A series of workshops are being held this week to come up with a community-driven heritage strategy for Central Otago.
The workshops began yesterday at Naseby and will move today to Cromwell, at the Cromwell Sports Club, then be conducted tomorrow in Alexandra, at the Cellar Door, and Thursday in Roxburgh, at the Roxburgh Golf Club, all starting at 5.30pm.
The newly formed Heritage Strategy Working Group wants to hear the views of the wider community on how heritage can be protected, enhanced and celebrated.
Group spokesman, Central Otago district councillor John Lane, of Roxburgh, said members of the group were from a wide range of backgrounds.
"Our aim is to find out what the public want, so the strategy is entirely community-driven. It's certainly not some directive issued by the council."
Anyone with an interest in heritage is urged to come along to the workshops and air their views.
Central Otago was an area with a "unique and distinctive heritage" which included mud brick houses, stonemasonry and gold mining relics, he said.
"It tells a story of where we came from, ties us together as a community and helps to create an identity for who we are as individuals, as well as who we are as a district."
A draft heritage strategy would be developed after the workshops, submissions would be sought and then the document finalised. Depending on the content of the document, the council might have to change its district plan, Mr Lane said.
"This is a good opportunity to update our inventories. There's a lot of heritage not recognised in this [Teviot] valley and right across Otago."
Members of the working group include David Ritchie, Graye Shattky, Martin Anderson, David White, Karleigh Dimond, Jeff Hill, Mike Tubbs, Jeff Sawers, Sally Young and Janine Wood.
