The High Court has ruled that resource consents should not have been granted for Ports of Auckland’s extension of Bledisloe Wharf. Work on the wharf has been stopped. The decision by Justice Geoffrey Venning is a significant victory for Urban Auckland, Stop Stealing our Harbour and the thousands of Aucklanders who protested in various...
Heritage groups were out in force on Tuesday 12 June, making presentations to the Independent Hearings Panel on the Proposed Unitary Plan, on the topics of Special Character and the Pre-1944 Demolition Control Heritage Overlay. Much of the day was taken up with strong advocacy for Auckland’s heritage from various...
Churches around the country are shutting their doors as congregations and funds dwindle, and ageing buildings need seismic strengthening. St David’s Presbyterian church in Khyber Pass, Auckland, closed last December, and faces possible demolition. Founder of the Friends of St David’s Trust www.saintdavidsfriends.org.nz , Paul Baragwanath and the Chief Executive...
Vernon Tava of the Waitemata Local Board highlights the plight of heritage villas at 16-18 Crummer Rd., Ponsonby. He discusses the incomplete protection that the Pre 1944 Heritage Overlay is proving to be. These two well-loved Victorian villas are about to be demolished, as they were removed from the Heritage...
Urban Auckland headed to court on Tuesday 2 June to battle Ports of Auckland over the controversial Bledisloe Wharf extensions into the harbour. Civic Trust has been supporting Urban Auckland in their fight to get public input into the resource consent decisions. See Herald article here for more details.
Long-time Civic Trust member and past Board member Roy Clements was featured on TV One’s Sunday night news segment “Good Sorts” on 24 May 2015. His tireless energy in working for the community was showcased, with a special emphasis on his projects for turning untamed urban bush into community green...
Heritage advocates fear Government plans for dealing with buildings after natural disasters will result in historical landmarks being lost forever. Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith has announced proposals to make responding to a disaster more efficient and streamlined. Under the proposals, Heritage New Zealand would not be consulted when...
The Art of Remembrance at St David’s Church in Khyber Pass, Auckland, was unveiled by Central Auckland MP Nikki Kaye at a ceremony on the eve of ANZAC Day 2015. This unique artwork by renowned New Zealand artist Max Gimblett was inspired by the Tower of London poppies and consists of 100,000 brass quatrefoils which...
This WW1 memorial church, situated on Khyber Pass, Grafton, and built in 1927 has been closed since late 2014 and needs earthquake strengthening. Friends of St David’s, a group with a mission to stop demolition, to fundraise and restore the church, and to ensure it has an on-going community use,...
In March 2015 Donovan Rypkema from Washington DC, an expert in the economics of heritage preservation, visited Auckland as a guest of Civic Trust Auckland. This was his second visit to NZ. He also spent time in Wellington and Christchurch, discussing and presenting on seismic strengthening issues for heritage preservation....