Source: Heritage New Zealand
Two South Island heritage icons have been proposed for the country’s highest heritage status – and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga wants your feedback.
Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre in Ōtautahi Christchurch and the Ōamaru Historic Town Centre and Port have been nominated for National Historic Landmark status – and as part of the nomination process, the public are invited to have their say.
“Currently there are only two National Historic Landmarks in New Zealand, both in the North Island – Te Pitowhenua / Waitangi Treaty Grounds and the National War Memorial at Pukeahu. That’s an indication of how high the threshold is to qualify,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Director Southern, Dr Christine Whybrew.
“Being nominated for National Historic Landmark status is a significant honour. This is the first time South Island places have been put forward for consideration.”
According to Dr Whybrew, the submission process is easy and people can respond to the two nomination proposals online.
“People’s feedback can be as brief or as detailed as they like, and they can submit on either or both proposals. We are seeking a variety of views from anyone who wishes to share them,” she says.
Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre is New Zealand’s flagship arts hub showcasing this country’s largest collection of Gothic Revival architecture. The precinct has evolved into an internationally acclaimed dynamic centre of creativity and community engagement over the past 50 years, while drawing inspiration from the Māori history of this site. Incorporating an entire city block, most of its heritage buildings originate with the establishment of Canterbury College in 1877.
Te Matatiki Toi Ora was recently included in the newly-launched Tohu Whenua Waitaha Canterbury itinerary, recognising it as a trailblazing heritage destination that has shaped our National identity.
The Ōamaru Historic Town Centre and Port has deep significance to Māori whose roots to the area predate the Ōamaru colonial settlement by many centuries. Its location within an extensive network of kainga nohoanga (settlements) and kainga mahinga kai (cultivations and food-gathering sites) made it a central source of life and wellbeing for Māori. The economic prosperity that built the Victorian-era town came at a great cost for local Māori however.
The scale and grandeur of the largely Italianate infrastructure and mercantile buildings – which make up Aotearoa New Zealand’s most complete streetscape of Victorian commercial buildings – were described variously at the time as ‘massive, monstrous and gargantuan’ reflecting the prosperity and promise of an enterprising settler community set on reaping the benefits of a new land funded by gold, agriculture and commerce.
The Ōamaru Historic Town Centre and Port – also a recognised Tohu Whenua destination – is renowned internationally as an example of preservation and adaptive reuse, and draws thousands of visitors annually to marvel at its architecture and history.
“The two nomination proposals are the culmination of a period of deep research, engagement and consultation,” says Dr Whybrew.
“The public submission phase is the next part of the assessment process – and a very important one.
“Proposals to list the two sites – including an overview of their heritage and cultural significance – have been uploaded onto the National Heritage agency’s website, and people are encouraged to formally share their views through the submission process.
Submissions close on November 19 2025.
To make a submission, go to:
