Dunedin Heritage Funding Program (New Zealand)

The Dunedin Heritage Fund can provide incentive funding for a wide range of works.

Prioritisation

• As the number of projects and their total value may exceed the amount of assistance funding available through the Dunedin Heritage Fund each year, funding will be prioritised by the following criteria.
  • The historic significance of the place and risks which threaten this significance.
  • The heritage values that will be protected by the project.
  • Contribution to the re-use of buildings.
  • The likely benefits/outcomes of the project, including community benefits.
  • The urgency of the project.
  • The visibility of the project and public accessibility.
  • Evidence of significant capital investment by the owner

Funding Information

• Grants are typically given as a percentage of work to a specific dollar value, or covering a specific component of work. Grants cannot be applied to the GST element of the project, so this cost must be excluded from your application.
• Grants are generally not paid until the project or work element is complete. However, in certain exceptional circumstances progress payments may be made upon receipt of invoices, with the prior agreement of the Fund Committee.
• In exceptional circumstances the Committee may allocate larger grants where these will guarantee protection, restoration, or re-use of a significant heritage building.

Assistance Available

• The Heritage Fund Committee has the ability to make grants to the owner or occupier of any historic place within Dunedin for the purpose of assisting that owner or occupier to manage, maintain or preserve that historic place. Preference for assistance will be given to:
  • Buildings on the New Zealand Heritage List and/or listed in the Dunedin City District Plan and/or mentioned in the Dunedin Contextual Thematic History.
  • Historic places that are entered on the New Zealand Heritage List as archaeological sites, or as wahi tupuna, wahi tapu or wahi tapu areas.
  • Buildings in a historic area on the New Zealand Heritage List, or in a Heritage Precinct in the Dunedin City District Plan.
  • Buildings likely to meet the criteria for inclusion on the New Zealand Heritage List or Dunedin City District Plan.

Eligible Work

• The Dunedin Heritage Fund can provide incentive funding for a wide range of works. These include:
  • Essential repairs, stabilisation or core structural works.
  • Restoration projects.
  • Upgrades to code/regulation standards to enable contemporary use of heritage places, e.g. fire, earthquake, access provisions.
  • Specific “like with like” material replacement/ maintenance projects that protect the integrity of heritage buildings (eg slate or timber shingle roofing; copper gutters/downpipes; wooden joinery; stained glass; stonework; pressed tin ceilings; etc).
  • Preparation of heritage conservation plans.
  • Emergency or protective works to protect heritage fabric.
  • Note: Routine maintenance will not normally be a high priority for assistance.

Eligibility Criteria

• As a condition of granting any application for assistance the Committee may at its discretion impose specific conditions including:
  • Acceptance of technical advice from the Council’s City Development Team and/or Heritage New Zealand.
  • The preparation of a conservation plan (or similar).
  • That the Dunedin City Council and Heritage New Zealand can use images or information related to the funded works to promote the work of the Fund or wider conservation issues. The applicant would be consulted before any images or information was used for these purposes. It may also require that the owner of any historic place shall take all necessary steps to achieve any one or more of the following:
    • The scheduling of the historic place, structure or building in the District Plan, proposal for listing on the New Zealand Heritage List under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
    • The execution of a heritage covenant under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
    • Payment of the reasonable costs (including legal fees) of any mortgage, guarantee or other security document required to give effect to sub-clause.

For more information, visit Dunedin City Council.