CHAMPIONING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PAST

Box 112’s impact on our city is far-reaching, and the business has taken the lead in the restoration of many of the key buildings in the centre of the city.

This slow but steady revival is cheered on by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga and Dame Anna Crighton, current chair of the Canterbury Heritage Awards. 

Dame Anna has been involved in the Heritage Awards since 2010 but initiated the creation of the Christchurch Heritage Trust in the mid-1990s. This was largely due to her ‘increasing displeasure in witnessing the demolition of heritage within our city in the name of progress’, viewing heritage being replaced with “concrete boxes” as a backward step. 

Dame Anna believes there is a real significance of heritage retention and honouring such work.

“It enriches so many lives. These awards involve so many people, from the owners, builders, architects, to suppliers. The awards also elevate this history to the forefront of everybody – it makes the wider community think about our heritage.”

The awards night was a sold-out ceremony, held at the Christ’s College Dining Hall on 11 June. It’s clear that our nation is watching – with representatives from Timaru, Ashburton, Napier, Hurunui, Dunedin, and Wellington attending the awards. The celebration of heritage throughout our country through regional awards seems to be on the horizon. 

Dame Anna says the occasion was to applaud, acclaim, and celebrate the work from the talented group of entrants. 

“The benchmark of the entries was set really high – even to make the final is a major achievement this year against stiff competition. The judges had a difficult dilemma in making their decisions. If left to me, everyone would be a winner!”

Te Whare Waiutuutu Kate Sheppard House took home the Supreme Award on the night but was not the only project acclaimed that evening, with a total of nine winners across the six categories. 

The Moveable Feasts Heritage Tourism Award went to the Awaroa/Godley Head Coastal Defence Site (Department of Conservation). And a Certificate of Special Recognition went to Riverside Market Mural (Riverside Ltd). The Ceres NZ Public Realm – Saved and Restored Award had joint winners: School of Art, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora (The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora), and the Balmoral Fire Lookout (Hawarden Waikari Lions Club). 

The Maiden Group Domestic Saved and Restored Award also shared joint winners: Montrose Station Homestead (Wilson & Hill Architects) and Isabella and Tim Weston for The Britten Stables, to name a few.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the awards, and the trustees made a special award to The Pumphouse in celebration. All winners were presented with a trophy designed by Neil Dawson. During the Awards Ceremony, 16 of the 62 entrants were awarded Highly Commended placings, with a further six receiving Commended. 

The success and the sustainability of the Heritage Awards are built on a committed network of partnerships and sponsors who share a vision for the importance of salvaging cultural heritage.

All involved in the ceremony are extremely valuable to our region, for individually and collectively, they have contributed to New Zealand’s cultural future by championing the importance of the past.