Council has a regulatory role in the protection of heritage places under the Resource Management Act 1991.

These heritage schedules within the Christchurch District Plan(external link) provide regulatory protection for heritage places:

The schedules of heritage items (sites) and heritage areas are supported by the Council’s Heritage Team in consultation with Council resource consent staff.

Council heritage staff and consultants provide specialist advice to owners and Council resource consent staff at the pre-application and application stages.

Heritage staff also work with Building Consent Officers to find practical solutions where Building Act requirements have the potential to impact heritage values. 

Resources are primarily targeted at heritage items scheduled in the Christchurch District Plan(external link). This support includes:

  • Conservation advice for all types of heritage buildings. Best practice conservation principles contained in the ICOMOS New Zealand Charter 2010 are promoted as far as practical in the Canterbury post-earthquake context.
  • Advice on resource consents for works to scheduled heritage items, including discussions and site visits before any applications are made.
  • Access to hard copy heritage files for scheduled heritage items and some non-scheduled items which are able to be viewed at the Civic Offices by appointment.

Contact the Council’s Heritage Team at heritage@ccc.govt.nz.

The Schedule of Significant Historic Heritage Items is contained in Appendix 9.3.7.2 of the District Plan(external link). Items (sites) are identified as highly significant or significant.

For each scheduled item, the schedule includes a link to a statement of significance, which summarises the history and heritage values of the site, and a link to a heritage aerial map, which shows the extent of the protected heritage item and its associated heritage setting.

Heritage areas are scheduled in Appendix 9.3.7.3(external link). Sites in residential heritage areas are rated as defining(external link), contributory(external link), neutral(external link) or intrusive(external link).

For each scheduled residential heritage area, the schedule includes a link to the:

  • Heritage area report and site record forms, summarising the history and heritage values of the area and each site.
  • Heritage area aerial map, showing the extent of the protected heritage area.
  • Heritage area site contributions map, showing the rating of each site within the area.
  • Heritage area and character area overlap map, showing whether a site is also in a character area.

Planning maps, which identify the location of heritage items and their settings and heritage areas, can be accessed via links in the schedules or by searching the district plan online property search(external link). 

Contact the Council’s Heritage Team at heritage@ccc.govt.nz.

Resource consent is required for some works to heritage items and settings (sites) and works on some sites in residential heritage areas, which are scheduled areas in the Christchurch District Plan. Other works are permitted subject to meeting certain standards.

The Christchurch District Plan(external link) provides for the protection of significant historic heritage while also recognising the impact of the Canterbury Earthquakes and engineering and financial factors on the ability to retain, restore and continue using heritage properties.

The rules for protected heritage properties are generally contained in Chapter 9.3 of the District Plan(external link).

Maintenance, repairs, and heritage investigative and temporary works (external link)are generally permitted subject to meeting standards in the District Plan(external link).

Signs are permitted on protected heritage properties where they comply with the rules for signage in the zone(external link) in the District Plan. 

In some cases, work on heritage items must be carried out under the supervision of a heritage professional. Heritage upgrade works, reconstruction and restoration can be carried out as a permitted activity if a Heritage Works Plan certificate (P-025) [PDF, 70 KB] is obtained. The Heritage Works Plan must be prepared by a heritage professional and certified by the Council.

Resource consent is required for:

  • Demolition or partial demolition of a heritage item, or demolition of a defining or contributory building in a residential heritage area.
  • Alteration of a heritage item or a defining or contributory building in a residential heritage area.
  • Relocation of a heritage item within or beyond its setting.
  • New buildings in a heritage setting or in a heritage item which is an open space.
  • New buildings and road boundary fences and walls over 1.5 metres high on sites in a residential heritage area.
  • Subdivision of a heritage setting or a heritage item which is an open space. See chapter 8 - 8.5.1.3 RD10 in the District Plan(external link).
  • Any works that don't meet the permitted activity standards in the District Plan(external link).

The rules vary depending on the type of work proposed and the significance of the heritage site. For more information about the District Plan rules for your particular site, please contact our Duty Planner via email to dutyplanner@ccc.govt.nz.

Advice to owners of heritage items is also available from the Council's Heritage Team at heritage@ccc.govt.nz.

The rules for heritage items in the District Plan(external link) restrict changes to heritage items and heritage fabric which affect heritage values.

It could be appropriate to apply for a Non-Heritage Fabric (P-026) [PDF, 69 KB] certificate in some circumstances, for example, for interior fabric for heritage items which have interior protection in Appendix 9.3.7.2(external link), to confirm that certain fabric is not heritage fabric and change to this fabric is not subject to the rules in sub-chapter 9.3.

Please check the relevance of this certificate with the Council's Heritage team before preparing an application, as amendments to the definition of alteration(external link) as a result of Plan Change 13 recognise that changes to a heritage item, such as additions, require resource consent because they may affect heritage values, although the works do not always affect heritage fabric.

The Non-Heritage Fabric (P-026) [PDF, 69 KB] request form must be accompanied by an assessment from a heritage professional. 

A heritage professional is a person with specific qualifications and experience in heritage conservation or management, as defined in Chapter 2 of the District Plan as amended by Plan Change 13. 

This heritage definition in Plan Change 13(external link) had immediate legal effect from the time of notification and is treated as operative as the submissions period has closed, and there were no submissions on this definition.

Some of the heritage rules allow work to be carried out without resource consent if a heritage professional is involved. 

The people below have demonstrated the experience necessary to meet the definition of a heritage professional.

When contacting a heritage professional, you will need to check whether they consider the proposed works to be within their professional remit or not.

For more information on this list, contact the Council’s Heritage Team at heritage@ccc.govt.nz.

Heritage professionals:

These guidelines were developed soon after the first Canterbury earthquake in 2010.

They are intended as guidelines for owners of heritage and character buildings to assist with repair and maintenance of these buildings and apply to any earthquake or building damage.

Projects involving demolition of buildings or earthworks on sites associated with pre-1900 human activity may also have separate obligations relating to archaeological sites under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 (NZHPT Act)(external link) administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (HNZPT).  

Areas of the Christchurch District with a known high concentration of archaeological sites include: Sumner, Redcliffs, Birdlings Flat, the Central City, Lyttelton and Akaroa.  If you are proposing demolition of a pre-1900 building or other earthworks which could modify or destroy a site occupied before 1900 you should check your obligations with HNZPT.

For more information about archaeological sites and the Archaeological Authority process, visit the HNZPT website(external link) or contact HNZPT’s Southern Regional Office at archaeologistcw@heritage.org.nz or 03 363 1880.

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (HNZPT) is an autonomous Crown entity with the role of identifying, preserving and promoting New Zealand’s heritage under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 (HNZPT Act)(external link). 

HNZPT offers heritage advice and maintains and administers Rārangi Kōrero/The New Zealand Heritage List(external link) which includes Historic places, Historic areas, Wāhi tūpuna, Wāhi tapu and Wāhi tapu areas.

HNZPT advocates for the entries on the list. Statutory protection of heritage sites and areas sits under the District Plan. Most significant heritage items in the district will appear on both the Christchurch District Plan schedule and the Heritage New Zealand list, however, there may be cases where places do not appear on both. The council consults with HNZPT in relation to entries on the Rārangi Kōrero/The New Zealand Heritage List.

Under the HNZPT Act, Heritage New Zealand is charged with the protection of archaeological sites. For information on archaeology and the requirements for Archaeological Authorities, visit Heritage New Zealand(external link).

If you require any information on Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga listed places, heritage orders, or covenants, contact the Heritage NZ Southern Regional Office:

  • Physical address: 64 Gloucester Street, Christchurch 8013
  • Postal address: PO Box 4403, Christchurch Mail Centre 8140
  • Phone: 03 363 1880
  • Email: infosouthern@heritage.org.nz

ICOMOS Aotearoa New Zealand/Te Mana ō Nga Pouwhenua ō Te Ao 

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)(external link) is a non-governmental organisation of heritage professionals engaged in the conservation of places of cultural heritage value and dedicated to the conservation of the world's historic monuments and sites.

The ICOMOS New Zealand Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Heritage Value (ICOMOS New Zealand Charter 2010(external link)) is a set of guidelines on cultural heritage conservation. 

The Charter is widely used in the New Zealand heritage sector and is a recognised benchmark for conservation standards and practice. It is used by central government ministries and departments, by local bodies in district plans and heritage management, and by practitioners as guiding principles.

The ICOMOS New Zealand Charter 2010 sits as part of the Council’s Heritage Strategy: Our Heritage, Our Taonga, which was adopted by the Christchurch City Council in 2019.

Applications for resource consent for scheduled heritage items should take into account the conservation principles of the ICOMOS New Zealand Charter 2010.