Historic Places Trust slams practice
New Zealand Historic Places
Trust Information release
12 June 2007
The New Zealand Historic Places
Trust is dismayed by an item played on TV3 news Sunday night, which showed men
searching an archaeological site in Central Otago without authorisation. Trust
Senior Archaeologist Dr Rick McGovern-Wilson today criticised the behaviour of
three Central Otago men, described in the news item as 'gold mining enthusiasts'
for fossicking on an archaeological site high in the Garvie Mountains, east of
Lake Wakatipu. The three men were looking for the remains of a lost gold
mining town, known as "North Pole", which quietly slipped into the annals
of history more than 140 years ago. Dr McGovern-Wilson is concerned by TV3's coverage
of the activity. "People have to realise that such activities require
authorisation and they can face some pretty stiff penalties if they don't get
the appropriate clearance. I was absolutely appalled by what I saw on the TV3
News on Sunday. This situation clearly shows the media also need to be aware of
the role they play when they cover such activities." Dr McGovern-Wilson
said Section 99 of the Historic Places Act 1993 made it illegal for any person
to destroy, damage or modify an archaeological site without the prior authority
of the Historic Places Trust. The penalty for such actions include fines ranging
from $40,000 to $100,000 and a criminal conviction. The Act defines an archaeological
site as a place associated with pre-1900 human activity where there may be evidence
relating to the history of New Zealand. All sites are protected and people require
an authority from the Trust prior to undertaking activities that may modify, damage,
or destroy a site. Dr McGovern-Wilson said that the provisions of the Act
were crucial to protecting much of this country's archaeological heritage. "If
we allow people to just go off and fossick through archaeological sites around
the country then we run the very real risk of potentially losing important archaeological
information. It is imperative that we protect these important remnants of our
past." Contact details for further information: Dr Matthew Schmidt,
Regional Archaeologist Otago/Southland
Email: mschmidt@historic.org.nz
Phone:
03 477 9850 | 
