You may have noticed Blue Plaques popping up on buildings and sites across the country. These plaques are a project run by Historic Places Aotearoa to identify historically significant buildings in New Zealand, and display the name of the historic place and a brief history.
he first plaque went up in 2017 on the Ashburton Railway Footbridge which is located in the centre of town. Now the campaign is gaining momentum and has over 40 plaques dotted around Aotearoa.
All buildings included in this project are listed buildings, covered by government legislations. The location of each plaque is plotted on a map found on their website, and a trail is emerging that allows history buffs and other interested parties alike to locate the plaques and find more information about them.
Nigel Gilkison, Deputy Chairman of Historic Places Mid Canterbury and Chairman of the Timaru Civic Trust is the main force behind these plaques. ‘The hope is that they will become the default marker of historic buildings in New Zealand, gaining recognition over time,’ he explains. ‘It is also the goal that local heritage groups will pick up the project and begin to add their own significant buildings.’
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