THE PRESS FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1983. Keeping the best old buildings

Press, 5 August 1983, Page 16

THE PRESS FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 1983. Keeping the best old buildings

The departmental review of the working of the Historic Places Trust generally makes good

sense. The proposal to establish regional offices is sound. Buildings are of a particular time and place and are associated with the communities in which they are constructed. The Historic Places Trust is charged with the responsibility of deciding which of the buildings should be preserved. That is done much more easily, and wisely, by people living in, or near, the communities and the local bodies that control the development of the areas. Having one officer of the trust in each of four cities, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, is a modest enough proposal. The work has been far from neglected. Regional committees have done untiring — and unpaid — work. Some of the work has been done under contract. This explains why a larger permanent staff on the Historic Places Trust will not necessarily mean a much larger budget. To some extent, the review is arguing for a reallocation of resources, not an increase in resources. The review does not appear to address the broader question of whether the resources available to the Historic Places Trust can be compared with the resources available in such countries as Australia, Canada, the United States, and Britain. A formula based on the size of the territory, the population, and various other factors could be devised. Perhaps the committee that prepared the report considered the time inappropriate to make comparisons leading to conclusions that much more money should be spent. When the Government is attempting to hold or reduce spending, it is difficult to justify increases. Nevertheless, it has to be borne in mind that, once a building of historical importance is demolished both the building and a part of New Zealand’s history have gone forever. The Historic Places Trust owns or administers about 60 buildings in New Zealand. In the Christchurch area, the only building it owns and administers is the Timeball Station at Lyttelton. This, of course, is not the only building of historical significance in the Canterbury area. The trust has classified a number of other buildings. The Christchurch Cathedral in the Square and the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Barbadoes Street have the trust’s top classification as “buildings having such historical significance or

architectural quality that their permanent preservation is regarded as essential.”

Others have that classification; and still more carry the B classification as “those buildings which merit permanent preservation because of their very great historical significance or architectural quality.” In the instance of the Hurunui Hotel, the owners have been given a loan for work that will preserve the character of the building. The trust can initiate moves to have a building protected though the agreement of the Minister of Internal Affairs is necessary before a protection order can be made. The trust’s responsibility extends to archaeological sites as well as to buildings. Indeed, under the Historic Places Act, 1980, the trust’s powers over archaeological sites are rather greater than it has over historical buildings. The other important aspect of the trust’s work is to make information available to the public about structures of historical significance. The second major recommendation of the review is that the trust should consider getting rid off some of the buildings under its control and think twice about acquiring new buildings. This, too, seems reasonable, provided that the future of the buildings remains secure in other hands. Many of the projects undertaken by the trust are losing money, and the loss of this money means that the trust cannot get on with its major work of preserving New Zealand’s heritage of historic sites. Regional officers could be expected to concentrate on communicating with the local bodies whose district planning schemes ultimately decide how certain areas and buildings are treated. They would also be able to supply information to the public and tourists about the important historical buildings of the region. Christchurch and the Canterbury region, and the rest of the South Island have many important buildings, some of which have been classified, some of which need classification. Many local bodies need more information about the important buildings in their districts and some need persuading to preserve the buildings. Professional officers in the main cities could do much to further the work of the trust, especially where delay, indifference or lack of support and knowledge may end in the loss of what should be recognised for its value.