Almost $500,000 was allocated for historic Hawke's Bay buildings. What happens now? Photo / Ian Cooper
Almost $500,000 was allocated for historic Hawke's Bay buildings. What happens now? Photo / Ian Cooper
Hawke's Bay's earthquake-prone heritage buildings could be at risk after the Government scrapped the Heritage Equip Fund earlier this year.
Barbara Arnott, the former Mayor of Napier who also chairs Historic Places Aotearoa Hawke's Bay and Napier Art Deco Trust, says the worst-case scenario is that some which have notbeen able to be attended to may "in time" have to come down as owners consider the futures of their properties.
The Historic Places Trust has always seen incentives and education as being critical to maintaining heritage buildings in Hawke's Bay, she said.
"The Government's Equip funding adds to the local councils' efforts and organisations like the Art Deco Trust in incentivising and enabling owners to strengthen their heritage buildings for good economic use," she said.
The fund, cut in the Government's Budget 2021, had benefited seven buildings in Hawke's Bay, including the Wairoa Meat Co. building on Marine Pde, Wairoa, the Farmers Co-operative building in lower Emerson St, Napier, and Popplewells, in Heretaunga St, Hastings.
The century-old Wairoa Meat Co building, pictured in 2013. Photo / File
The buildings vary in age from century-old structures that survived the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake to those built in the post-earthquake rebuild.
While grants of up to $400,000 were able to be sought, the seven HB projects attracted a combined total of $494,885 between June 2017 and May last year. Work on the Wairoa building, built in 1915-1920, was allocated $200,000 last year.
"Building owners in this region have responded well over many years to the protection and preservation of their heritage buildings," Arnott said.
"This has been a huge plus in keeping our history alive."
She said the support of the Equip programme was an effective, well-run incentive, adding: "The unexpected loss will impact on New Zealand's heritage protection."
Barbara Arnott. Photo / File
Set up in 2016, the Equip Scheme worked well for business owners by making worthwhile grants, capped at $400,000, to assist towards seismic strengthening of heritage buildings as required by the Building Amendment Act 2016, Arnott said.
Arnott said Napier building owners had responded well for many years in protecting buildings in the Art Deco theme of the city.
Members of Historic Places Hawke's Bay were dismayed when the Government discontinued this funding in the 2021 Budget, after Equip had provided assistance for buildings in Napier, Hastings and Wairoa.
Historic Places Aotearoa president James Blackbourne said the cut is "a major blow" to building owners.
"Time is running out for owners to strengthen priority buildings in areas of high seismic risk, especially in smaller centres where the cost of strengthening is high compared to a building's value and the rental income able to be generated," he said.
