In a discussion the other day, a couple of us wondered if we (New Zealand) had any architecture which could be argued to warrant a World Heritage Listing.
Currently New Zealand has a couple of Natural Heritage sites on the World Heritage List (NZ Sub-Antarctic Islands, 1998; Te Wahipounamu/South West NZ, 1990), a Mixed Heritage site (Tongariro National Park, 1990) and numerous other landscape sites submitted to a Tentative List. Napier’s Art Deco historic precinct, and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds historic precinct are the only architectural sites proposed – but surely we have more than this? My guess is that any argument would be on the grounds of uniqueness, international influence or just sheer brillance. The full criteria list also uses words like “masterpiece.”
So what are other possibilities? The modern pa (Ruapekapeka, Gate Pa etc.) reputedly influenced trench warfare. Parehaka is surely significant in the history of passive resistance – and I’m sure a link could be made to NZ’s nuclear free status?
… and hasn’t the Raurimu Spiral been called an “engineering materpiece”? What about the architecture of Ratana, or Thatcher. Some people might even say that Eden Park is of such cultural significant it’s international – scarily enough this year might be the one to put it forward for a nomination – if anything of its architecture is left …
Leave a Reply