectural history was part of the course. The art helped me visualise the past and the architecture showed me how people lived all those years ago. I was hooked, and still feel that same passion to this day.
I am most proud of the work I was involved with in Afghanistan. There I got to apply my professional skills and personal passion to help a local community repair their historic neighbourhood in the heart of Kabul. We built a primary school, added a new X-Ray room to a community clinic, and reconstructed multiple houses, all the while using and reviving traditional buildings skills. I saw my work creating benefit for people – it was an amazing feeling. What do you like to do to unwind away from work?
What sparked your interest in heritage?
Boris giving a tour at the 2nd century AD Roman Theatre at Umm Qais. Boris at Umm Qais (Ancient Gadara) with the Sea of Galilee behind.
Do you have a particular heritage place that is special to you? In New Zealand, I love Maungakiekie One Tree Hill. It is my favorite place in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. My family has always lived in its vicinity and I feel it is my maunga. As a landscape it has revealed itself as I developed professionally. I now see it as one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most important archaeological sites with significant layers of archaeology, recent history and memory. Overseas – Istanbul is incredibly special to me, again for those strata of the past and happy personal memories. Both places are ‘palimpsests’ – a word I overuse but reflects why I love them. What are some special heritage projects you have worked on that you are most proud of?
I am freshly returned to Aotearoa after many years away so one of the best ways to unwind is catching up with my familywalking in nature with my sister, learning traditional recipes from our culture with mum, and helping dad with his beehives. I am happy when I am drawing, and I have started planning my first graphic novel. Why should people care about heritage? The act of caring for heritage is something our ancestors have done forever – it is part of what makes us human. Heritage is our physical memory – whether good or bad. It is something we share, and it is all around us. Whether it’s an ancient city, a historic house, a traditional song, or grandma’s rolling-pin handed down, heritage can unite, inspire and restore faith in ourselves and our society. Trust me – I’ve seen it. n
"We built a primary school, added a new X-Ray room to a community clinic, and reconstructed multiple houses, all the while using and reviving traditional buildings skills. I saw my work creating benefit for people –it was an amazing feeling."
Boris with colleagues in Kabul.
On the trail of rails – a heritagespecialfeature in Wellington's hills
Thirty thousand walkers, runners and mountain bike riders use the route each Theyear.railway route was enabled by Julius Vogel’s Railways Act of 1870 and the line opened in October 1878. The route between the two purpose-built railway settlements at the Summit and at Cross Creek stations has a gradient which is particularly steep for any railway in the world, averaging 1 in 15.
There have been many stories told about hair-raising times coping with extreme weather conditions as the staff assisted to get their passengers safely to their destinations. In 1880, an accident occurred at Horseshoe Bend where carriages were blown off the rails with the loss of life prompting improvements in the arrangement of the Fell engines and the erection of Petrol-drivenwindbreaks.TinHarerailcars were put into service in the 1930s. They were designed to be fast on the flat and capable of managing the steep incline better than trains. The route of the Remutaka Incline was expensive to run and maintain and was replaced in 1955 by a more direct rail tunnel to the Wairarapa. Houses and other buildings at the Summit and at Cross Creek stations were auctioned off, relocated, or demolished after 1955, leaving few remnants of communities that once lived at those posts for nearly 90 Afteryears.the Incline ceased to be used for railway purposes, railway land from Kaitoke to the Summit Tunnel was vested
S ubject to the vagaries of high winds and rain, forest fires, and generally bleak conditions, it was a journey unlike anything endured today. The Remutaka rail route, as it became known, was a government-owned railway to all points north of Wellington through the Wairarapa. It was seen as of great importance in the nation’s development; a view reinforced by many visiting royalty, who were taken over the route, including HRH The Prince of Wales in 1921, the Duke and Duchess of York in 1927; the Duke of Gloucester in 1935 and Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip when they visited on their first royal tour of New Zealand in Roll1954.on to today, and with the train line now underground, the Remutaka Rail Trail is a magnificent recreational challenge and a place of exploration and relaxation away from the hussle-and-bussle of life in the city. It runs between Maymorn in Upper Hutt and Cross Creek in the Wairarapa, and follows 22 kilometres of the original railway line over the Remutaka Range, including the worldfamous incline part of the route. What is it that attracts hundreds of people week in week out to want to see this landscape, and to test their skills, walking, running, cycling? Adventurers and day walkers enjoy the history and stories told on interpretation signs along the route, the unique rest stop half-way at the Summit Station, and the challenges offered to those who want to test their physical skills.
