Our heritage places ultimately pass into the hands of our children -
what legacy would they like to pass on to their children in turn? How
do school students see our heritage places faring in the next 50 years?
What might happen, why and who will be involved?
The national Tomorrow's Heritage competition asked students to write
about or draw what they envisioned might happen to our heritage places
in the next 50 years. Here is what some young New Zealanders had to say
about their future as they see it.
Scott
Minahan, Pakuranga College
First place, senior category
Conor
Cameron, Wanganui Intermediate School
First equal, intermediate category
Crystal
Allison, Inglewood Primary School
First equal, intermediate category
Alex
Mawston, Gonville School
First place, junior category
~ Essays ~
Senior Winner: Exploring the future
by Dylan Hudson
What will happen to New Zealand’s heritage places?
Will they become decrepit relics, thrown to the sands of time by an uncaring
population? Or will they remain pristine, perfectly preserved for later
generations to view? For the latter to happen, many obstacles must be
overcome.
Much depends simply on the public and government, attitudes
toward these historical sites. Maintenance of the sites depends on funding,
and if people lose interest, and cease joining the Historic Places Trust,
funding will drop and some sites would have to be abandoned. If the Government
loses interest, the substantial annual grant could be withdrawn, forcing
the same conclusion. Steps could be taken, such as applying for an increase
in the National Heritage Preservation Incentive Fund, and raising public
awareness, through agents like the Lottery Grants Board.
Even if attitudes improve toward these historical sites,
most people will lack initiative to motivate and help conserve our heritage
places. The responsibility will fall to groups such as the Department
of Conservation and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, and possibly
some smaller volunteer groups. Hopefully, these groups will save and protect
our heritage.
We must be realistic about these problems. It is likely
that some of the cultural landmarks will have to be surrendered to nature.
But how to choose? Prioritising can only account for the easy selections:
Which is more important, Ewelme Cottage or the Waitangi House? I think
the sites that lack a serious place in history will be yielded first.
Then will come the places that have a very high upkeep, and are not serious
historic monuments, with a large place in New Zealand history.
The list will grow longer, as time passes, until the modern
structures of today have become the last vestiges of the past era. Some
of the sites protected now will have to be released, simply to assuage
an evergrowing tally of heritage locations. Others will be forgotten due
to the merciless natures of time and decay.
Whatever happens, time will run its course, and we can hope
that history lives on in future generations. With luck, we will overcome
the impediments that threaten to endanger the cultural records of New
Zealand, and present the future with perfectly preserved relics of the
past.
Intermediate winner - Advocating awareness
by Sam Heald
Currently, there are around 6,000 historic places on the
Historic Places Trust register. The register is owned by the Historic
Places Trust and records all of the historic places in New Zealand.
Have you ever wondered what will happen to New Zealand’s
historic places over the next 50 years? It’s probably something that
most New Zealanders don’t think about. I think that every New Zealander
should be aware of at least the historic places in their region so they
can work together to save them.
Many of New Zealand’s heritage places are under threat,
from development pressures and/or neglect. Because of population increases
in some areas of New Zealand, property developers are wanting to subdivide
land to build houses for people. On the land that they want to build on
there may be a historic place. If people in the local council are not
educated or informed about historic places in their district then these
buildings may be bulldozed and part of New Zealand’s heritage will
be lost forever. It is crucial that before any building like this is started,
that the developer has done research to see if the place they are wanting
to build on has any significance to Maori or any heritage significance.
I think that the younger generation of New Zealanders should
be educated so that they are aware of historical sites in their region
so they can help make sure they are preserved. It is important that they
can experience in a small way how past generations lived and are able
to develop a greater understanding of our history and identity. If no
one cared about historical sites then no one would know what it was like
in the past. They would have no respect for how their ancestors lived
and wouldn’t be able to pass on any knowledge to future generations.
Junior Winner - Grandparents’
lessons
by Devonte Muliatalo
My grandpa and grandma live in a house that is special to
me like a heritage place. My grandpa’s name was Uncle Johnnie and
he’s dead now. He died in 1995, just before I was born but I remember
him because of the house.
That is why we should keep our heritage places, because
they mean a lot to people and they have lots of memories. I would really
like to keep Heritage Places because if we did not have them the kids
at school will not remember the past unless they have grandparents to
tell them about it. So by preserving heritage places we can preserve the
past.
If people did not look after heritage places they would
all be rotten, and we wouldn’t be able to visit them or get married
in them, like Mrs. Anderson did in the little church at the Howick Historical
Village. Mrs Parr told us that this church means something really special
to her because in the olden days it was on her great grandparents’
farm. Then she told us it was moved to Howick Historical Village. I have
never seen it in my life but I would like to, because of the memories
in it and the past.
Then Mrs Parr asked us who should look after it, and I said
the family. Other kids in my class said the Government because the past
is part of our nation’s history and some said the council because
heritage places are important to the community around us.
Some of my favourite places are One Tree Hill and the Sky
Tower. In 50 years time if people have bulldozed them down because they
are old or unimportant, I will be sad just like Mrs Parr would have been
if her family’s church hadn’t been preserved. The problem is
what buildings should we look after so that when we grow up we can tell
our kids and they can learn from us and from the past. I think we should
keep Mrs Parr’s church, the Sky Tower, museums, marae and the Howick
Historical Village, because all of these places hold memories for different
people or are important in our past.
