Oamaru runner for place among world landmarks

If everything goes according to plan, Oamaru could soon take its place alongside the world's cultural landmarks of Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Egypt.

The Post Office and the limestone buildings in the South Island town's central business district are one of six tentative candidates on a list the Department of Conservation has released of potential World Heritage Sites, now out for public consultation.

The others are the Kermadec Islands and marine reserve in the Southern Ocean, Kahurangi National Park and Farewell Spit, near Nelson; Napier's art deco historic precinct; Papamoa Pa complex near Tauranga; and the Waitangi Treaty grounds.

Andrew Bignell, DoC's international relations manager, said it might seem bizarre the six suggested places would qualify as being of "outstanding value to humanity" compared with the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China or the Grand Canyon.

"One of the things the committee is grappling with is how to interpret cultural heritage of outstanding universal value in countries as young as New Zealand. There are moves to look at cultural world heritage outside Europe, the continent of traditional focus" said Mr Bignell.

"And to be fair to Oamaru, who has ever heard of Butrint, Trogir, Coro or Hampi? They are World Heritage Sites in Albania, Croatia, Venezuela and India, respectively."

He said Oamaru's buildings could meet two world cultural heritage criteria - outstanding buildings, and technology change leading to an improvement in human living standards.

He said Oamaru's central business district may be "the best of the best for late 19th century architecture, echoing the prosperity of the world's first frozen meat exports. The advent of this refrigerated shipping in Oamaru contributed to the break up of England's large country estates".

Any sites proposed must be shown to be of outstanding significance and also of global significance, said Les Molloy, a former DoC director who wrote much of the discussion document.

"For instance, if the Rotorua geothermal area with its internationally famous geysers and formations was suggested to be listed it would still have to be shown to be sufficiently different from those of Yellowstone National Park, already a World Heritage Site."

New Zealanders will have until March 31 to comment on the discussion document or suggest new sites. After that, DoC, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, Historic Places Trust, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) consider it.

The Government could eventually nominate any of the sites to the international committee which designated World Heritage Sites for approval. For the first time, New Zealand has a delegate on the committee - Ngati Tuwharetoa paramount chief Tumu Te Heu Heu.

World Heritage sites

* What are they?
Sites with "cultural heritage of outstanding universal value", as decided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

* New Zealand sites
Te Wahipounamu (Southwest New Zealand, including Mt Cook/Aoraki, Westland/Te Tai Poutini and Fiordland National Parks
Tongariro National Par
New Zealand's sub-Antarctic islands