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Late 19th century train travellers endured transport over a tortuous landscape to get between the Wairarapa from Wellington.
To handle this, six H class Fell engines were brought out from England to run solely between the Summit and Cross Creek. The Fell engines used a third rail which worked by adhesion to aid traction up the incline and to act as a brake coming down.
WORDS: David Watt "...the Remutaka Rail Trail is a magnificent recreational challenge and a place of exploration and relaxation away from the hussle-and-bussle of life in the city."
Euan was a font of information on the rail route and its surrounding landscape.
KŌANGA • SPRING 2022 15Heritage Quarterly in the Wellington City Water Supply Board, now the Greater Wellington Regional Council, and from Summit to Cross Creek in the Department of Conservation, formerly the NZ Forest Service. Meetings in the early 1980s between the Wellington Regional Council and regional environmental and recreation groups led to an agreement for the development of a walkway over the route of the former railway in recognition of the heritage values of the area.
Watching the faces of dozens of cyclists, runners, walkers, and others just relaxing by streams, shows how this heritage landscape has quickly caught on with the many thousands of visitors who keep coming through the rail trail.
The efforts of the Department of Conservation and Greater Wellington Regional Council have provided a magnificent place for people to explore and enjoy the history of this once busy railway thoroughfare. Euan certainly expressed pride in the many people who have worked to preserve this important piece of our history.
To read more about its history and listing as a Historic Area go to the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga www.heritage.org.nz/the-list/details/7511website:
He was a great companion on heritage trips throughout the Greater Wellington area, especially the historic townships in the Wairarapa, and could recount many stories about how people coped living in extreme conditions on the rail incline.
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Remutaka Rail Trail Map. Railway equipment left behind after the closure of the former railway route. Cyclists on the Remutaka Rail Trail.
Credit: Department of Conservation
I had the opportunity to team up with my good friend, the late Euan McQueen, former Assistant General Manager of Railways, Chair of the Rail Heritage Trust and a former Wellington Regional Councillor, to travel into significant parts of the rail heritage trail at his invitation. It was a wonderful experience.
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Likewise, Alberton’s Strawberry Tree, which yields fruit that bears a resemblance to strawberries – though unfortunately that’s where the similarity ends. And though you would likely survive to tell the tale should you eat one, fruitwise you could do better.
One thing missionaries and early European settlers in New Zealand seemed to enjoy was a bit of fresh fruit. That, and transplanting trees that belonged in the Northern Hemisphere into New Zealand soil.
“One redeeming feature of the Strawberry Tree, perhaps, is that it is the national tree of Italy. Its white flowers, green leaves and red berries recalls the Italian flag,” he says.
“A lot of the fruit here dating back to missionary times is mentioned in the Bible – figs, olives and grapes for wine, almonds, apples and pears,” says Kerikeri Mission Station Property Lead Liz Bigwood.
settlers continue to cast something of a long shadow. Two unusual species at Alberton in Auckland, for example, fall into this category – it almost seems they were planted for the sake of being planted.
“One of these is the Poor Man’s Orange, a kind of grapefruit which originated in East Asia and was later introduced into New Zealand and Australia by Sir George Grey in about 1855,” says Alberton Property Lead Rendell McIntosh.
W hen the Rev. John Butler began to establish the Kerikeri Mission Station in 1820 a top priority was to plant a garden and some fruit trees. It seems there was no stopping him, and today there are still remnant plantings that can be traced back to the sweat of Butler’s brow, including New Zealand’s oldest pear tree across the road from the Stone Store.
