By Sue Sutherland, an independent consultant assisting with the recovery of Kaiapoi Museum.

Moving back to Christchurch from Wellington in July 2011 raised a few eyebrows amongst friends and colleagues.  Why, when so many people were leaving, were we going in the opposite direction – returning to my home city of Christchurch?   Apart from the personal reasons of family and friends, it was a chance to help with the rebuild and to be part of the energy and hard work needed for the recovery.

So I was delighted to be asked by Craig Sargison of the Waimakariri District Council if I could assist with the recovery of the Kaiapoi Museum, whose building had been demolished following the September 2010 earthquake.  Kaiapoi has suffered considerable damage to commercial and residential properties with nearly 1000 homes being designated as being in the “red zone”.  This means the land is not considered suitable for housing.  The town will lose the majority of its historical buildings, with the old Court House which housed the Museum being one of the first to be demolished.

In addition to the Museum, the Kaiapoi Library and Service centre building had also been seriously damaged. Parts of the building have moved in different directions as a result of lateral spread of the land.  This building was scheduled for repair and initially was not part of the plan to re-house the Museum.

The Kaiapoi Museum has had an interesting history.  Like many smaller provincial museums it is run by the local Kaiapoi Historical Society which held its first meeting in 1960. The aims of the society were to collect and preserve early records. Over the years the Museum has gathered together objects, costumes, archives, photographs, newspapers, microfiche and microfilm.  The collection now numbers somewhere between 7000- 8000 items.   Initially housed in the old Fire Station, the Museum moved to the Court House in 1982 where it remained until 2010.   The collection is currently in storage. 

Over the 50 years of its life dedicated volunteers have given time, ideas and energy to making sure the history of Kaiapoi is kept for future generations.  Many of the volunteers have themselves been personally affected by the earthquake, being required to move out of their homes which are in the red zone.  One of the pleasures of this assignment is working with the building sub-committee of the Kaiapoi Historical Society to understand their aspirations and the challenges to be faced in getting the Museum operational again.

It has meant getting to know them as people, finding out how the Museum operates, and working with them to create a vision for the future of the Museum.  A museum is more than just a collection of objects and displays.  The Museum must tell a story – a story that links the visitor with the people and situations of the past.  Today’s events become tomorrow’s history.  One of the challenges for the Museum is gathering the record of the earthquake in their town in order to tell the unique Kaiapoi story of these tumultuous and life changing events.

So where are we up to?   Over several months we have looked at different options for re-housing the museum and library:  repairing an old building for the museum and repairing the library; a new build for the library and a new build for the Museum; or a new purpose built facility which would accommodate them both, the Council’s Service Centre and an art space for Kaiapoi.

I am really pleased to say that the Waimakariri District Council has chosen the last option and planning is underway to build a new 1700 square metre facility on the site of the former library and service centre.  The community will have an opportunity to provide feedback through the annual plan process before a final decision is made.  This option will maximise access to all of the activities for visitors and ensure the people of Kaiapoi and the whole district get value for the money to be spent.

There are still challenges ahead – not the least of which is a thorough review of the collection of the Museum to determine what items will form part of the new exhibitions and displays.  There is additional funding to be sought to get expert assistance with the curation of the exhibitions which will tell the story of Kaiapoi.  However a start has been made and it will be great over the coming year to see the new facility become a reality. 

The people of Kaiapoi, like many in other parts of Canterbury have had a difficult 18 months.  I am confident that this new museum, library, service centre and art space will provide a real boost to the town and become a much visited place by locals and visitors alike.

Image credits:
1: Kaiapoi Museum being demolished – Saturday 11 September, 9.30am.  Photo courtesy of Kaiapoi Museum.
2: Site of the Kaiapoi Museum.  Copyright BeckerFraserPhotos.

Sue Sutherland is an independent consultant supporting libraries, local government and public and private sector organisations to achieve their goals.  Experienced both in big operational roles and in the development of strategy and policy, Sue offers a wealth of knowledge and skill to her clients.  She is passionate about the difference that libraries and museums can make in people’s lives and values the importance of story in helping make sense of our world.

Reread Judith Taylor’s post about Kaiapoi Museum in the aftermath of the September 2010 earthquake.

