Auckland Council

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AUTUMN 2017

KIA ORA Garry

Welcome to our autumn edition of TE KĀHU - Focus on Heritage and our first edition for 2017! We have hit the ground running this year.

Our Regional Heritage Grant programme is officially open. These grants support landowners, iwi, community groups, trusts and other organisations in their care of our significant heritage places. Grants of up to $20,000 are available. Get your applications in before Friday 7 April 2017.

We are preparing for engagement with mana whenua and landowners on new Sites and Places of Significance to Mana Whenua, approved this week by the Planning Committee. This is the next step in a joint project between 19 mana whenua groups and our Heritage team to improve the protection of Māori cultural heritage.

Our Facebook group is going great guns, with over 1,800 friends. The purpose of this page is to share and celebrate Auckland's unique heritage, with updates every week. Come join us!

Currently we are working with local boards in the preparation of their local board plans. A number of boards are proposing heritage projects, ranging from surveys, heritage evaluations to new heritage trails. Watch this space!

Noho ora mai.

Noel Reardon

Heritage Manager, Auckland Council

Read more about heritage@AucklandCouncil

OUR REGIONAL HERITAGE GRANT PROGRAMME IS OPEN

Photo: A well maintained heritage building

Heritage protection gets a welcome boost with the injection of funds into community heritage projects. Applications are now being sought for Auckland Council Regional Historic Heritage Grants for the conservation, protection and restoration of significant heritage places, structures, archaeological sites, and sites of cultural and spiritual significance. A previous grant assisted works on Renall Street's Foresters’ Hall (Railway Lodge).


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EXPLORE THE HERITAGE OF ONEHUNGA

Painting: Looking south towards Onehunga from Mount Smart Road, 1860s.

A new heritage walking trail aimed at a younger audience has been launched for Onehunga. Brochures (including activities for the kids) are available at the Onehunga Library. Additional information about the 11 sites on the trail, as well as other heritage sites in Onehunga, are available at the link below. You can also learn more about some of the sites from a recent Auckland Libraries blog, Heritage et AL.

Looking south towards Onehunga from Mount Smart Road, 1860s. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 5-730.


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Warkworth's 'grand old dame' reopens

"It's great to see the completion of the restoration of Warkworth's town hall," says Auckland Mayor Phil Goff. "It means the building will continue to serve the needs of the local community as it has for more than a century. Most importantly, it keeps alive a critical part of Warkworth's history and reminds us of the way we were."

Our new Geomaps Treaty Settlement layer

Now Aucklanders can use our GIS viewer Geomaps to identify areas that have been acknowledged in treaty settlements as being historically and culturally important to Māori. A Treaty Settlements layer has been added to the viewer that allows users to see Statutory Acknowledgement areas for individual iwi who have gone through the settlement process.

Image: The Treaty Settlement layer over the Kaipara Harbour

Celebrate at a heritage place

Community halls have traditionally been places where a neighbourhood congregates to celebrate life's milestones or connect through everyday activities. Now this is easier than ever, thanks to Auckland Council's revamped online tool for viewing and booking community venues. There are 150 family-friendly venues dotted throughout our region, and many of the venues are our heritage places, including the Warkworth Masonic Hall.

April - Archaeology Week & Cemeteries Week

New Zealand Archaeology Week, 1 – 7 April, is hosted by the New Zealand Archaeological Association. It comprises a variety of events, including a public talk by our own Robert Brassey, A Bay Where No Ships Have Been: The History and Archaeology of Auckland's First European Settlement, 1832-1836.

Cemeteries Week, 3 – 9 April, is about celebrating what cemeteries represent as enduring, welcoming places for people to connect with each other and their communities, and to remember their history, heroes and loved ones. Organised by the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective, events include an open morning at Waikumete Cemetery crematorium and chapels.

Radio New Zealand: George, Kim and our heritage

George Farrant is Auckland Council's Principal Heritage Advisor, a role he's held for 35 years. During his career, George has overseen major restoration projects including the Civic Theatre, the Auckland Town Hall, the Auckland Art Gallery, and The Pah Homestead. Most recently he led the removal of a large 1950s mosaic from the former site of the Odeon Theatre on Queen St. Listen to George's interview with Kim Hill on Radio New Zealand's recent Saturday Morning programme.

More great heritage events...

There is an exciting host of heritage talks and walks currently available within the region – Auckland Libraries’ Heritage Talks 2017, Walk the Walk: History of Fashion in the City, Aotea Great Barrier Island Walking Festival, and free guided walks (including Mangemangeroa Valley and Otuataua Stonefields).

Did you also catch these recommendations of things to do? Whether it’s summery (even though it’s no longer summer) or it’s rainy.

Nau mai, haere mai ki a Laura Jamieson, a graduate from Auckland Libraries, working with the Māori Heritage team for three days a week, assisting with historical research. Nau mai, haere mai ki a David Bade, Specialist – Built Heritage, who has returned from London. David worked at Historic England (formerly English Heritage) preparing Heritage Counts 2015 and 2016 – the annual audit of England’s historic environment.