More than 100 events will be held during the Carter Group Heritage Week which will be officially opened on Friday 15 October.

The opening will be held at the Theatre Royal, Gloucester Street, and will be held in conjunction with the third Hagley-Ferrymead Community Board heritage awards presentation.

Once again business and private owners will be acknowledged for their efforts to retain and restore historic buildings.

The keynote speaker at a special one-day seminar on 16 October will be leading Australian heritage conservationist Dr James Kerr. He will be in Christchurch early especially to attend the opening.

This year’s theme of Heritage Week is cultural landscapes: evolution of a city.

Events will include parades, walks, bus tours, a debate, exhibitions, lectures, as well as the one-day seminar. At the end of the week the Mayor, Garry Moore, will lead the vintage vehicle parade driving his own 1927 Austin Seven.

The week will run until October 22 and will explore the development of the city since pre-European times and celebrate its built heritage.

The seminar will feature Dr Kerr, who is a former assistant director of the National Trust of Australia and the Australian Heritage Commission. He has been preparing, commissioning and reviewing conservation plans for 20 years.

His guide, The Conservation Plan, is backed by published conservation plans on Australian landmarks ranging from the Sydney Opera House to Fremantle Gaol.

Later in the week well-known architect Sir Miles Warren will talk about his personal response to the Christchurch landscape.

Further information:

Jennie Hamilton: 332 3254 or 025 239 4934

Paul Collins: 355 7794 or 3555 8899.