Editorial: Napier Deco already has world status

Napier's superb Art Deco buildings and environment have missed out on World Heritage status.

It would have made a huge impact on the region, in fact on New Zealand, to have won the right to a World Heritage imprimatur so there will be considerable disappointment behind the scenes.

While we may not have the right to label ourselves World Heritage, we still undeniably have one of the most fascinating built environments in this part of the world and that will continue to be a cornerstone of what defines Hawke's Bay to residents and visitors alike.

It was certainly worth having a go at attaining World Heritage status but it was always going to be difficult to get.

Unesco World Heritage sites are places such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city that is listed by Unesco as of special cultural or physical significance.

The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity.

They are huge tourism drawcards and, under certain conditions, can obtain financial assistance from the World Heritage Fund.

We should not view the lack of World Heritage status as any sort of failure. The bar for World Heritage status is set extremely high. To put it in some perspective, World Heritage sites include the historic centre of Florence in Italy, Memphis and its necropolis including the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Statue of Liberty in New York and Uluru in Australia.

What really matters, as Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott points out, is that our buildings are protected and promoted. We have one of the finest small cities in the world in which to live and an Art Deco festival that has world status of its own.