How easy it is to become blasé. After a couple of days among the works of some of the world’s great art masters I realized I had stopped noticing. Caravaggio, Canaletto, Van der Weyden, Bosch, Rubens, Velázquez, Murillo, Goya, Holbein, Gainsborough, Turner, Delacroix, Manet, Renoir, Rembrandt and Degas… all were in danger of becoming wallpaper, the result of information and sensory overload. Six intensive days of good-quality conference in a large European art museum housed in a neo-renaissance palace in a magical city can do that to me.   

Thanks to the support of National Services Te Paerangi, UNESCO New Zealand and Hamilton City Council, in September I was lucky enough to be in Zagreb, Croatia, participating in the ICOM CECA 2011 conference where I presented:  Getting out from under the e-word, the way in which language may programme our thinking patterns and in particular how the word ‘education’ may trigger traditional expectations and assumptions around learning.   

The artistic and cultural centre of Zagreb is focused in the “old” town, a dignified setting of many cobbled streets and nineteenth century buildings. While the earliest record of the city dates to 1094, much of the older built heritage was destroyed by an earthquake in 1880.   

The conference was held in the impressive Mimara Museum, a large institution with nearly 4000 works and a strong art library.   

The team at NSTP was sad to say goodbye to North Island MDO Ian Wards early in September.  Ian has headed south to be Project Curator at Otago Settlers Museum.  Before he left, Ian had this to say:

Kia ora koutou 

Well, it has been a real privilege to travel the country visiting museums and art galleries, dishing out my wisdom …

Seriously now, I have learnt a huge amount over the last year or so working for National Services. Thank you for all those curly questions, to which I have attempted answers – well, I tried! I’ve kinda felt like a knowledge server, soaking in knowledge and advice while on the road or in the office – then flinging it back out across the many, many museums and galleries of our islands.

We have some real stars in Museumland – not just council- or government-funded ones, but also museums of passion: aka the trusts and historical societies who carry on, funded on nothing but air, because they care about maintaining the material heritage of this country. I’ve seen some truly creative ways of sparking the imagination of present-day people – to feel what it was like in the past, to appreciate where we are today.

Understanding what has gone on before us, including the many unfortunate consequences of humans on this land, provides us with valuable lore to focus our vision as we ‘manage’ the land for future generations.

The environmental degradation of this country since the arrival of people is the elephant in the room of New Zealand museums. Do we choose not to interpret it simply because it isn’t pretty or tourist friendly?

This rant ties into my last words, which aren’t actually mine but those of my Chief Executive, Mike Houlihan. Mike, in a recent talk to the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, asked:

Have you experienced anything today [at the museum] that will change your attitude or behaviour?

Well, actually, we don’t even bother asking that one. Yet, this life changing area, the social impact zone, should be our battlefield; ironically, that was the original purpose of the public museum.

Food for thought, methinks.

Merry museology! I’ve got exhibitions to make in Dunedin!

Ngā mihi

Ian

Recently I’ve been in Feilding working with the Coachhouse Museum on their redevelopment plans. They are stars – having put together good planning documents and consulting widely before they approach funders, etc. Anyway, that is not the topic I’m writing about in this Diary.

Why I mention the Coach House Museum is because they have a fantastic old Hawkers wagon that was used to sell goods ranging from needles to anchors. The wagon’s former owner, Peter Kerouse, drove it throughout the Manawatu and over into Hawkes’ Bay during the middle decades of the 20^th Century, becoming something of a local legend in the process. 

The hawkers wagon of Peter Kerouse, Coach House Museum, Feilding.

Peter selling his wares.

This wagon, with accompanying photographs of Peter selling his wares, is a marvellous example of how people and things can mesh into one. Rather than being ‘just another wagon’ this vehicle provides a fascinating insight into the lives of New Zealanders from an era most of us can only imagine.

Good things with good stories are one thing, telling those stories well is another. When approaching ways to interpret an object – or tell its stories – try communicating without words. Photographs, illustrations, film, sound and diaramas (my favourite!), are all things to think about before you resort to words. Different people absorb information in different ways.

Surveys have shown that people often only read labels for an average of 2 seconds. It is also very easy to get ‘museum fatigue’: that feeling of being exhausted within minutes of entering a museum or gallery due to the share variety of stimuli you brain is having to process (speaking from experience here…).

A great example of displays that are both sensitive to the environment in which they live, while also being stimulating in their content, can be found at the Colin McCahon House in Titirangi. Initially on entering the tiny house in which the McCahon family lived during the 1950s, everything looks Spartan and clean; as it might have been half a century ago. It is only upon being prompted to open some cupboards by your guide that a whole world of information about the McCahon household comes to life – using photographs, audio-visuals, and text.