Rather old fruit…
“Our oranges are not sweet – they are Seville oranges, an older variety – not great eating, but magnificent in a marmalade, viewed as that most English of breakfast condiments – even though it originated in Spain (hint: Seville) as a type of coulis to serve with meat.”
The trees are a representative sample of the incredibly diverse range of exotics planted around the country inspired, no doubt, by the need for food – but also perhaps as a connection to the home countries of the Northern Hemisphere.
“The missionaries came with a smorgasbord of everything, which even included apricots, though these didn’t do well because winters aren’t cold enough here. We also have a lemon tree grown from a cutting said to have been planted by the Hansen family at the first Christian mission at AppropriatelyHōhi.”enough, the Kerikeri Mission Station also has oranges – though not as we know them.
n Medlar ripening on the tree.
WORDS: John O’Hare
Elsewhere at properties cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga many trees planted by Victorian-era
“The fruit looks nice, but it’s hopeless for eating or cooking into marmalade.”
One unusual addition to the mission orchard, perhaps, is the medlar –otherwise known as the ‘Monkey’s Bum’ after its distinctive, slightly confronting appearance. The medlar is symbolic in literature of prostitution or premature destitution – about as un-Biblical as you can “Medlarsget. are sweetest after bletting –which is basically leaving the fruit to get over-ripe to the point of almost rotting before being sweet enough to eat. The texture of bletted fruit – kind of squishy and almost custard or jelly-like – often doesn’t suit modern sensibilities, and certainly doesn’t look good on a supermarket shelf, so over the years it has fallen out of favour,” Liz says. Medlar fans, however, talk poetically about the results of the slow-rotting process of bletting producing an apple fragrance with notes of cinnamon. By contrast, author D.H. Lawrence described them as “wineskins of brown morbidity, autumnal Andexcrementa.”youthought feijoas were polarising.
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The excavation was initiated after two kōiwi pre-Christian burials had eroded out of this part of the Oneroa beach coastal reserve since mid-2020, with the possibility that more could later be exposed.
The University of Auckland, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Far North District Council provided support for the joint excavation which ran over four days.
According to Kororāreka Marae Chair Deb Rewiri the excavation has provided closure for the hapū.
The Wāhi Tapu will run from the white marker post to the right of the fig tree to the start of the spinifex grass. Although it will have no material effect on people's enjoyment of the beach it will serve as a reminder that this is a special place which should be shown appropriate respect.
Racquel and Tu Ao try their hand at sieving as part of the archaeological excavation that took place at Oneroa/Long Beach.
Excavation to retrieve kōiwi in response to climate change
“We believe there may be further kōiwi present elsewhere along the Oneroa Bay foreshore, and of course it’s quite possible that other remains may still be present further inland from the beach front,” she “Ifsays.that’s the case, they are not in direct danger from the effects of erosion so there is no need for any intervention at this stage. Kōiwi that have been recovered from the area in the recent past have been reinterred at Russell Cemetery and eventually two pou will be installed at the beach and the urupā, identifying the site.”
A series of hui hosted at Kororāreka Marae were held with interested hapū to discuss the issue. As a result, a resolution was agreed that rather than waiting for erosion events to expose kōiwi, and wash them into the moana, the area around where they were found should instead be investigated and any further human remains be removed and reburied. The excavation did not uncover any further kōiwi, but did reveal several archaeological features including flaked obsidian (volcanic glass) and chert, both being types of rock that could be flaked for use as cutting tools. Another example of rock able to be flaked that was uncovered in the excavation is thought to be Bowenite, a type of pounamu from the South Island.
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“All of these materials are exotic to the area – so people must have brought them here from other parts of the country,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Archaeologist, Dr James Robinson, the lead archaeologist on the “Althoughexcavation.we didn’t find kōiwi it was important to complete the excavation. We now know that there are no kōiwi present in the immediate foreshore area, which will give people a lot of comfort. The features we did find, however, have confirmed the early nature of human activity in this area.”
