Identify any recorded historic sites on the property through checking the district plan, council records, iwi management plans. the New Zealand Archaeological Association site recording scheme and Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga records.
Key points to consider:
The absence of records is not evidence of the absence of sites
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga can usually advise if there is a likelihood of unrecorded sites on a property
Where archaeological sites are recorded or identified as likely, fieldwork will often be necessary to confirm the survival, extent and significance of the sites and may often discover unrecorded sites near known ones
Undesirable example: Kawau Island, Hauraki Gulf where a bach has encroached into a heritage site
Coppermine Bay (Credit: Raewyn Peart)
Desirable example: Maranui Road, Papamoa where the beachfront and sand dunes are a registered heritage