Display cases inside Colin McCahon house

So I reckon that when you are planning exhibitions, think about the engaging people related stories and ways to interpret them though means other than text.

What was your reaction to QBW Honours?
Of course, I was surprised as these things seem to come right out of the blue. However, as I’ve discovered, it’s a nice way of the community as a whole acknowledging a contribution made in a given field. I was pleased to see the museum profession in the roll-call, with local colleague Therese Angelo from the Air Force Museum also honoured.

What are you passionate about? 
My work. I have greatly enjoyed being actively involved with the Venice Biennale in 2009 and 2011 and feel strongly that New Zealand should continue to participate in this event.

Tell me about an inspiring Gallery experience? 
Not so much a gallery experience, but seeing British artist Anish Kapoor’s Leviathan (for Monumenta 2011) in the Grand Palais, Paris recently was amazing and inspirational. Visitors pass into a huge blown-up bulbous red membranous space (it’s made of PVC). You’re literally inside with no sense of a surrounding environment, but lights subtlely and slowly bring the web-like patterns of the host building’s framework into focus through the surfaces. Then you view it externally, but still inside the Grand Palais. It’s a more a dense aubergine colour on the outside, but still quite marvellous. I’m not sure that any building in New Zealand would do it justice – and I’m certain such an installation would need a massive budget.

What displeases you in a Gallery? 
I like galleries which allow views of the exterior from time-to-time and, conversely, dislike never getting a glimpse of the outside. I dislike exhibitions with too much in them (unless crowding is a feature of the exhibit itself); exhibitions which are ‘books on the wall’ (they’re probably better absorbed in a book); labels which are too dry, or talk down to an audience, or are hard to find with wording too small; exhibitions which aren’t rigorously re-viewed and re-freshed. Of course, as museum professionals, we notice every little flaw – that’s a given!

How did the earthquake affect you? 
Profoundly - we’re simply not good at shutting the doors. Remaining closed for months goes against every bone in our professional bodies. Thinking on it, Christchurch Art Gallery has become the scene of a clash of civic roles. On the one hand, we’re a publicly-owned building which stood up well during recent earthquakes; we quickly became emergency operations headquarters; and we’re pleased to play such a crucial role in the heart of this city. On the other hand, we’re desperate to do what it is we’re designed to do: to get art back in our lives; to give our people something to do at weekends; to ensure tourist operators don’t think the whole city is closed for business; to help the city towards a sense of cultural and economic recovery! 

What do you see as your Gallery’s strengths?
The staff at Christchurch Art Gallery are its major strength. Our collection has its gems, but it’s not the best in the world and – although it’s stood strong during recent events – the building is not either. But the staff have made us what we are. They’ve shown an ability to step up; they’re oriented to their public and to understanding it and growing it; they’re interested in innovation and making improvements. They contribute to the broader professions within the art world; they’re agile and oriented to opportunities as they arise. We also have a supportive Council, which provides an excellent basis for a publicly-funded gallery.

How much has been lost culturally through the ‘quakes? 
The impact of the total closure of any inner city for a length of time and the destruction of a range of landmark and other buildings is pretty hard to quantify, but cultural losses will be immense. For us, it has been really disappointing to cancel a range of various exhibitions, to return loans, to truncate public programmes. Although we’re lucky to have a place to come to work, it goes against the grain not to have people streaming though the door every day. We were so lucky to have sandwiched ‘Ron Mueck’ between the 4 September and 22 February earthquakes, but it is disappointing that Christchurch Art Gallery will not post a new attendance record (we’d already had 457,000 visitors in 2010-11, which is not bad for being open only 8 months!). However, the earthquake will also present opportunities which we look forward to – including our planned opening programme and the opportunity to contribute to the re-build in whatever ways. There have been some interesting ‘gap-filler’ type art projects emerge in the wake of wider destruction. It’s hard to keep people down…

Any thoughts on how our sector can best help? 
It’s very human to want to do something straight away, and of course we received many personal and collegial messages of concern and good will from all over the world. But needs will be spread out, and may come in 2-3 years. We hope that there will not be too many cold feet within the New Zealand museum sector about lending key items to Christchurch in the future!  That will stunt our cultural recovery.

Anything else you’d like to add?
It’s important to know and understand what is likely to happen in the case of a similar disaster in your area? Make sure your disaster and business continuity plans do not only cover something local, but also take account of when a whole city goes under for a period. Make sure your local area has a plan that ensures cultural recovery is up there as a priority – and that your museum or gallery contributes to it.

Damage at Sumner Museum

While we were realising the extent of damage to collections after the February Canterbury earthquake, the Tohoku Pacific Ocean Earthquake, the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japan hit. This was only four months ago and although we don’t hear about their cultural recovery in the news, there is information about how the situation has been dealt with there. The Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs has information related to the disaster recovery.

Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Seiichi Kondo reported that more than four hundred cultural properties were heavily damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. “Many National Treasures, Important Cultural Properties, Special Historic Sites and Special Places of Scenic Beauty have also been affected. Several properties will require a long time to recover, while some are totally lost…”

There is recognition that “Culture and the arts serve the very important role of comforting people and providing spiritual power, strengthening regional bonds, and offering people hope for tomorrow.”

Lessons are clear from the Canterbury and Japanese events; culture and arts are critical to our sense of well being. Institutions involved with the care and interpretation of collections and heritage need to be prepared for any disaster. Preparation does make us more resilient. Clear communication, community-based planning and response, decentralisation and self reliance are essential.  Museums need to revise and update emergency plans and to reassess risks regularly.We are in the process of arranging Canadian risk analysis expert Robert Waller to run a series of Level 3 workshops throughout New Zealand to assist museums with this process. There are many great resources available on-line to help, particularly disaster planning resources HRRG 6 and 7.  

National Services Te Paerangi is working with Christchurch publicly funded heritage agencies who have been meeting to develop strategies for sector recovery and to consult and report to CERA.   

Update on the Lyttelton Museum

On July 16 Christchurch City Council and New Zealand Fire Service worked with a team of 10-12 USAR -trained members and nine Airforce Museum (Wigram) staff to catalogue, photograph, pack and transport the Lyttelton museum collection to safe storage. The collection of local and maritime items was successfully retrieved with the exception of some large items that have been carefully covered. The Museum’s full collection of Lyttelton Times is stored at the Lyttelton Library. Emptying the building will initially allow a full assessment and then possible deconstruction or repair to the building without any impact on the collections.  Retrieval was extensively planned and based on detailed analysis of the building structure, focusing on safe areas, avoiding hazardous areas, and making plans for emergency response. Compacting shelving seemed very robust until struck by the February Canterbury earthquake. Museums have reported shelving jumping off tracks and many items being inaccessible when shelves no longer open. 

I spoke with a broker about insurance implications for museums following the Canterbury earthquake (and other recent extreme events). A recommendation is that museums/galleries have up to date facility reports, documented hazard registers and treatment plans. Any risk management work undertaken would be regarded favourably. There is a possibility that museums grouping together can negotiate lower insurance rates.

As a sector we can also work together on reviewing our response procedures and improving our channels of communication for disaster response, develop communication with Civil Defence (that could allow for earlier access to collections and buildings) and find more ways to effectively collaborate during recovery.

Small is good 

Wallace Early Settlers Association at the museum Te Hikoi in Riverton has developed a new exhibition on the effect of war titled “For your Tomorrows”. This opened as part of Anzac Day Commemorations. Volunteers contributed many hours of research, planning and their comprehensive range of skills to achieve this great exhibition addition. They built and organised everything to a standard that you could expect to see in a larger, well resourced museum. With the assistance of Roving Museum Officer Jo Massey, all was achieved on a slim budget using innovative techniques and researching possible suppliers. Although the space is small the exhibition doesn’t feel crowded and stories and graphics are very well presented and it is not cluttered with surplus objects.  Dave Asher (President) said that the team had always intended to develop a military display because after maritime stories of the area (including whaling and sealing) “the World Wars had the greatest impact on the lives of New Zealanders and small communities”. Personal stories convey facts and emotions. Letters and memorabilia include a poppy sent home from Flanders Field. 

Collaboration is good; six museums working together

Standards Group

Six museums in the Clutha District are continuing to work through the NZ Museums Standards Scheme as part of an initiative to start working more closely together. I’ve been involved in several meetings to start this process and can already see the benefits for the museums involved, especially in identifying areas where museums can cooperate and support each other.  

Kaaren Mitcalfe, Director of Owaka Museum comments that “Although we are all committed in so many ways already, without a good benchmark to follow it is easy to never quite get around to it or even to be ignorant of all that is required in a “healthy and functional” museum structure. The Standards folder is an easy-to-follow, join the dots approach to what an ideal, professional museum with all the structures in place would require. For a small museum looking to the future and asking the question how do we progress? It is possible to have eyes opened and increased awareness of guidelines on how to introduce new codes of practice or to develop a better policy.”

At the end of this year the six museums will have completed all the modules and be ready for the peer review that will give them more feedback and ideas and contribute to the development of a regional strategy.

“Working as a cluster group to do the standards scheme brings us all together on a regular basis to share ideas and form more of a network. We are finding shared potential to be tapped into. Some areas are best tackled individually, others can be effectively done as a group,” Owaka Museum. “South Otago Museum has found attending the National Standards seminars to be very beneficial. Being part of a larger group project has brought about a feeling of optimism. By working through and completing the National Standards Scheme together, we feel the six Clutha District museums will form an effective unit. Further, South Otago Museum anticipates this unified group will be proactive in the future, working effectively to ensure heritage gets the respect and protection it deserves here in the South,” South Otago Museum.  ”Taking part in the NZ Museums Standards Scheme has prompted us to review our structure and procedures, and encouraged us to discuss forward planning with our membership. Reminding us of the knowledge we already have at our disposal,” Milton Museum.

Need costume covers?

The Airforce Museum, Wigram has developed a range of standard costume covers for hanging military garments.

Costume Covers

These are made of recommended museum materials and have been designed with every detail carefully considered. There’s an opportunity for bulk orders of these or other covers. Contact Collection Manager David Watmuff for more information. David.Watmuff@nzdf.mil.nz

I’ve been on the road constantly since I wrote last and it’s been an interesting schedule of activities with a mixture of presentations, the facilitation of iwi workshops and assisting iwi with enquiries. There has been a marked increase in the numbers of iwi participating in the programmes and workshops that we offer around the motu, no reira, kia kaha koutou katoa. 

Keep those emails and phone calls coming in if you have any questions.  Also to find out more about how we can help you, call us on our freephone number 0508 678 743 or check out our website at http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/NationalServices/Pages/NationalServices.aspx 

To give you an update of the more recent events I’ve been involved in with iwi, I thought I’d share some of the highlights with you:  

• Iwi Digital Photography Workshop at the Tauranga Matariki Festival Celebrations

This work shop tutored by Michael Hall was a collaboration between the Tauranga City Council, the Tauranga Moana Māori Tourism Council, and local iwi. In this workshop the iwi learned about digital photography and care and storage of taonga over two days. 

It was neat to be invited to be involved as part of the local Tauranga celebrations and we we were lucky enough to be able to view local art works and galleries and listen to the iwi plans for future development and collaboration in tourisim, art and education. The Matariki get together on the Friday night was an interesting mix of politicans, artists iwi and tourists (who were lucky enough to stumble on the gathering!). 

With the local art scene so visible in Tauranga and with iwi right up there with developments, I also met some younger artists studying alongside Linda Munns and working towards iwi development initiatives towards caring for their taonga. A very heartfelt thanks to Caryn Rawlinson, Linda Munns, Dean Flavell and their team, and all those who hosted us during the workshop.  Also a mihi to Simon Bridges and local Councillor Catherine Stewart who shared their time with me during the evening.

• Toi Wairarapa and National Services Te Paerangi Iwi Digital Photography Seminar 

In June we presented an iwi digital photography seminar as part of the Toi Wairarapa seminar series at Ara Toi.  A big thanks to Haami Te Whaiti and local iwi who attended the presentation.

• Iwi seminars at Te Manawa Museum – Te Papaioea

In May, iwi were invited to attend our iwi seminars where people were able to learn more about our work and the work of conservators Rangi Te Kanawa, Vicki-Anne Heikell and Te Papa photographer Michael Hall.  Iwi and hapu members from the Manawatu region including Levin, Palmerston North, Reureu and over to Ratana Pā attended.  Big thanks to rangatira Manu Kawana and his team for their support and all the whanau who made it over to Te Papaioea. This presentation has led to lots of hui and korero with iwi. 

• Iwi presentation at Tukorehe Marae

This presentation to Lindsay Poutama and whānau in May went well.  It was awesome listening to the developments of Ngāti Tukorehe and their taonga and we are looking forward to being involved in the coming months.

• Visit and presentation at Ratana Pa

In July, Te Herekiekie Herewini and I travelled over to Ratana Pa to meet with Puawai Hagger and whānau and iwi members. Te Herekiekie provided a short overview about the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Team and their work and it was an opportunity to share more about how we support and work with iwi.  This was a special occasion for us and we are looking forward to working alongside iwi in the near future. A big mihi to Puawai and all the whānau we spoke to that day.

• Ngāti Pareraukawa Taonga Conservation workshop

This two day workshop was held at Ngātokowaru Marae and tutored by Rangi Te Kanawa in July. The main kaupapa of the workshop was the stabilisation of treasured whāriki and the team are on track with their whāriki project.  Rangi was impressed by the high quality of work by all over the two days and there was no doubt that this team of weavers led by Rachael Selby were dedicated to the task at hand.

The team also nested and boxed a selection of taonga. It was a special workshop for me as this was the home marae of two of my old friends who have passed on: Hemi McGregor (ex Principal of Wainuiomata College) and Huata Nicholson (ex old boy of Te Aute and Wainuiomata College). He hokinga mahara, no reira moe mai kōrua i te aroha. Thank you to whānau and workshop coordinator Rachael Selby from Ngātokowaru marae and Ngāti Pareraukawa.

On a final note, there’s a steady stream of enquiries coming in from all over the country, for all sorts of topics. Keep them coming and remember whānau we are there to assist you with your strategic and practical developments.  That’s enough from me for now but know I’m always at the end of a phone or email.

Ngā mihi, Na Gavin Reedy signing off, en route to Uepohatu Marae, Te Tairawhiti.

The National Preservation Office and National Services Te Paerangi in Tūhoe Country

For five days during mid July, Development Officers Gavin Reedy and Ian Wards, alongside the intrepid Te Papa conservator Nirmala Balram, combined forces with the stirling Vicki-Anne Heikell of the National Preservation Office (NPO) to venture forth to the frosty shores of Lake Waikaremoana. The goal? To rehouse and shift significant Tūhoe taonga into a new storage facility near the Department of Conservation Aniwaniwa visitor centre in Te Urewera National Park. The visitor centre currently suffers from significant structural problems and these precious taonga were at considerable risk from the damp conditions they were housed in. An urgent request for assistance was sent out by DoC Ranger Richard Wagner and the NPO/Te Papa team swung into action.

This intense, but rewarding mahi, was conducted with the blessing and assistance of the tangata whenua of Tuai, Waikaremoana.

[Image label] Nirmala Balram working with Te Rangi Gilbert of Tuai, to clean and pack taonga for safe storage.

By Adrienne Rewi

Christchurch Cathedral 2009 – Before the Earthquakes

Christchurch Cathedral 2011 – After the February 22 earthquake. Photo courtesy Christchurch Art Gallery

Many will have read the gloomy predictions in The Christchurch Press – that “nearly 50 heritage buildings have been demolished since the February earthquake, with hundreds more at risk;” that in all, around 1,300 Christchurch buildings will be demolished; and that of the 600 heritage buildings in Christchurch, “at least 104 had been approved for demolition with an additional 46 to be partly demolished or made safe.” Among those already consigned to memory are the Category 1 Historic Places Trust listed St Paul’s Church (and many others), Charlie B’s Backpackers and the Carlton Hotel; and whole tracts of Colombo Street in Sydenham have already vanished. Many more historic inner city buildings await the wrecker’s ball.

 It makes for depressing reading and many believe the backbone of the city’s fine heritage buildings is lost, never to return. Renowned Christchurch architect, Sir Miles Warren doesn’t agree with that. Despite extensive damage to his own Category 1 Historic Places Trust listed home, Ohinetahi, in Governor’s Bay, he is buoyant about the city’s future and he admits to lying in bed, “quite happily redesigning the whole city” in his head.

Above Left: Colombo Street, Sydenham Right: Manchester Street. Both 2009 pre-Earthquakes

“I can envisage a very elegant four-storey city and the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects is already discussing some very exciting ideas. It’s very easy to talk about building ‘castles in the air’ but it’s much harder to get that middle course of the best that is achievable,” he says.

        “Colombo and Manchester Streets south and the east-west cross streets – all those shops with plastered brick facades – were a disaster waiting to happen. People often describe a lot of this as Gothic architecture but it’s not; most of Christchurch was debased Neo-Classical at best and areas like these are more correctly described as character building. Victorian Gothic is a description reserved for buildings like Christ’s College and the Arts Centre.”

