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Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has nominated Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre as a National Historic Landmark – the highest heritage status in the country, currently held by only two sites. The agency is calling for public submissions over the next month, before the final decision is made.

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga describes the proposal to add The Arts Centre as a National Historic Landmark Ngā Manawhenua o Aotearoa me ōna Kōrero Tūturu as “an indicator of its exceptional heritage value and ability to tell the story of who we are as New Zealanders.”

 “Being nominated for National Historic Landmark status is a big honour,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Director Southern, Dr Christine Whybrew.

 “Currently there are only two National Historic Landmarks in New Zealand – Te Pitowhenua / Waitangi Treaty Grounds and the National War Memorial at Pukeahu, Wellington. That’s an indication of how high the threshold is to qualify.”

 Following a period of deep research, and stakeholder engagement and consultation, proposed Landmarks are publicly notified for submissions.

 Public submissions are an important part of the Landmark assessment process which is administered under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act. A proposal to list Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre – including an overview of its heritage and cultural significance – has been uploaded onto the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website, and people are encouraged to respond with a submission.

 “We want to hear from people interested in this remarkable place and its heritage significance. The submission process is very easy and people can respond online or fill out a physical form –feedback can be as brief or detailed as people like. We are after a variety of views from anyone who wishes to submit them,” says Christine.

 The heritage values of the centre include: 

• The area has been a place of sustenance and spiritual nurture for Māori for centuries.
• The Arts Centre is a rare and exceptional celebration of Gothic Revival architecture and serves today as cultural ecosystem where creatives and community ‘feed’ one another.
• Established through its own Act of Parliament – unusual in itself – the original vision for The Arts Centre was to be an outstanding cultural centre – not only for the people of Ōtautahi Christchurch but for its visitors with a specific remit to look after the heritage buildings; and to foster, promote and encourage arts, culture, heritage, education and creativity. The Arts Centre has fulfilled that vision for the past 50 years.
• The Arts Centre has become a symbol of resilience and revitalisation after the Canterbury earthquakes. The Arts Centre Trust responded with the largest heritage restoration project in New Zealand history – an undertaking that cost over $200 million dollars.
• The restoration project is widely regarded as an example of best practice heritage restoration and has been widely praised here and overseas.
• The Arts Centre draws approximately one million locals and visitors to Ōtautahi Christchurch every year who attend a diverse range of events ranging from kapa haka to opera; from Sculpture and Matariki festivals to children’s theatre and circus arts.

 Staff and supporters of Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre are delighted that the precinct has been put forward for nomination as a National Historic Landmark, and encourage people to show their support for the proposal.

Proposals to list the sites – including an overview of their heritage and cultural significance – have been uploaded onto the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website, and people are encouraged to share their opinions through the submission process. Submisions close on 19 November 2025.

What makes it so special?  10 Facts about Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre

• Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre is the largest and most cohesive collection of Gothic Revival architecture in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• When announcing that the Centre would be gifted to the people of Christchurch in 1973, Prime Minister Norman Kirk hoped that ‘the bodies that use the buiding will draw from the threads of all the cultures in New Zealand, and attempt to produce something uniquely New Zealand in character.’
• It covers an entire city block – nowhere else in the country is a collection of heritage buildings held in trust for public benefit in this way.
• The Arts Centre is one of only 15 global sites featured in the publication World Culture Districts: Spaces of the 21st Century.
• The Arts Centre is steeped in Kiwi music. Anika Moa held her first performance there with Tiki Taane mixing for her. Other performers who have performed here included Fat Freddy’s Drop, Dance Exponents, Graham Brazier, Bic Runga, Maisey Rika (Matariki 2023) and others.
• Alumni of Canterbury College include internationally renowned scientist Ernest Rutherford, New Zealand’s first Māori graduate Āpirana Ngata, groundbreaking suffragist Kate Sheppard, New Zealand’s first female architect Kate Beath, artist Rita Angus, and writers Margaret Mahy and Ngaio Marsh.
• Three of these former Canterbury College students appear on our banknotes (Ernest Rutherford, Āpirana Ngata and Kate Sheppard).
• In 1952 New Zealand’s first on-air television transmissions took place in a laboratory on the ground floor of the Electrical Engineering Building – 10 years before the NZBC began telecasts.
• Some of the post-earthquake restoration work was carried out by the Centre’s own specialist stonemasons.
• Te Matatiki Toi Ora has become a focus and talking point for mana whenua histories of the area. It also provides opportunities for our bicultural story to be told, and to educate future generations about some of the many bicultural layers of history, technology, science, arts and creative industry.

To make a submission follow the link:

https://www.heritage.org.nz/places/national-historic-landmarks/te-matatiki-toi-ora-the-arts-centre