A recent archaeological excavation undertaken at Oneroa/Long Beach near Russell to retrieve kōiwi/ human remains that were being exposed by climate change factors has resulted in part of the beach being declared Wāhi Tapu, a sacred place.
Credit: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
T he decision to designate the area Wāhi Tapu was made following a recent initiative led by Kororāreka Marae for a small part of the foreshore to be excavated, to remove any kōiwi present and reinter them at the local urupā in line with local tikanga.
ISLANDSOFBAY
WORDS: John O’Hare
WHENUATOHU
Over the last couple of years we have been growing the Tohu Whenua visual library, working with a number of professional photographers to capture visitors of all ages exploring Tohu Whenua landmarks. We hope that when people see others enjoying their visit, they want to go see that site as well. Our most recent Tohu Whenua shoot was in Otago, where we shot at six sites in total. To make our budget go further we teamed up with programme partners Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, and on two occasions with Destination Queenstown. We found two very talented local photographers. Claire Toia-Bailey of Image Central went above and beyond to shoot four sites in Central Otago, often enlisting the help of her drone operator partner Adrian. Josh Jenkins of Reframed Media captured two sites just south of Ōamaru, including Totara Estate, which is cared for by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Here are some of our favourite images from those shoots – and why we like them.
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They say a picture tells a thousand words. It’s true.
WORDS: Claudia Babirat
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Putting visitors in the picture
t’s a question the Tohu Whenua team hears on an almost daily basis – “do you have a great photograph?” We get it from travel writers, magazine editors, brochure designers and tourism promoters. It’s a question we even ask ourselves before designing an advert or posting on social media. Often, without a striking photo, a story just doesn’t fly. Which is obviously a challenge when a key objective of Tohu Whenua is to entice New Zealanders to visit our nation's most treasured heritage sites.
This image captures what’s at the heart of all Tohu Whenua places: story-telling. In this photo, Ōturehua story-teller Ken Gillespie provides a guided tour to inquisitive whānau at Hayes Engineering Works.
Credit: Image Central
TOTARA ESTATE Credit: Reframed Media
This photo does two things: it shows off the incredible manmade badlands known as Bannockburn Sluicings, and reinforces that heritage isn’t always confined to museums. Whether you’re on foot or by bike, connecting with heritage can be an active adventure in a beautiful landscape.
Tohu Whenua are recognised as being Aotearoa New Zealand’s best heritage experiences.
Tohu Whenua is a partnership between Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatū Taonga. For more information visit tohuwhenua.nz or follow us on Facebook and Instagram @TohuWhenua "We hope that when people see others enjoying their visit, they want to go see that site as well."
HAYES ENGINEERING WORKS AND HOMESTEAD
Credit: Image Central. Sometimes the only way to do justice to a dramatic landscape is to use a drone. In this photo we wanted to give the viewer a sense of the bridge’s height above the deep canyon below. The two figures walking across add a great sense of scale –but also a reminder that the bridge is still as relevant today as it was back in 1880.
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HISTORIC ARROWTOWN Credit: Image Central You can tell that this couple is genuinely having fun discovering a ‘new’ place. Although they live locally, they had never been inside the old Arrowtown gaol before – it's a hidden gem that was recently restored. We hope this image makes other people want to have just as much fun there.
Credit: Image Central
KAWARAU SUSPENSION BRIDGE
We love this moment of two sisters exploring Totara Estate. Images like this illustrate that heritage sites are family destinations, bringing the stories of yesteryear to a whole new generation of New Zealanders.
BANNOCKBURN SLUICINGS (opposite page)
he former shipyard and sawmill at Totara North on the Whangaroa Harbour has been videoed and photographed using a drone, and its physical dimensions and sub-structures Oncerecorded.the centre of a thriving kauri milling operation and boat construction enterprise, the mill and shipyard has stood silent for almost 20 years. Over the decades, the buildings and out-buildings of the 150-year-old mill have deteriorated to the point where it is no longer feasible to preserve them.
