Tene Waitere descendants make call for heritage status
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.