The National Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund, administered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, provides financial incentives to encourage the conservation of nationally significant heritage places in private ownership. Priority is given to heritage places of national significance which need conservation work and heritage places of national significance where conservation work is planned and could be improved through extra funding.

Who can apply for funding?

Any private owner whose heritage properties and conservation projects meet the eligibility requirements will be eligible to apply to the fund.  Public sector agencies (government departments, Crown entities, state-owned enterprises, regional councils, territorial authorities, local authority trading enterprises) and persons and agencies eligible for funding from the Lottery Grants Board (for example incorporated societies, charitable trusts, companies with charitable status) will not be eligible to apply to the fund.

What types of properties are eligible for funding?

Any property in private ownership that is either registered as a Category I historic place under the Historic Places Act, or has been notified for Category I registration, is eligible to apply to the fund.

Any wahi tapu or wahi tapu area in private ownership that is either registered under the Historic Places Act, or has been notified for wahi tapu or wahi tapu area registration, is eligible to apply to the fund.

Properties that contribute to a registered historic area are eligible to apply to the Fund provided that the place itself could satisfy the requirements for registration as a Category I historic place or wahi tapu.

Please contact your nearest NZHPT office for advice if you are unsure about the heritage significance of your property.

What types of projects are eligible for funding?

The following conservation projects are eligible for application to the fund:

• Stabilisation, repair or restoration relating to historic buildings or structures (eg. repairs to masonry, joinery, plaster or glazing, earthquake strengthening or fire protection);
• Conservation work relating to land or archaeological sites (eg. site stabilisation, repair, vegetation management or fencing);
• Professional services (eg. research, condition reports, conservation plans, conservation work specifications, management plans or supervision of work).

What types of projects are NOT eligible for funding?

The following projects are not eligible for application to the fund:

• Construction of new buildings or structures not for the purpose of preserving heritage values;
• Additions, extensions, facilities or amenities of existing buildings;
• Reconstruction or replicas of missing buildings or structures;
• Removal, relocation or demolition of buildings or structures;
• Insurance, debt repayments or re-financing costs;
• Purchase of land or buildings;
• Purchase or conservation of portable heritage objects;
• Purchase of construction machinery or tradespersons' equipment;
• Heritage conservation projects that have already been completed.

How much and what type of assistance is available?

Assistance is in the form of grants. The fund will pay no more than 50% of the cost of conservation work in any particular case, and individual grants will not normally be greater than $100,000.

How and when can I apply for funding?

Applications must be made on the appropriate form provided by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and sent with all required supporting material to the nearest NZHPT office. All applications should be with NZHPT regional offices by Friday 13 August 2010, so that the NZHPT Board can make its decision at its October Board meeting.

The form may be downloaded from this website, in Word or pdf form.

How will my application be assessed?

All applications will be assessed by the NZHPT on the basis of a set of criteria including extent of national significance, extent of public benefit, level of urgency of work, level of conservation standards proposed, and cost effectiveness. Additional criteria used by the NZHPT include value for money in the national public interest, geographic spread and the types of heritage to be conserved.

Approval of applications is made by the Board of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

How and when is funding paid out?

Once funding is approved, a contract will be signed between the NZHPT and the owner of the heritage property specifying the conservation work to be funded and the applicable conditions.

Conditions may include the establishment of a heritage covenant under the Historic Places Act, or other guarantees that the property will be protected from damage, demolition or destruction. Other conditions will include compliance with all statutory requirements, availability of the property for inspection of the conservation work, agreed completion dates, and public reporting of the project.

Grants from the fund may be made in instalments, and the final payment will normally be made after certification, following final inspection, that the agreed conservation work has been completed.

Further Information

For further information on applying to the fund, contact your nearest New Zealand Historic Places Trust office:

Northland Area Office - for applications from Northland
Northern Regional Office - for applications from Auckland, Hauraki, Thames/ Coromandel
Lower Northern Area Office - for applications from Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Gisborne
Tira Pouhere Taonga - for applications concerning Maori heritage
c/- NZHPT National Office
Central Regional Office - for applications from lower North Island, including Taranaki, and from Nelson-Marlborough
Southern Regional Office - for applications from Canterbury, West Coast
Otago/Southland Area Office - for applications from Otago, Southland.

Applications

Applications for funding from the National Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund must be made on the appropriate form provided by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and sent with all required supporting material to the nearest NZHPT office. There are no closing dates for applications, and they can be made at any time.

Application forms

The application form may be downloaded here in Word format (732kb). The same form is available in writeable pdf format here (514kb). You may complete either form by typing directly into it, and save to your own computer for printing and/or emailing. If you prefer to fill in the form by hand, please print out this version (pdf, 483kb). The lines will help guide you.

Please note that neither version can be completed and sent on-line from this website.  Please make sure you include all relevant documentation when you send in your application form.

All applications should be with NZHPT regional offices by Friday 13 August 2010, so that the NZHPT Board can make its decision at its October Board meeting

Further information

For further information on applying to the fund, contact your nearest New Zealand Historic Places Trust office.