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“Given the dangerous condition of the mill and shipyard, recording the interiors and exteriors of the buildings presented some challenges, though it was important to record the structures so that people in the future will be able to see how the mill and shipyard Technologyfunctioned.”provided the solution – in this case video and photographic imagery shot by a drone flying through the interior of both structures by Bay of Islands-based Aerial Vision. The ensuing images and video accurately recorded the many features of the structures.
“By any standards that was a sizeable operation, and the complex was an important part of the Far North economy.”
Lane and Brown vessels were highly sought after with the builders taking great care to select and season the wood that went into them.
Listed as a Category 2 historic place and understood to be the only remaining kauri mill in the world, the rarity of the mill and shipyard meant that it was important to record it.
“Lane and Brown Shipyard and Sawmill was established in the Whangaroa –close to a plentiful supply of kauri. Their shipyard was large for the time – the equivalent of just under 1400 square metres of floor space,” says Bill.
“Given the physical danger posed by the unstable buildings, however, the use of drone technology was the most practical means of doing this,” he says.
Drone used to record heritage mill and shipyard
“The result is a permanent, visual and highly detailed record of this important part of New Zealand’s kauri industry and boat-building heritage.” n Aerial shot of the former sawmill and shipyard at Totara North. The interior of the Totara North sawmill.
“Eventually they founded the Lane Motor Boat Company Ltd in Auckland, though the Totara North mill continued to operate, eventually being bought by Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa in 2004. Prior to that point, however, it was being used to store timber rather than for milling.”
“Options for restoration or rebuilding have been explored but at the end of the day it just wasn’t practical to preserve these structures. Because they were beyond the point of repair, we had to focus on the best way of recording them in detail,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Manager, Bill Edwards.
“The partnership ended in the early years of the 1900s, however, as there wasn’t sufficient work to keep the Lanes and the Browns employed. The Browns built a shipyard at Te Kōpuru on the Kaipara Harbour while the Lanes remained at Totara North,” Bill says.
The covered sheds were capable of handling 350-ton ships, and more than 50 ships were built here during its years of operation, including the 320-ton topsail schooner Rainbow in 1890 and the Government’s Pacific Island trader Countess of Ranfurly in 1901.
An important piece of Northland’s kauri and boat-building heritage has been surveyed in detail using electronic and digital technology.
WORDS: John O’Hare IMAGES: Aerial Vison
Cave of the Eagle rock art site, Craigmore Farm, South Canterbury. The figure is thought to represent the giant eagle, extinct for more than 500 years, and perhaps the Pouākai of Māori tradition.
Guided tours of the Ōpihi rock art site are available through Te Ana Ngāi Tahu Rock Art Centre.
The Christchurch office team are looking forward to staffing the stall. “The Canterbury A&P show always creates great opportunities for discussion with people who stop at our stall and read our panels” says Area Manager, Fiona Wykes. “It’s a chance to share more about what Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga does. And we’ll have our usual popular opportunity for people to complete a short quiz in exchange for a free lamington!” n
The New Zealand Agricultural Show will be held at the Canterbury Agricultural Park, 9 – 11 November.
CANTERBURY
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The Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga southern office team are looking forward to sharing new panels about Māori rock art at the Canterbury A&P Show in November.
O ne of Aotearoa New Zealand’s richest heritage treasures are the many kā tuhituhi o neherā/ Māori rock art sites. There are over 760 sites in Te Waipounamu/ South Island alone. For around 800 years, Māori created complex images of people, birds, animals, sea creatures, taniwha, waka and abstract designs on their landscapes. As Europeans arrived in Aotearoa, Māori incorporated new subjects, such as horses, houses and sailing ships into their art. The art ranges from small symbols to murals more than 20 metres long.
Canterbury A&P Show stall will highlight Māori rock art
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga was fortunate to have the guidance and expertise of Dr Gerard O’Regan and Amanda Symons when writing the panels. Gerard is Curator of Māori at Otago Museum. He did his PhD in North Island rock art sites and is currently undertaking a RSNZ Marsden Fast Start project Initiating a Māori archaeology of threatened North Island rock art. Amanda is a curator and trustee for Te Ana Ngai Tahu Rock Art Trust based in Timaru.
