Trust Welcomes Judge's Decision

New Zealand Historic Places Trust Information release
7 April 2005

The New Zealand Historic Places Trust welcomes the judge's decision that the prosecution of Far North Holdings for damaging a recorded archaeological site at Waitangi, Bay of Islands in 2002 has been successful.

The Trust prosecuted Far North Holdings after the company failed to get authority from the Trust to modify what was a clearly identified and well recorded archaeological site in order to build a bus turning circle. As a result, archaeology in the area was destroyed when work began in late 2002.

"We're very pleased that the judge has heard our concerns, and has obviously taken into consideration the archaeological value of the site when making his decision. This is a victory for New Zealand's archaeological heritage," says the Historic Places Trust's Senior Archaeologist, Dr Rick McGovern-Wilson.

"Prosecution is not something the Trust takes on lightly, and the decision to proceed was considered very carefully," he says.

"In the end we came to the conclusion that this was an important cultural and historical site, and as such we simply couldn't let this go."

Subsequent meetings with Far North Holdings have proven to be positive, however, providing opportunities to discuss archaeological processes and other heritage-related issues, and Dr McGovern-Wilson is hopeful that this sort of incident will not be repeated.

"The Historic Places Trust is keen to continue working with Far North Holdings and other organisations to try to ensure that this sort of incident doesn't happen again," he says.

"We are committed to doing as much as we can to ensure our heritage - including our rich archaeological heritage - is protected for future generations to enjoy and learn from."

Contact for further information:

Rick McGovern-Wilson
Senior Archaeologist
Tel: 04 470 8055 or 021 2501881
Email: rmcgwilson@historic.org.nz