Historical and Cultural Values

Please read the full chapter before giving us your feedback

What are the key issues we need to think about?

The Waitaki District has a wealth of historic heritage from several waves of settlement by Māori and Europeans. Heritage buildings, structures, and areas provide connections with our past and help shape the identity of communities across the district. Historic heritage creates special character, adds amenity to areas of the district and can provide future economic opportunities in heritage tourism. Without appropriate protection, historic heritage could degrade or be lost completely.

What are we suggesting in the Draft District Plan?

Our Historic Heritage would be classified as:

1. Historic Heritage Items;
2. Character Contributing Buildings; and
3. The Ōamaru Historic Area

We have reviewed our list of historic listed buildings and structures to address errors, gaps in information and outdated listings. We have combined our current appendices of heritage items and archaeological sites into one new schedule. This new schedule has 106 new buildings/items suggested by property owners and members of the community for protection. A heritage assessment has been prepared for each new listing. In addition, the Plan now contains the criteria used to determine whether items have highly significant heritage value (Category A) or significant heritage value (Category B).

Heritage Items are mapped and a setting around them is also now mapped. We have mapped the Ōamaru Historic Area, a remarkable concentrated and coherent collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Victorian commercial buildings and have identified Character Contributing Buildings within this Historic Area. These buildings and the Ōamaru Historic Area are mapped as overlays. 

You can view the draft heritage overlays here and the schedules of the Historic Heritage Items (SCHED2) and Character Contributing Buildings and non-contributing (SCHED3) here.

The key objective of the draft chapter is to ensure that the district’s heritage is recognised, maintained and protected. Use and sympathetic adaptive re-use of our Historic Heritage Items is encouraged. Heritage Items are protected from certain activities by the need to obtain a resource consent. Activities that require a consent include restoration, earthquake strengthening, alterations and demolition.

In addition to the regulatory methods included in the Draft District Plan, WDC also provides incentives, education and advocacy for the protection, maintenance and enhancement of heritage through the Heritage Fund, the waiving of resource consent fees for eligible projects and the employment of a specialist Heritage Advisor.

We are clarifying the rules for the land immediately around a Heritage Item (the setting). Earthworks for the repair and maintenance of existing tracks, driveways, yards and the like do not need a resource consent (subject to certain conditions) and nor do temporary buildings or small areas of carparking. 

Key changes from the current rules

• The setting around Historic Heritage Items have been mapped.
• Rules relating to new buildings and structures within the setting of a Historic Heritage Item have been clarified.
• More activities are now suggested to be permitted for Historic Heritage Items, including sensitively installed attachments such as heat pumps. Other beneficial activities (restoration and earthquake strengthening) are being made easier, albeit with a consent still required
• Internal alterations to Category B Heritage Items only require a resource consent when the works are to heritage fabric.
• The draft chapter indicates where an application may be eligible for a waiver of resource consent fees.
• Updated draft objectives and policies to support the protection of the significant values and heritage streetscape of the Ōamaru Historic Area.
• Signage for both Character Contributing Buildings and non-contributing buildings would no longer require a resource consent, provided the standards around size, location and appearance are complied with.
• The protection of Notable Trees (previously called Heritage trees) is covered in a ‘Notable Trees’ chapter rather than forming part of the Historic Heritage chapter.

   

What does it mean for me?

If your property has an identified Historic Heritage Item or a Character Contributing Building, the District Plan will generally not affect you unless you are proposing to undertake activities that could damage the heritage values of the item, building or structure. This could include external additions and alterations or internal alterations that affect the heritage fabric, demolition or relocation of a Historic Heritage Item listed in Schedule 2, or a new, permanent building within the setting of a Historic Heritage Item, or demolition of a character contributing building (listed in Schedule 3). For these activities a resource consent will likely be required.

Repair and maintenance are able to be done without needing a resource consent, provided materials are replaced with the same or similar material. We’re also suggesting making it easier to install modern servicing attachments, such as heat pumps (subject to a couple of standards).

Please read the full chapter before giving us your feedback

What are the key issues we need to think about?

The identification of significant trees in the district, listed in a schedule of Notable Trees, for protection against inappropriate trimming and removals. 

What are we suggesting in the Draft District Plan?

Notable trees, previously known as Heritage Trees, have been mapped, and the vast number of World War I Memorial Trees have been identified on the planning maps for the first time.

Alongside a standalone Notable Tree chapter, the trees now have their own schedule. You can view the schedule on our website – check it out, our Notable Trees have some really interesting stories associated with them.

