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The annual general meeting of TCNZ - Towns & Cities New Zealand - will be held in the Bay of Plenty this year.
The organisation will hold its AGM and seminar in Opotiki, where economics commentator Rod Oram will speak on the topic of ‘should government put more money into the big cities or rural New Zealand?’
TCNZ sees the topic as one that continues to draw hot debate.
Attendees at the event will be able to contribute to a floor discussion, and at the TCNZ seminar this year, Robert Schlotjes from Opotiki District Council and a speaker from the Historic Places Trust will be making a presentation on the constraints of economic outcomes from re-use development of commercial historic buildings.
TCNZ executive member Karen Remetis says the organisation is looking for “a win/win outcome” and has been in discussions with the Historic Places Trust on the topic.
She says in particular, Robert McClean, senior policy adviser to the HPT has been “very positive” about getting local economies into the HPT policy equation.
TCNZ’s seminar and AGM will be held in the Opotiki Museum, right in the heart of the historic quarter of Opotiki Township.
The town centre is regarded as one of the best surviving examples of its kind in the upper North Island. A major heritage study was carried out several years ago by a team that included conservation architects, an historian and an archaeologist.
It was the first-ever in-depth assessment of the town centre’s historic heritage researching the history of specific buildings and structures, many of them built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They also recommended actions for protecting the heritage resource in future years.
The study rated highly the survival of the original town layout, the number of intact groups of historic buildings, and the broad range of building types. Historic trees and the archaeological resource were also considered fundamental to the town’s strong heritage value.
The Opotiki mayor, John Forbes, said at the time the report highlighted “what is valuable and unique” about Opotiki.
“We who live here have always had an appreciation of this heritage because it surrounds us every day. Now, we can see our history in a wider context and seek partners in its protection and development,”
(Towns & Cities NZ, contact tel (09) 846 1015 or karen@towncentredevelopment.co.nz).
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