The council is currently seeking nominations for buildings, sites and structures that the community values for heritage significance.
Nominated sites which meet the initial criteria for scheduling will be assessed for their heritage significance. Those that are found to hold heritage significance will be held on file for the next plan change to the historic heritage chapter of the Whanganui District Plan.
Make your nomination!
Nominated heritage sites may hold significance for one, some, or multiple of the following values: archaeological, architectural, cultural, historic, scientific, or technological (as outlined through the definition of historic heritage in the Resource Management Act 1991). This nomination process will help direct the council’s work updating the historic heritage chapter of the District Plan which is due for its ten-yearly rolling review.
The historic heritage chapter and accompanying heritage inventory is one aspect of how the council supports and protects heritage in the district. Sites listed in the heritage inventory are subject to varying levels of controls and rules to protect their heritage values. Scheduling in the heritage inventory provides easier access to incentives such as the council's Heritage Grant Fund, or rates remission, when efforts are made to preserve or enhance heritage values at the site.
Nominations and evaluation
Any person or group may nominate a site, if they consider it holds significant heritage value. Nominations do not result in automatic site protection, or guarantee a full evaluation of significance, but they serve as a first step in the assessment process. The nominations highlight the community’s perspectives for how local heritage can be better protected and supported.
When a nomination clearly identifies heritage values at a place, and the community to which it is valued, then an evaluation and recommendations around scheduling will go ahead.
Community nominations for heritage places close at 5.00pm on Sunday, 27 August 2023. You can make your nomination online or print-out a downloadable form(PDF, 326KB).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Whanganui heritage inventory?
Appendix A to the District Plan – the heritage inventory – lists significant heritage sites in Whanganui district. Sites scheduled in the heritage inventory means they have been formally recognised as holding heritage value to Whanganui. Sites listed in the heritage inventory have varying levels of regulatory controls to protect their heritage values. Being in the heritage inventory provides easier access to grants such as the council's Heritage Grant Fund, and other benefits like rates remissions and waived resource consent fees when efforts are made to preserve or enhance heritage values at the site.
What heritage sites can be nominated?
Because this project relates to the Whanganui District Plan, and is site-based, it is primarily guided by the definitions outlined by the Resource Management Act (RMA). The RMA’s definition of historic heritage encompasses places that have any of the following qualities: archaeological, architectural, cultural, historic, scientific, and technological.
Before completing a nomination form, you should check the District Plan's heritage inventory first to confirm that the site is not already scheduled. Site nominations need to include an address or description sufficient to identify the location in question.
You can help us by outlining what makes your nominated place significant, and we will be looking for sites that hold the qualities mentioned above when we work through the appraisal of nominations. We will accept nominations for the following:
- Any building, structure or other place over 30 years old, unless in exceptional circumstances.
- Buildings, structures, and sites. Nominations for non-mobile, fixed objects which form part of a wider heritage context at a place can be included in the nomination for that site.
Can I provide information in confidence?
By default, the evaluation of Whanganui’s heritage is a public process. All members of the community, including the owner of a heritage site, are entitled to access all information held by the council relating to a property. There are circumstances when councils are required to restrict access to sensitive information such as certain places of significance to tangata whenua.
All other information relating to a property is public information, and therefore available to members of the public if they request it. If you have concerns about providing information which may be sensitive or subject to copyright, please discuss this with council officers before providing it.
Why can’t the council evaluate every nominated place?
Procedurally, the evaluation of heritage places requires specialised skillsets and resources. In addition to public nominations, the council identifies potentially significant places through targeted research. All nominations will receive an initial appraisal, and those which are unlikely to meet the significance thresholds, or are lacking information, will be assigned lower priority or not proceeded with.
You will be updated through the nomination process whether your nomination has been proceeded with or not. If a site has previously been assessed, unless new information is provided, these sites will not be re-evaluated through the community nomination process.
Can I discuss making a nomination with staff?
Yes, you can contact the council’s heritage advisor, Scott Flutey, and schedule an appointment by email or calling 06 349 3168. He will also be available for drop in discussions through the community nomination period at the following times and locations:
| Friday, 30 June, 1.00pm-3.00pm |
Whanganui District Council |
| Thursday 13 July, 1.00pm-3.00pm |
Alexander Heritage and Research Library |
| Monday 24 July, 10.30am-12 noon |
Gonville Library |
| Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 August |
Whanganui Home & Lifestyle Show, Jubilee Stadium |