Heritage expert to help people research history of their house

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga heritage assessment adviser Alexandra Foster will be leading a presentation in Gisborne next week.

The basics of researching the history of your house will be the focus next week at Heritage Tairāwhiti’s Centre for Heritage in Palmerston Road.

The presentation on Thursday, February 20 will be led by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (HNZPT) heritage assessment adviser Alexandra Foster, who aims to help owners or anyone with an interest in heritage discover practical approaches and sources for researching place-based heritage.

Heritage Tairāwhiti deputy chairwoman Sheridan Gundry says the talk and photo presentation will cover key points and approaches to thinking about place to help guide people’s own research.

“This will include local examples as well as some useful resources and how to access them,” Gundry said. “There will be time for questions... and a cuppa. Numbers are limited but we still have spaces available for this valuable talk.”

“Alexandra has nearly 10 years’ experience researching places for the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero (known as The List), with a focus on maintaining, updating and expanding the list in HNZPT’s northern region, including Gisborne.”

Gundry said more people had discovered Heritage Tairāwhiti’s Centre for Heritage over the past few months.

“We are thrilled to have had nearly 150 people visiting since early December to view our exhibition, video and photographs on the Taruheru River, and to find out about the proposed Taruheru walking and cycling trail along the river.

“Our visitors have mainly been locals but we have had a good number from out of town, too, many with a Gisborne link. The exhibition is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.

Alexander Turnbull Library oral history adviser Lynette Shum will be running a workshop on days in May and June in Gisborne.

“We are also gauging interest in an oral history workshop to be held over two days, a month apart, in May and June. This will be led by Lynette Shum, an oral history adviser for the Alexander Turnbull Library.

“This would suit people interested in learning how to go about recording oral history. This could involve recording the story of a family member or friend, for instance.”

Shum, a third-generation Poon Yue Chinese New Zealander, became interested in oral history while researching for a community project on early Chinese Wellington history.

Foster’s Researching Your Home will be held at the Centre for Heritage (former Plunket Building), 173 Palmerston Rd, at 5.30pm on Thursday, February 20. The cost for members is $15; non-members $20.

Email info@hpt.org.nz to register for next week’s course or the proposed oral history workshop.