Schools’ Websites Preserving New Zealand Heritage

Schools’ Websites Preserving New Zealand Heritage

Three schools from around the country are being recognised for their websites on local heritage with the inaugural UNESCO Living Heritage Award. The schools are Campbell’s Bay School, Auckland for World War Two at Our School, St Joseph’s School, Oamaru for The Walkways of Oamaru, and St Peter’s College, Palmerston North for Opiki Toll Bridge.

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura presented the Living Heritage Awards to the schools at Parliament in Wellington today, during his visit to New Zealand.

“These websites preserve New Zealand’s heritage through the eyes of school children, using digital technology to capture it for future generations. We have selected these three schools for the inaugural Awards for their creative contribution to the preservation of New Zealand’s history and culture and for consistency with our aims in UNESCO, ” says Chairperson of the NZ National Commission to UNESCO, Hon. Margaret Austin.

The Living Heritage Website Project is an online archive of websites on New Zealand heritage, which have been created by schools around the country. The project was established by the 2020 Communications Trust and the National Library, and is now managed by the Learning Centre Trust of New Zealand. The NZ National Commission for UNESCO has established the Award to celebrate New Zealand schools’ achievements in capturing heritage resources for future generations.

Through the support of the National Library, the Living Heritage websites are being stored on their computers and are accessible to everyone on the Internet. "It's wonderful to be part of connecting the children of today with our nation's heritage, now and into the future" said Penny Carnaby, National Librarian, at the National Library.

The Living Heritage websites can be viewed at www.livingheritage.org.nz.

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