Christchurch Arts Centre – Braced after the February 22nd earthquake. 2011

“No one really knows how many city buildings will be left standing. As a practice, Warren & Mahoney were responsible for (the design of) nearly twenty large office buildings but I don’t know how any of those have fared,” he says.

“I think the very worst that could happen would be rows of single story shops with verandahs being built along Colombo, Manchester and High Streets. That will make Christchurch look like a hick town; but sadly, that may be all some property owners will be able to achieve.”

 Sir Miles believes Christchurch has always had a surfeit of under-utilised retail space. He says that at the turn of the century, Christchurch was almost as big as Auckland was then and, with no physical restraints, it spread in all directions.

“After the war, Christchurch had twice the retail space per head of any city in New Zealand. A lot of the grand old department stores have long gone but we still had too much prior to the earthquakes. Now, I think the best we can hope for is a retail area from the restored Cashel Mall and High Street areas, and Colombo Street down to South City.  I don’t believe we need as much retail and we will be doing very well if we can restore that,” he says.

Christ’s College, Christchurch 2009. Pre-Earthquakes

Despite visions of a bright Christchurch though, Sir Miles is saddened by the toll the earthquakes have taken on the city’s iconic heritage buildings. Nonetheless, his is also hopeful that a good number will be rebuilt.

Our Place – Otautahi, Christchurch 2010, Pre-earthquakes

“There are seven heritage buildings at Christ’s College and they’re all still standing thanks to the earthquake strengthening that has been happening there over a number of years. The Arts Centre, although badly damaged, is also still standing. They had spent a million dollars strengthening the old art school and although it will take many years, it can be repaired. The Our City-Otautahi building is a disaster. That’s one of the best and earliest examples of Arts and Crafts style but it’s very badly damaged. I had hoped the old Canterbury Library opposite the Police Station could be saved and after September that seemed possible. But the February earthquake may have finished it off – although the early single-storey building behind can be saved.”

Interior of the Stone Chamber, Canterbury Provincial Chambers, 2009

Canterbury Provincial Chambers, 2009

He says the Canterbury Provincial Chambers is top of his list for the rebuilding programme.

“All we need is the will and the courage to do it. There are plenty of stonemasons in New Zealand and because of the nature of the collapse we have plenty of samples for copying the beautiful interior painted detail.”

The Stone Chamber, Canterbury Provincial Chambers, After the February 22 earthquake.

Southern General Manager for New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Malcolm Duff agrees that the rebuilding and restoration of the Canterbury Provincial Chambers should be a priority.

“If we’re going to do anything in terms of rebuilding, this one is important. It is a uniquely Canterbury building and one of Benjamin Mountfort’s finest. The two cathedrals are also important and I don’t think we should give up on either. If we look abroad to Newcastle in Australia, it took them twenty years to rebuild some of their churches after their 1989 earthquake, so it’s early days yet. I personally feel these are the sorts of buildings that shouldn’t be allowed to go – and if the authorities need to go to Rome to get the Pope to put money and skills into the rebuild of the Catholic Basilica, then they should. The Basilica was the high point of Petre’s work. It’s a splendid building,” he says.

St Elmo Courts, Hereford Street, Christchurch. Before & After the February 22 earthquake.

Duff is quick to name other major historic buildings badly damaged by the earthquakes.

“The current state of the Provincial Chambers is a real tragedy of course but I have also been saddened by the loss of one of my favourites, Manchester Courts, which was demolished after the September shakes. I had a fondness for that. The Lyttelton Timeball Station is also a huge loss. It was one of only seven working timeball stations in the world; and I can’t tell you how sad I was when Lyttelton lost the Anglican, Presbyterian and Catholic churches. And then there is the Cranmer Centre – gone; Cranmer Courts, which is badly damaged; St Elmo’s Court – gone. And that’s before we even consider the loss of suburban corner shops like Piko; and the damage to rural centres, like the Kaiapoi Museum.”

“The question is, are we watching the end of heritage here, or are we going to appreciate what we have left, even more? From our perspective, we have to accept what Nature throws at us – these buildings, even with earthquake strengthening, were not designed to withstand the forces we’ve experienced – but we are trying to ensure that hasty decisions are not made to knock buildings down.

 “We’re trying to encourage a slower approach. That was much easier after the September earthquake but after February, it was a very different ball game. There hasn’t been wholesale knocking down of heritage buildings but in some cases, things have been moving too fast and in the early stages some buildings went down as a result of opportunism and perhaps a little too much testosterone and not enough thought.”

