NZHPT Information release
9 January 2012

Twenty-six baches, built between 1900 and 1961, on the Tongaporutu River in Taranaki have been registered as a historic area by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT).

The NZHPT Board confirmed the Tongaporutu River Baches Historic Area registration when it met in Wellington recently.  The registration is the seventh historic area relating to baches on the NZHPT’s Register, the other areas being Taylors Mistake on Banks Peninsula, three clusters on Rangitoto Island and two more clusters near Island Bay in Wellington.

NZHPT Central Region General Manager, Ann Neill said 148 of the 156 submissions received supported the registration of the baches, located partially on reclaimed land and what was a road reserve about an hour’s drive north of New Plymouth on State Highway 3.

“Many of those who wrote in support expressed their appreciation for the simplicity of the baches’ appearance and how they were built, their iconic status and recognition in being used in photos to promote New Zealand at the 1992 Seville International Expo, and as a reminder of a ‘Kiwi’ way of life that is now considered to be from days gone past.”

The NZHPT registration follows the 2005 recognition of the baches by the New Plymouth District Council as a ‘heritage character area’.  Registration as a historic area endorses the value of the baches as an inter-related group.

Mrs Neill said further consultation with iwi, an independent peer review of the original report and questions over registering a recreation reserve had been carried out to address submitter issues.  The NZHPT has registered 55 sites on recreation reserves to date and reserve status is not an impediment to registration.

“The leases issued by council to bach owners in 2005 are due to be reviewed in 2015.  The NZHPT has requested being contacted as an interested party should there be any physical changes to the baches that may detract from the heritage significance of the area and in any future revision of the reserve management plan.”

For more information:

Alison Dangerfield
Acting General Manager, Central Region
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
tel: 04 494 8327 
email: adangerfield@historic.org.nz

David Watt
Area Coordinator, Central Region
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
tel:  04 494 8322
email: dwatt@historic.org.nz

Background Notes

Registering historic places

Registration is the inclusion on the NZHPT Register of a place or area that is considered part of New Zealand’s historical and cultural heritage. Places may be included on the Register if they possess aesthetic, archaeological, architectural, cultural, historic, scientific, social, spiritual, technological or traditional values. Under the Historic Places Act 1993, places registered may be accorded a ranking of Category I or II status.  The NZHPT also registers wahi tapu and wahi tapu areas.

Registration does not provide any direct protection to historic places or wahi tapu.  Protection comes about when local authorities decide to protect their local historic places by scheduling them in their district plans under the Resource Management Act 1991.  In this case a resource consent is often required from the Council concerned to modify any scheduled place.  About 90 percent of places on the Register are also scheduled in District Plans.

More than 5,600 sites are included on the Register which can be searched online at www.historic.org.nz.

More about the NZHPT

NZHPT is a Crown Entity and receives most of its funding from Government.  It also has a large public membership.  We aim to ensure New Zealand’s historic heritage is identified and protected in order to provide present and future generations of New Zealanders with a sense of place and belonging.

We work in co-operation with owners of historic places, developers, local authorities, communities, iwi, hapu and government agencies.

Our responsibilities under the Historic Places Act 1993 include:

• Regulating the modification of archaeological sites
• Maintaining the national Register of historic places and wahi tapu
• Working closely with local authorities and property owners to explore options for sympathetic adaptation of historic places and reusing them in place of demolition
• Providing specialist advice on the conservation of Maori heritage
• Managing a portfolio of 48 nationally significant heritage properties
• Advocating for the protection of significant heritage places through submissions on planning documents and resource consents
• Running heritage education, training and promotion programmes
• Administering the National Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund, and Assessing and making recommendations for conservation of historic heritage prior to disposal of Crown land.