Trust Begins its Waikanae Burial Site Prosecution

New Zealand Historic Places Trust Media Release
16 July 2001

The New Zealand Historic Places Trust commences today its court action against an engineering and a contracting company for alleged unlawful damage to an archaeological site in Waikanae.

In its case brought before the Porirua District Court, the Trust has charged the companies concerned with causing damage or modification of an archaeological site without the authority of the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

"The New Zealand Historic Places Trust has power under the 1993 Historic Places Act to bring prosecution when damage or destruction occurs to an archaeological site without its authority" said today the Trust's senior archaeologist, Dr Rick McGovern-Wilson.

"The Act provides the framework, through the authority process, for ensuring that work undertaken on an archaeological site is done so in an appropriate manner" explained Dr McGovern-Wilson. "When properly applied, the authority process leads to positive solutions for all interested parties."

"Our archaeological heritage is a finite and vulnerable resource, of invaluable importance to our understanding of who we are as New Zealanders, both Maori and Pakeha. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust endeavours to protect that resource through advocating greater understanding of its importance, and if necessary through its statutory powers when it feels the provisions of the Act have not been respected."

For more information contact:
Dr Rick McGovern-Wilson
Senior Archaeologist
phone: 04 470-8055
email: rmcgwilson@historic.org.nz