Christchurch Arts Centre – Braced after the February 22 earthquakes.

Duff says one important thing has been learned during the earthquake recovery process.

“We in the heritage and arts fields have learned that Civil Defence is not aware of how to deal with the treasures of New Zealand and we are now looking at ways of improving their procedures. We are looking forward to a time when we are part of the Civil Defence response and training, so that ultimately, they will use the key to the door, rather than kicking the door in,” he says.

 “The issue for us is getting the message out that these buildings are treasures for all New Zealanders and we need to take special care. There’s no doubt that lives come first but we have so few buildings in New Zealand that tell stories of early life here. We need to keep as many of them as we can so the next generations can learn from them. The memory of the city, the buildings and the intangible values of places will become more and more important.”

 He says cost will determine much of what can be saved.

“The economics of heritage are well recognised so we have to find ways to incentivise heritage owners so they will want to do the right thing.”

Sir Miles Warren’s Governor’s Bay home, Ohinetahi, prior to the September 2010 earthquake.

Like Sir Miles, Malcolm Duff believes there will be opportunities to go back and “do something more innovative” in the case of some buildings. He agrees that the stability of certain sites means some complex decisions will have to be made but he’s not averse to new directions.

 For his part, Sir Miles thinks the Cathedral has “a wonderful opportunity to build perhaps, a dark grey, stainless steel tower – something very dashing and modern” and as he suggests, there are plenty of international precedents where modern additions have very successfully added to the character of heritage buildings. He’s doing that very thing himself, at Ohinetahi.

Ohinetahi after the demolition of the two top floors, after the February earthquake; and before the building of a new first floor.

“We’ve removed the two top floors – over 160 tons of thick stone – and we’ve strengthened the ground floor, which will be fully restored to its original state. Now we’re building a light-weight first floor to replace the bedrooms and we hope to have it all done by September,” he says.

 Malcolm Duff is not yet willing to concede defeat – to say that some of the city’s iconic buildings are lost.

“We’re blessed in that we’ve still got the Arts Centre. Like many, it’s badly damaged but it’s still standing and there has been some outstanding strengthening work done there since September. Like the Provincial Chambers, it is well insured and providing there are no more 6.3 earthquakes, there is an opportunity to put it – and much of the city – back together again – even if it does take fifteen years.”

 The opinions expressed in this blog and comments are the authors’ and may not necessarily represent the views of National Services Te Paerangi or Te Papa.

What was you reaction to QBW Honours? I was really surprised to be singled out. However, I also thought it was great that museums were getting some recognition in terms of their value to New Zealand society.

What are you passionate about? My family and the Air Force Museum, closely followed by the RNZAF as an organisation, and the museum sector in general. I also love Lyttelton and its community, and walking the tracks of the Port Hills.

What displeases you in a Museum? Incorrect or outdated information and text that is too small or badly positioned so it is difficult to read.

What do you see as your Museum’s strengths? The people. The team here is great. They are able, committed, hardworking, flexible, witty and willing. They do an enormous amount of good on a very small amount of funding. Of course we also have a great story to tell and brilliant collections to tell it with.

How did the earthquake affect you? The Museum has come through really well and we are grateful not to have suffered the significant damage other cultural and heritage organisations have had inflicted on them. We have been pleased to have been able to support other museums, galleries and archives in their salvage operations and to offer whatever help we can in terms of interim storage. We have also been able to provide a safe place for visitors where families can come and take their minds off their own situations for a while, and without having to spend money.

How much has been lost culturally through the ‘Quakes? Of course a huge amount of irreplaceable built heritage has been lost which is a real tragedy. But, it appears much of the moveable cultural property is safe or has been salvaged. This is important as it may be the only tangible link to the past in some areas where many of the heritage buildings have been destroyed. For smaller organisations, the big issue will be making sure collections are kept safe in the interim until they can be re-established in the communities to which they belong.

Any thoughts on how our sector can best help? Christchurch will need help for some years to come so the sector needs to keep the offers of help open and not think it is all sorted because the first rush of emergency is over. There might be little that can be done immediately, but help will be required in the months and years ahead as organisations seek to conserve and store their collections, and rebuild their museums, galleries and exhibitions.

Anything else you’d like to say? Thanks to all of my colleagues who I have worked with over the years. This is a fantastic sector to be involved with, keep up the great work you all do.