skip to main content
Site banner
Site banner
Become a Supporter

Heritage at risk

Heritage advocates are alarmed by a survey run by the Wellington City Council that could result in the removal of heritage protections in Mt Victoria.  Jane O’Loughlin reports.

Mt Victoria residents are among those being asked about their views on heritage areas, so that the Wellington City Council can draw up a list of properties that could be delisted.

A heritage survey was posted directly to owners of houses in heritage areas throughout the city and closes on 2 April.

The consultation has not been promoted on the council’s community engagement page, however anyone can make a submission.

The survey asks homeowners whether they have experienced any challenges related to owning a property in a heritage area, and whether the heritage area has had a positive or negative impact on the value of the property.

Joanna Newman, chair of the Mt Victoria Historical Society said her group had “serious concerns”.

“The new District Plan was declared operative less than a year ago, after almost four years of consultation and Independent Hearings.Mount Victoria lost all its character protection with the exception of what remained in newly created Heritage Areas.

“Yet already WCC is working to demolish the Plan.If owners elect to remove their properties, Heritage Areas would be rendered meaningless – if the ‘eyes’ are picked out of the Area, it loses its special character.”

Mt Victoria has heritage precincts around Moir Street, Armour Avenue, Porritt Avenue, Elizabeth Street and Hawker Street.In addition, the suburb holds around 30 heritage buildings or structures.

The origins of the survey started in March 2024, when a group of councillors attempted to remove 10 buildings from the schedule of heritage buildings in the District Plan review.This was rejected by the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop, due to the lack of evidence. However Bishop promised to do what he could to make the process easier in the future.

Councillor Ben McNulty then looked for other avenues to remove buildings from heritage listings, and asked council staff for advice on a district plan change to remove or amend protections for heritage buildings, structures and areas using the streamlined planning process in the Resource Management (Consenting and Other System Changes) Amendment Act 2025.

However staff advised councillors to wait, as future legislative changes underway would likely to make the process easier.

Instead, councillors agreed to a plan to survey people about their views so a list could be drawn up in preparation.

Newman said the approach created a number of inequities.

“An owner at a particular point in time - maybe owning the property for less than a year - could chose to have their house removed. This negates the fact that it may have stood for over 140 years and been valued for its heritage by previous owners, and removes the option for future owners (and the city) to enjoy it.”

More information on the survey.

 

OTHER STORIES

 

... loading ...
 
 
 

 


NEWS BRIEFS – April

Mayfair appeal lodged

Neighbours opposed to the Mayfair apartment block being built at the end of their shared driveway are now going to the Environment Court to try and stop it going ahead.

Westbourne Grove property owners lodged the appeal on 11 March, after developer Mark Quinn gained consent in February for a seven-storey multi-unit development of 32 residential units, 29 carparks, 25 cycle parks and associated earthworks, and subdivision consent for 32 unit titles.

The legal action by the owners and residents of the four properties living along the narrow Westbourne Grove accessway puts a temporary halt to the project, which was poised to start. More than 40 percent of the apartments were already sold or under contract according to the developer.

A spokesperson for the residents, Ralph Highnam, said the group would be making no further comment as the matter was before the court. Timing for the legal action is not yet known.

New retaining wall

McFarlane Street residents will have to contend with single lane access for several months while work is carried out on the street’s retaining wall.

The Wellington City Council has advised that from 16 March until May 2026 traffic will be managed under temporary traffic control using either a single lane priority system or stop/go control, and that access will be restricted at time.

The council says it is constructing a new retaining wall with anchored steel post to stabilise the existing walls and the undermined road slope.

Inner city negative about highway proposals

Residents in the CBD and inner-city suburbs are most negative about proposed changes to State Highway 1 including the construction of a Mt Victoria tunnel.

NZTA’s community engagement carried out at the end of 2025 gathered feedback from 2,432 people and organisations on the SH1 Wellington Improvements project, which includes a second Terrace Tunnel, changes to SH1 through Te Aro, Roading upgrades at the Basin Reserve, a second Mt Victoria tunnel and changes to SH1 through Hataitai and Kilbirnie.

Overall, more people (49%) thought the project would make things worse or much worse for them personally than those who thought it would be better or much better (31%), but more people (44%) thought the project would make things better or much better for the Wellington region than worse or much worse (40%).

Split by council ward, 63% of CBD respondents (which includes Mt Victoria) believed the project would make things worse for them personally, including 39% saying it would be ‘much worse’.  51% believed it would be worse or much worse for the Wellington region.

Feedback from all respondents on the second Mt Victoria tunnel element of the project was positive with 48% of people saying it will make things better or much better, compared with 40% of people saying it would make things worse or much worse.

NZTA said the input will help to inform the next stage of the project design, which will be included in the Fast-track Approvals Act (FTAA) application for the project in mid-2026.

 
Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the server!