“We are looking forward to sharing information about Māori rock art with the A&P Show visitors,” says Outreach Advisor Rosemary Baird. “Many rock art sites are on privately-owned farmland so there is a real connection to the rural sector. And with the new history curriculum about to be implemented, this is a great way to share our regional heritage with families and school visitors.”
“We were so grateful for Gerard’s and Amanda’s expertise,” says Rosemary. “Gerard has an incomparable knowledge
ofwww.theshow.co.nzthecontextofplace, and various meanings of Māori rock art. Amanda provided vital information on the risks threatening rock art sites and the innovative ecological restoration project being done at Ōpihi.”
WORDS: Pam Bain IMAGES: Te Ana Ngāi Tahu Rock Art Centre
“In October 2022 we will start of a six-month project to re-roof, to further strengthen chimneys and the house, improve fire protection, re-paint the exterior to endure Wellington’s famous weather, and give it a more welcoming residential feel for visitors,” she says.
Saved from an uncertain future in the late 1970s, and a rarity amongst the high rises of the bustling city, this grand old residence is an oasis of green in our capital city.
Become part of the ongoing story of Antrim House
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“For Antrim House to continue to delight visitors and tell its story for generations to come, we require a last funding push to enable the works.”
nce a home, hotel and hostel, central-Wellington's Antrim House is nowadays the home of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Having housed and been cared for by its staff for more than 40 years, Antrim House now needs your support to ensure it continues to hold its place of significance for decades to come. Built with a once stunning view of Wellington’s harbour, Antrim House harks back to a time when this was a predominantly residential central city street. Prior to its construction in 1905, Boulcott Street was the path of the Waikoukou Stream, flowing into a pool where birds gathered to feed and become kai (food) for the locals.
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“With the project starting soon, we urge our members and supporters to consider making a donation and become part of the ongoing story of the building,” he says.
WORDS: Adrienne Hannan ceilings, an occasion at Antrim House was a highlight of the Wellington social Sincecalendar.Robert’s death in 1930, Antrim House has been home to many – a private hotel, a public service hostel for young men who came from Māori, Pākehā and Pacific communities and, following a restoration in 1981, as a working office for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. It has had its share of drama; in 1940 a disastrous fire threatened the whole building, but following quick action only the top floor was majorly affected. This floor was rebuilt in the art deco style of the time, which visitors can view along with the original Edwardian features of the ground floor.
Wealthy businessman Robert Hannah, founder of R Hannah & Co. Ltd – now well-known shoe retailer Hannahs – and his wife Hannah, commissioned the lavish home to be designed by well-known architects Thomas Turnbull & Son in the Italianate style, which was popular at the Featuringtime. beautiful kauri panelling throughout, bespoke stained-glass windows, a sweeping staircase and ornate
“We decided it would be most efficient to complete this as a two-phase project. This is the first phase. The second phase, to be completed in the near future, will be more discreet and focus on further structural strengthening to the interior of the house. Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga was fortunate to receive partial funding through a Lottery Grant, a significant bequest, and a donation in support of the conservation project,” says BrendonTamsin.
“Keep an eye out for a pack in the mail inviting you to contribute to this project.”
WELLINGTON
Antrim House, 1911. Credit: Alexander Turnbull Library
“Today, in honour of its first 117 years as part of the Wellington business and social scene, we will be embarking on conservation work to ensure Antrim House has greater protection, resilience and functionality to secure it as a treasured feature in Aotearoa New Zealand’s heritage landscape long into the future,” says Central Region Heritage Assets Manager Tamsin Falconer.
Veale, Manager Supporter Development, urges heritage enthusiasts to support the important conservation work. “We know that Antrim House is a much-loved destination in Wellington, and there is great interest in seeing this national treasure restored,” he says.
n If you are not a Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Member, and you are interested in supporting this cause, please contact the team on 0800 802 010 or visit https://bit.ly/AntrimHouse to find out more.
