Appendix F
Criteria for Determining Significance of Heritage Features
Where discretionary activity resource consent is required for a built heritage feature, the assessment criteria below, in addition to the matters listed in the relevant Heritage Inventory Record Form in Appendix B, will be used to assess the application. The assessment criteria below have been used to assess the heritage value of each of the places in Appendix B, and will be used to evaluate any proposals to add new buildings to the Heritage Inventory.
ADVISORY NOTE: The current inventory of Built Heritage is recorded in Appendix B.
1.0
Historical: “The extent to which the place reflects importance or is representative of South Waikato or New Zealand’s history.”
1.1
The extent to which the place is important as a representative example of a type of historic place in terms of age, historical aspects, time periods, patterns or themes (like transport, warfare or women’s history).
1.2
The extent to which the place is associated with important persons, groups, individuals, organisations, or institutions who have owned, lived in, worked in, or carried out activities in or on the place, or associated with important historic events or actions.
1.3
The extent to which the place is associated with important ideas or beliefs that symbolise or illustrate historic change in South Waikato or New Zealand.
1.4
Does the place date from an early period of South Waikato or New Zealand’s settlement?
2.0
Tangata Whenua: “The importance of the place to Tangata Whenua.”
2.1
This evaluation needs to be made by, or in full consultation with iwi. It includes such matters as the Historical, Traditional (place names, people and events), Cultural, Spiritual, Religious, Symbolic, Commemorative, Social, Educational, Economic, and Contextual importance of a place. The importance may be at iwi, hapu, and whanau level.
3.0
Community Association: “The community association with, or public esteem for the place.”
3.1
The extent to which the place has qualities which make it the focal point for the spiritual, cultural, customary, religious, social, political, philosophical, or economic, values of an ethnic group or the local or wider community.
3.2
The extent to which there is evidence of strong feelings of community association with the place.
3.3
The extent to which the place illustrates the distinctiveness of the community’s identity, social history and way of life, and has this community association with the place been formally recognised through the planning process?
4.0
Commemorative: “The commemorative value of the place.”
4.1
Does the place commemorate an important person, event, idea, activity, and is this formalised by a memorial of some specific kind?
5.0
Symbolic: “The symbolic value of the place.”
5.1
The extent to which the place is of symbolic value to the district, region or nation, by symbolising a feature of the area’s past history. (A place such as a sacred mountain can have symbolic importance without being commemorative.)
6.0
Educational: “The potential of the place for public education.”
6.1
The extent to which the place provides potential to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the past, and its potential for interpretation for present and future generations.
6.2
The extent to which the place is accessible to the public.
7.0
Archaeological: “The potential of the place to provide knowledge of South Waikato or New Zealand’s history.”
7.1
The extent to which the place has the potential to define or expand knowledge of earlier human occupation, activities or events through investigation using archaeological methods, and the research potential of the place.
7.2
Whether the place is important as a representative example of a site type, feature or activity, and whether this importance has been recognised as a formally recorded or registered archaeological site?
(Note: When evaluating the significance of an archaeological site all of the other criteria need to be considered.)
8.0
Scientific: “The potential of the place to provide knowledge of South Waikato or New Zealand’s history.”
8.1
The extent to which the place has the potential in scientific (e.g. geological or biological) terms to provide evidence and knowledge relating to South Waikato or New Zealand’s human history.
8.2
The importance of the place in the history of the development of science (e.g. agriculture or horticulture) in South Waikato or New Zealand.
9.0
Technological: “The technical accomplishment or value of the place.”
9.1
The extent to which the place is or was important in the development of technology, technological innovation or technological processes, and is that technological process still carried out on the site?
10.0
Architectural: “The design of the place.”
10.1
Whether the place provides a notable, rare or representative example of an architectural style, type or convention in either interior or exterior layout.
10.2
Whether the place is an important example of architectural innovation.
10.3
The extent to which the place is an important example of a particular method of construction, use of material or design feature, or a particular form of craftsmanship.
10.4
Whether the place is an important example of the work of a notable architect, designer, engineer or builder.
11.0
Context: “The extent to which the place forms part of a wider historical and cultural context or historical and cultural landscape.”
11.1
The extent to which the historical context of the place is important in terms of comparative age, being part of a particular time period, or historical or cultural continuity.
11.2
The extent to which the place is an important component of a group of associated historic places, and its value as a component of the wider historical or cultural landscape, or streetscape.
11.3
Whether the place is part of a registered or scheduled historic area.
11.4
The importance of the place in terms of visual amenity, or aesthetic value (past or present beauty), or as a landmark.
12.0
Rarity: “The frequency with which the historic place can be found.”
12.1
The rarity of that type of historic place.
13.0
Integrity: “What is the integrity of the place?”
13.1
The extent to which the place has integrity in terms of its historical or cultural setting and its relationship with associated structures, and whether the place is located on its original site.
13.2
The extent to which the place has been modified, altered, or restored in an important or sensitive way.
13.3
The physical state or condition of the place.
13.4
Whether the place is dangerous or poses a threat to the health and safety of people.
13.5
To what extent is the place vulnerable to modification or destruction?
Please note the following when using these guidelines:
Any type of historic place can be assessed using the above criteria;
A place may be assessed as being important under any one of the above criteria;
All archaeological sites, historic areas, buildings, places, objects, structures, and flora, should be assessed under each of the criteria; and
Although all these criteria are inter-related, the historical criteria should be assessed first because these values link with all the others.