The Southland Times

Tene Waitere descendant­s make call for heritage status

- Logan Savory logan.savory@stuff.co.nz

Descendant­s of Ma¯ ori carver Tene Waitere are attempting to ensure a building at Anderson Park in Invercargi­ll is awarded heritage status.

In 1910, Sir Robert Anderson bought a rather neglected 300-acre (121-hectare) block, which is now called Anderson Park.

In 1925, he built the Anderson family home [Anderson House] but before that, in 1920, he commission­ed Waitere, a Rotorua carver, to carve pieces of a wharepuni.

Anderson was a collector of Ma¯ori artefacts and Te Wharepuni o Anehana was also where Anderson’s youngest daughter, Kathleen, was married in

1932. The building remains today, behind

Anderson

House.

In 1984, the

Anderson family house was registered as a historic place category 1 building with the Historic Places Trust.

The Kereopa and Schuster wha¯ nau, of Nga¯ti Tara¯whai, are the descendant­s of Waitere and they have now applied to Heritage New Zealand to award Te Wharepuni o Anehana heritage status as well.

‘‘In making an applicatio­n to list the wharepuni, Tene Waitere’s descendant­s are ensuring that these taonga are recognised, cared for and preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of future generation­s,’’ a proposal by Heritage New Zealand states.

Waitere’s great-grandson James Schuster – a noted national and internatio­nal cultural arts practition­er himself – said the wha¯ nau recognised the whare belonged in Southland and to Southlande­rs.

The Anderson land and buildings, including the wharepuni, were gifted to the Invercargi­ll City Council by the children of Anderson and Lady Mary after Lady Mary died in 1951.

In 1972, the wharepuni was recognised as being one of only three carved whare in the South Island and interior work was completed.

Heritage New Zealand is now calling for submission­s by April 17 on the proposal to award Te Wharepuni o Anehana with heritage status.

People can get a copy of the draft proposal by contacting Heritage New Zealand.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from New Zealand