Star Heritage Award to CCC
Work by the City Council to landscape and properly recognise the importance of the former Tautahi pa site at Cambridge Green (shown below) has been honoured with one of this year’s Christchurch Star Heritage Awards.
The awards were started by the Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board in 1997 to recognise efforts to preserve the built or constructed character and heritage of the board area, including the central city. In 2001 the Star agreed to sponsor the awards and also introduced a new one, for commercial/retail projects in the central business district.
The old pa site, where St Mary’s Stream enters the Avon River at the eastern end of Salisbury Street, is important to Ngai Tahu, says Paula Rigby, the Council’s Maori arts advisor.
It was the pa of noted chief Tautahi, after whom Otautahi/Christchurch is named. In the late-17th or early-18th century, water from the stream was used in blessing his marriage to Waitaha princess Te Auru, thus consolidating bonds between families of Kaiapoi and Koukourarata/Port Levy (or, from another perspective, between Ngai Tahu and Waitaha). Ms Rigby says the stream has great significance because of the wairua (spirit) of the water and the historical link with Tautahi.
In the early days of European settlement, St Mary’s Stream was piped under Salisbury Street, and this has been a long-standing Maori grievance. Diverting and opening up the stream’s water into the reserve, and the city’s respect for the site, is seen as a significant move toward healing this cause of distress. Council staff are now working with iwi representatives to mark the importance of this site.
The land was bought by the Council in 1995.
After the necessary road stopping, part of Cambridge Terrace was removed and a landscape plan for the reserve was developed by Council staff in conjunction with local iwi, the Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board and neighbouring residents’ groups.
Full awards list
The Retention Award went to the Sumner Redcliffs Historical Society for the historic stone steps leading to the former Bells Baths at Scarborough. The Children’s trophy winner was the Linwood Heritage Group from Linwood Resource Centre for its Recollections DVD and a certificate of merit was awarded to Christ’s College for The Great Fire Mystery. The Education and Awareness trophy winner was Avebury House Community Trust for the Richmond News series on historic Richmond homes. The Conservation and Restoration trophy winner was the Godley Head Heritage Trust for its Godley Head restoration, the Cathedral Trust was awarded a certificate of merit for the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and Christina and Wayne Redmond Smith received a certificate of participation for 610 Gloucester Street. The Good Caretaker trophy was won by Kaye and Robert Malcolmson for Lanercost at 20 Linwood Avenue, while Maree Ritchie and Tony Taylor received a certificate of merit for The Worcester of Christchurch, at 15 Worcester Boulevard. The Pre-1850 trophy was won by the City Council for the Tautahi pa site at Cambridge Green. The Anna Crighton award was won by Christchurch Personal Guiding Service. The Christchurch Star Award trophy was won by Lichfield Ventures Ltd for the former Bells Motors and His Lordships Hotel wall at 110 Lichfield Street, while Ann Zwimpfer and Harold Williams were presented with a certificate of merit for Eliza’s Manor House at 82 Bealey Avenue. |
