Dorothy Pilkington: Heart of heritage building wiped out

Dorothy Pilkington

On 5 November 2015, the Communications Manager for the Napier City Council circulated a media release outlining the planned redevelopment of what was then the Napier War Memorial Conference Centre.

In this release the architect of the changes is quoted as follows: "...the relocation of the war memorial to a more visible and meaningful setting has been particularly satisfying. We wanted the entry plaza to be a vibrant public space that people will enjoy whether stopping or simply walking through. It is framed ... on the city side by the spine of the war memorial which is clad in Hinuera stone."

The release concludes: "the new war memorial space ...will be able to be entered from Marine Parade as well as the centre foyer. A large window in its new curved wall, overlooking the lawn and gardens, will allow for 24 hour viewing of the memorial from a path behind the floral clock - something which has been welcomed by both the Napier and Taradale RSAs."

The redevelopment is now complete, the building has been relaunched under its new and unimaginative name of the Napier Conference Centre - but where is this promised inspirational new war memorial space?

In Saturday's Hawke's Bay Today (8 April), Council's Manager Visitor Experiences, Sally Jackson, is reported as saying that it had not been considered appropriate to house the flame and the plaques in the new centre as it is a commercial venue. "If the memorial is still within the Conference Centre, if the entire venue is booked... it means that there is no public access to it. We feel it should be accessible to the public 24/7."

That last sentence certainly does not correlate with the description of the planned location given by the architect. In addition, to my knowledge the memorials in the Conference Centre have never ever been accessible 24/7. Furthermore, apparently the RSA is yet to see any changed plans.

By removing the eternal flame and the plaques to a location separated from the building that started life as the War Memorial Hall, the Napier City Council is about to wipe out the heart and spirit of the heritage significance of the beautiful and imaginative building that was designed by Guy Natusch.

The Napier War Memorial Hall of the 1950s was one of more than 200 such structures constructed under the NZ Government's stated policy of subsidising the funding for World War II memorials honouring the dead that would, in the wording of an official circular sent out on 22 October, 1946, serve as a "community centre where the people can gather for social, educational, cultural and recreational purposes."

The specific aim of the government in instituting this policy was to create something different from the cenotaphs and plinths that were built after the Boer War and World War I, by funding "living memorials" that would meet community needs. And that is what the citizens of Napier opened their chequebooks and their purses for when they subscribed to the funding of a hall.

To move the flame and the plaques out of the building completely negates the very reason that all those memorial buildings were funded.

The alterations and extensions to Napier's conference centre add to the richness of a long community history by adapting it for use into the future - but obliterating the essence of its beginning by taking away the memorial features and the memorial name shows a complete misunderstanding of the heritage of an exceptional and evocative Napier landmark.

Finally, I note that the Whanganui War Memorial Centre, completed in 1960, proudly retains its full title despite the fact that it is promoted as "the perfect place to host conferences, seminars, expos, weddings, celebrations..."

Dorothy Pilkington, MNZM, an honorary life member of what was formerly the NZ Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand), having served on branch committees of the Trust for more than 30 years.
In 2005 she was also made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her work for conservation.
Views expressed here are the writer's opinion and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz