Heritage sites tell unique story
A showcase for New Zealand’s significant places was launched in Northland on December 1.
Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry says Landmarks Whenua Tohunga will pick out our must-see places, connecting them together and creating a journey to some of our most important heritage sites.
The nine initial Landmarks are the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Kororipo Heritage Park, Rangihoua Heritage Park, Cape Brett Rakaumangamanga, Clendon House, Mangungu Mission, Pompallier Mission, Ruapekapeka Pa and Te Waimate Mission.
Heritage New Zealand chief executive Andrew Coleman officially launched the pilot project on behalf of the Minister at the Stone Store in Kerikeri, the oldest stone building in New Zealand.
Landmarks sites will have distinctive markers and branded signage, telling unique stories about their importance to our nation’s heritage.
The initiative, a joint project between the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the Department of Conservation and Heritage New Zealand, is being trialled in Northland throughout the 2016-17 summer.
It may be expanded nationwide in the future.
‘‘We have chosen nine special Heritage NZ sites in Northland because of their significance to the nation, the compelling stories they tell and the varied experiences they offer to visitors,’’ Barry says.
‘‘It’s an important way to raise the profile of special places on roads less travelled...encouraging more visitors to come and experience what they have to offer.’’
Tourism is has become New Zealand’s largest export industry, contributing $10.6 billion in the year to March 2016, Barry says.
‘‘We hope Landmarks will provide a boon to Northland’s economy by serving as a badge of quality, drawing visitors to sites of real historic and cultural significance and creating opportunities for business and regional development.
‘‘Northland is the perfect place to trial this new approach. It has so much to offer visitors.
‘‘It is the cradle of our nation, where some of the most important events in our history took place, from the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi to early colonial farming experiments and the bloody clashes of the New Zealand Wars.’’
Visit www.landmarks.nz