From issue: February 2001

Why do we Preserve the Past?

by Alexander Trapeznik

A new book asks searching questions about the modern preoccupation with "heritage".

History is the conscience of our society, Those who fail to understand the past are condemned to repeat its errors. These are good justifications for preserving historic sites and erecting monuments. Unfortunately, learning from the past is rarely the only reason for seeking to preserve it.

Common Ground? Heritage and Public Places in New Zealand was published in 1999 by the University of Otago press.

The primary function may be the pursuit of profit. Rather than seeking to understand our past we often strive to possess it. From this viewpoint, heritage is private property which, like any other commodity in limited supply, can be bought, sold and marketed as the owner deems fit. This privatisation of the past inevitably becomes selective; only those parts which are commercially viable are retained. A view of the past is perpetuated which is comforting and non-confrontational, promoting a history without context and without people. When history becomes a product it becomes alienated from the past, bearing no resemblance to what has happened to people in times gone by.

But there are other reasons for seeking to preserve our heritage. Stories and oral traditions from the past play an important role in our culture. Maori, in particular, use landscapes to tell their histories. Stories, and identification with the stories, give meaning to our existence, a sense of purpose and of place. Our own stories, however insignificant, are part of a larger, national story.

History also reflects power. The wealthy and the powerful have preserved sites and erected monuments to affirm their affluence and influence, leaving behind a self-serving, upper class history which commemorates their past and justifies their present. The legacy of their endeavours is an individualistic, distorted history of our landscapes.

History can also function on the collective level, providing a shared community heritage. Shared stories connect us, enabling us to celebrate and honour past achievements and sacrifices. Plaques, monuments or historic buildings imply shared beliefs and values and provide a message deemed important enough to be on permanent display to praise and defend past actions. What one generation puts on our heritage landscape can become a force which inspires, but also imprisons, the minds of later generations.

But do we have a shared community heritage, one shorn of division by class, race and gender? Are we on the right path in attempting to come to grips with our heritage? Do we have a public landscape which celebrates the contribution of all sections of society? What difference do old monuments, historic markers and buildings make? They do make a difference. All of us have been touched by the force of our heritage, whether it is enshrined in words on a plaque or monument, or in preserved buildings. Our landscapes, monuments, markers and buildings are important because even if they have been altered over time they remain reference points for stories which can become more important than the site itself.

Heritage has burgeoned over the past quarter of a century from an elite preoccupation into a major popular crusade. Common Ground? Heritage and Public Places in New Zealand attempts to explain the rise of the new obsession with the past and to examine its power for both good and evil. Moreover, many of us are interested not only in protecting our historic buildings but also in understanding the history of our own family or whanau, as well as local, regional and national histories. The book aims to provide a guide for those dealing with New Zealand heritage issues, particularly public historians, conservation architects, conservators, archaeologists, planners and museum workers. The essays provide an introduction to the varieties of work in which public historians are engaged and the common purposes they share.

Common Ground originated when I realised, while I was formulating a graduate programme in public history, how few publications dealt with heritage in New Zealand. The demands for such information come not just from academics but from politicians, from those who manage the country's heritage, and from a growing number of heritage practitioners. The book addresses that need. With chapters from specialists in various fields, it provides a multidisciplinary guide to historical and cultural heritage management in New Zealand.

Alexander Trapeznik, the editor of Common Ground?, is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Otago.

Common Ground? Heritage and Public Places in New Zealand was published in 1999 by the University of Otago Press, PO Box 56, Dunedin. It retails for $39.95.