Heritage New Zealand, with the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust and the Waitaki District Council, has formally announced a process to achieve national historic landmark status for Oamaru’s noted Victorian precinct, CBD and historic harbour.
The national historic landmark programme, Ngā Manawhenua o Aotearoa me ōna Kōrero Tūturu, officially recognises and highlights places of "exceptional national heritage".
Achieving it was expected to take at least two years, Whitestone Civic Trust chairman Richard Vinbrux said yesterday.
"It will really show off the significance of what we have."
If Oamaru building owners and the community bought into it, it would be the first South Island site to achieve the landmark status.
To date, it had been applied only to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
Given the Oamaru proposal took in a whole area — with dozens of buildings under mixed ownership — achieving the status was expected to take a while, Mr Vinbrux said.
"I hope for something like two years until it’s finished but of course they have to negotiate with us, with private landowners and with council."
To achieve landmark status Oamaru will need to demonstrate:
■Historical, physical, and/or cultural significance.
■Wide public support.
■An approved risk management plan.
■Owner agreement.
■Appropriate legal protection.
The town is already recognised as a Tohu Whenua site.
A previous effort to achieve world heritage status for Oamaru lacked a strong narrative, Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher said yesterday.
"We missed out just because we didn’t have a cohesive idea or story of what we were trying to tell."
The latest development had been "years in the making" and was exceptional.
It was also unprecedented for the South given it would be sitting alongside Waitangi as the sole national historic landmark at this stage, Mr Kircher said.
"We need one in the South and what better place than New Zealand’s best collection of Victorian buildings and port?"
Mr Kircher underlined the important commitment of building owners, saying their engagement through the latest process would be crucial.
However at this stage much of Oamaru’s heritage fabric was largely protected either through district plan listing, covenants, or HNZ listings.
The group of buildings owned by the Whitestone Trust also represented a significant chunk.
Mr Kircher believed the Thames, Severn, and Itchen Sts CBD triangle would be included with the adjoining precinct and harbour.
"They’re looking at quite a lot of buildings as being part of that. But there’s also contributing buildings ... considered being in sympathy.
"We certainly meet the criteria around most aspects. I think the community is generally proud of it."