The focus of this chapter is on the protection of Notable Trees from inappropriate trimming and removal and to manage works within the root protection area. Standards have been set for trimming and pruning activities and noncompliance with these standards require a resource consent. Standards include limits on the amount of trimming and who can carry out the works.

Key changes from the current rules

We have reviewed our list of heritage trees to address errors, gaps in information and outdated listings.

• We have suggested an increase in the points threshold required from a STEM assessment and re-assessed already Heritage Trees in the Operative Plan against the higher points requirement.
• We have consolidated the Category A and B Heritage Trees into a single Notable Tree schedule.
• New suggestions from landowners and community members for trees to be included in the District Plan have been assessed and have added 28 new trees/group of trees into the schedule/
• Trimming beyond a specified branch diameter limit is suggested to be restricted works for a qualified arborist to undertake or supervise.
• Removal of Notable Trees without requiring a resource consent is now suggested to be allowed in specified circumstances – such as when the tree is diseased or dying or posing a threat to people or property.
• The term ‘root protection area’ has changed to a best-practice definition.

A STEM assessment – Standard Tree Evaluation Method – assesses trees based on condition (health), and amenity (community benefit), as well as age, rarity and commemoration value. Trees that score 130 or higher on the STEM are scheduled as a Notable Tree. 

What does it mean for me?

If your property has a Notable Tree(s), this would generally not affect you unless you were proposing to undertake trimming, pruning or removal of a Notable Tree for reasons other than provided for in the rules and standards or works other than maintenance of the ground within the root protection area. It is likely that trimming and removal work will need to be carried out by a qualified arborist.

Please read the full chapter before giving us your feedback

What are the key issues we need to think about?

Kāi Tahu whānui have travelled, lived and used resources in the Waitaki District for many generations and have historical and cultural connections with land, waterbodies and resources across the District. Their whakapapa and traditions are embedded in the landscape. It is a matter of national importance, under the RMA, to recognise and provide for the relationship of Māori and their culture and traditions with their ancestral lands, water, sites, wāhi tapu, and other taoka. Sites and areas of significance to Māori require protection from adverse effects of subdivision, land use and development.

The Operative District Plan has no objectives, policies, rules or mapping identifying significant area and relies solely on ensuring rūnanga are consulted by applicants when mana whenua values may be affected. There are no triggers to alert plan users as to when these circumstances might arise. In effect there are no mechanisms that directly protect sites and areas of significance from adverse effects of subdivision, land use and development. Activities that can adversely affect wāhi tūpuna values include disturbance of sites, landscape modification, effects of vegetation clearance, earthworks and runoff on the health of waterbodies and inappropriate activities establishing nearby (i.e. a wastewater treatment plant).

What are we suggesting in the Draft District Plan?  

Mana whenua regard the whole of the Waitaki District as ancestral landscape, but they have identified a number of areas as having particular significance due to the concentration of wāhi tapu or taoka values, or the importance of the area to cultural traditions, history or identity. These sites and areas of significance are referred to as wāhi tūpuna.

The chapter introduces suggested objectives, policies and rules designed to provide for recognition and protection of these wāhi tūpuna/sites and areas of significance to Māori from inappropriate subdivision, land use and development.

Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori are mapped and you can view them on our website.

Scheduled sites and areas of significance to Māori will be protected from activities that are culturally inappropriate, while mahika kai and other cultural activities will be permitted. 

Key changes from the current rules

• Sites and areas of significance to Māori (Wāhi Tūpuna) have been mapped.
• New objectives, policies and rules support the protection of sites and areas of significance.
• Provision for customary harvest and urupā.
• There are specific provisions for the recognition and protection of tuhituhi nehera (rock art sites) with setbacks from limestone escarpments required.
• Views of mauka, tuhituhi nehera and wai Māori are protected from obstruction by structures.
• Inclusion of tangata whenua to be involved in resource management processes and to exercise their kaitiakitaka over Wāhi Tūpuna.
• The rules for buildings, structures and earthworks within a wāhi tūpuna are split into two groups and are more relaxed for wāhi tūpuna in urban locations
  
  

What does it mean for me?

Any lawfully established existing businesses or activities have what is referred to as ‘existing use rights’ and could continue to operate unchanged.

Many activities can continue in identified Wāhi Tūpuna areas without the need for a resource consent.

If your property has an identified Wāhi Tūpuna (Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori) this would generally not affect you unless you were proposing to undertake activities that could adversely affect the values of the site.

This could include large new buildings (outside of urban areas), indigenous vegetation clearance, earthworks, plantation forestry, agricultural intensification, commercial outdoor recreation activities, mining or quarrying, and planting wilding conifer species.