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Heritage New Zealand
Pouhere Taonga
New Zealand Historic Places Trust logo.svg
New Zealand Historic Places Trust logo
Type Crown entity
Purpose Protecting New Zealand's heritage
Headquarters Antrim House, Boulcott Street
Location
Region served
 New Zealand
Chair
 Hon. Marian Hobbs
Main organ
 Board of Trustees
Affiliations Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Department of Conservation
Te Puni Kōkiri
Budget
 NZ$12,975,000

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is an important group in New Zealand. It helps protect old buildings and special places. These places are important because they tell us about New Zealand's history and culture.

The group is also known by its Māori name, Pouhere Taonga. It has about 20,000 members who care about New Zealand's past. Heritage New Zealand started in 1954. Its main goal is to find, protect, and look after New Zealand's historical and cultural heritage.

History of Heritage New Zealand

New Zealand's journey to protect its history started a long time ago. In 1932, a man named Charles Bathurst, 1st Viscount Bledisloe gave the land where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed to the nation. This was a big step for protecting important places.

People started talking more about heritage protection in 1940. This was around the 100-year anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi. Later, in 1943, the government bought Pompallier House. This made people think more about how to care for old, important buildings.

Setting up the Trust

A Member of Parliament named Duncan Rae suggested creating a heritage organization. His idea led to the Historic Places Act 1954. This law officially set up the National Historic Places Trust.

The Trust was a non-government organization (NGO) at first. It had a board of 12 members and a chairman. Their first meeting was in 1955. The Trust worked with the Minister of Internal Affairs. In 1963, its name changed to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

Early Work and Changes

The Trust did important work from the start. They recorded Māori rock paintings. Some of these sites were going to be covered by water from new dams, like the Waipapa Dam.

In 1961, the Trust bought Te Waimate mission. This is the second-oldest building in New Zealand. They also helped buy the Eteveneaux cottage in Akaroa. This cottage shows Akaroa's French history.

In 2004, the Trust became an independent government group, called a Crown entity. On April 14, 2014, its name changed again to Heritage New Zealand. Later that year, a new law, the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014, was passed. This law made more changes to how the group is run.

How Heritage New Zealand is Run

Heritage New Zealand is managed by a special board. The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage chooses the people on this board. The current chairperson is Hon. Marian Hobbs.

There is also a Māori Heritage Council. This council helps make sure Māori heritage is protected. Sir John Clarke is currently the chairman of this council.

The main office for Heritage New Zealand is in Antrim House in Wellington. They also have offices in other cities. These include Kerikeri, Auckland, Tauranga, Christchurch, and Dunedin.

Publications

Heritage New Zealand publishes a magazine called Heritage New Zealand. It comes out four times a year.

Buildings Owned by Heritage New Zealand

Heritage New Zealand owns several important buildings. These include the Kerikeri Mission House and the Stone Store. They also own Hurworth Cottage and the Te Waimate Mission house.

New Zealand Heritage List / Rārangi Kōrero

The New Zealand Heritage List / Rārangi Kōrero is a list of important places. It used to be called the Register. This list helps people know which places are special and need protecting.

The list has five main types of places:

  • Historic Places
  • Historic Areas
  • Wāhi Tapu (Māori sacred sites)
  • Wāhi Tapu Areas
  • Wāhi Tūpuna – These are places important to Māori because of their ancestors and cultural values.

Historic places on the list are put into two groups:

  • Category 1 – These are places that are very special. They have "outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance."
  • Category 2 – These places are also important. They have "historical or cultural heritage significance."

As of 2014, there were over 5,600 places on the list. Some historic buildings in Christchurch were damaged by earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. Many heritage buildings in Christchurch were lost during rebuilding after these earthquakes.

Māori Heritage Council

The Māori Heritage Council (MHC) is part of Heritage New Zealand. It was created by the Historic Places Act 1993. The Council has several important jobs:

  • It helps protect and register wahi tapu (sacred places) and wahi tapu areas.
  • It helps Heritage New Zealand include Māori culture and views in its work.
  • It helps Māori families (whānau), sub-tribes (hapū), and tribes (iwi) look after their heritage.
  • It looks at suggestions about archaeological sites.
  • It speaks up for Māori heritage at public and Māori meetings.

As of 2014, Sir John Clarke is the chairman of the Māori Heritage Council.

Gallery

Similar Groups in Other Countries

Many other countries also have groups that protect their heritage. Here are a few examples:

See also

  • SAHANZ (Society of Architectural Historians of Australia and New Zealand)
  • Category:Heritage New Zealand
  • Category:Lists of historic places in New Zealand
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