List of historic places in Dunedin

Montage of Dunedin heritage (from top left): The Old Dunston Road, Taiaroa Head Lighthouse, the Railway Station, First Church, Matanaka Farm, University of Otago and Otakou Maori Memorial Methodist Church.

This list of historic places in Dunedin covers all historical areas, places and buildings on the New Zealand Heritage List / Rārangi Kōrero that fall entirely or in part within Dunedin City. It also covers places of local importance or historical notability.

Māori settled in Otago relatively soon after reaching New Zealand, and the Dunedin area was a major whaling centre and site of early European colonisation.[1] The building boom from the gold rush of the 1860s, coupled with the relative stagnation of the region's population in the 20th century, has led to the preservation of many old structures and sites. Dunedin City is 255 km² in area, covering Otago Harbour, the Taieri Plains and the tussock-covered mountains near Middlemarch. Some of the historical sites listed here are therefore, rural in nature.

Exceptional historical places are included in the national register (administered by Heritage New Zealand) in five groups: historic places (Category 1 and 2), historic areas, Wāhi Tūpuna (practical sites), Wāhi Tapu (spiritual sites) and Wāhi Tapu areas.[2] As of November 2018, there are 827 listings in Otago, of which 207 are Category 1 historic places. This list covers all historical areas, places, and buildings on the New Zealand Heritage List that fall entirely or in part within Dunedin City. It also covers places of local importance or historical notability. The Huriawa site (fortified village) and Toitu Tauraka Waka are designated as a Wāhi Tapu Area and Wāhi Tūpuna, respectively.

The Dunedin City Council also maintains a Heritage Register of buildings included in the national register and those which add to the character of the city.[3] The additions to the national register are based on an assessment of the significance of values which are outlined in the Significance Assessment Guidelines (2019).[4]

  1. ^ West, Jonathan (March 2018). The Face of Nature: An Environmental History of the Otago Peninsula. Otago University Press. ISBN 9781927322383.
  2. ^ "About the Register". Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Heritage Register - Dunedin City Council". www.dunedin.govt.nz. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Nominate a historic place". Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 18 June 2019.