14 October 2011

Council announces new Heritage Advisory Panel

A group of skilled and passionate Aucklanders have been appointed to Auckland Council’s new Heritage Advisory Panel.

The 16-member panel will provide independent advice on heritage issues to the Auckland Council as the council looks to strengthen its protection of the region’s historic heritage.

The panel will be chaired by Councillor Sandra Coney, who also chairs the Parks, Recreation and Heritage Forum.

“I was delighted at the calibre of people who applied and their enthusiasm for assisting the council,” says Cr Coney.

“It was very important to get a mix of professionals and community people, to cover the range of activities that fall under heritage, and provide geographical coverage of the entire Auckland region.”

“The new council inherited quite patchy interest in heritage from the legacy councils so we are building from the ground up and the panel allows us to tap into the depth of knowledge that exists outside the new council,” she says.

More than 60 expressions of interest were received from throughout Auckland from a wide variety of fields including architects, historians, planners, developers and the community.

The panel will provide independent advice and will nominate people to serve on the Auckland Urban Design Panel when developments involving heritage are being considered.

The panel will meet on a monthly basis with its first meeting scheduled for October 18. The panel will be reviewed in one year.

“This is another measure, along with our Built Heritage Fund, which demonstrates Auckland Council’s commitment to protecting our heritage," says Mayor Len Brown.

Members of the Auckland Council Heritage Advisory Panel are:
Dr Ann McEwan, Jane Matthews, Elizabeth Aitken-Rose, Rachel de Lambert, John La Roche, Rob Enright, Michael Geale, Lorraine Wilson, Bill Rayner, Dr. Michelle Smith, Graeme Burgess, David Beamish, Graeme Murdoch, Allan Matson, Sherry Reynolds and David Veart.

ENDS

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