Museums director Anne Blyth looks over the Te Ara Wai collection.
Waipā’s Heritage Fund, which has distributed more than $650,000 over a decade to organisations throughout the district, is in for its first significant shake up since its establishment in 2012.
The fund has an annual value of $70,000 distributed over two rounds a year.
The fund has accepted applications for projects that aim to protect heritage buildings, objects, habitats, cultural or archaeological sites or natural vegetation throughout the district.
Museum and Heritage director Anne Blyth told the Strategic Planning and Policy committee this week the fund was reviewed in 2014 and three years later, with few changes.
But a tabletop review this year revealed most other councils focus their heritage funds on nature and buildings and site on the Heritage New Zealand List or on councils’ district plans.
A subgroup of councillors Roger Gordon, Bruce Thomas and Lou Brown has delegation and responsibility for assessing applications and allocating the fund.
The group met Blyth and other staff and recommended future applications to the council’s fund should be limited to the 74 Waipā sites on the Heritage New Zealand list or those listed under the Natural and Cultural Heritage part of the District Plan.
Applicants applying for money associated with a listed building or site will have to show they have consulted with Heritage New Zealand.
If the application relates to natural heritage, an ecologist should provide a supporting letter.
Only seven of the of the 100 or so granted since 2013 – $44,845 or 6.9 per cent – would have missed out under the new criteria.
In past years, grants have gone to the Pirongia Playcentre to help paint a heritage building, pest control at Lake Ngāroto, the Anglican Parish of St Andrews in Cambridge to protect the pipe organ from earthquakes, the National Wetland Trust to help reintroduce the brown teal and for weed control around Lake Rotongata, St Paul’s Church at Rangiaowhia, Sanctuary Mountain and Mangaohoi Stream Care Trust for restorative planting.
Ruled out in the interim is heritage-related interpretive signage pending finalised guidelines and printed material.
“This revised criteria… will enable clarity for applicants, staff processing the applications received and decision making for the subgroup,” said Blyth.
The new criteria will apply for applications received after June.
Read: Our heritage sites.
