Stories
Dunedin photo competition shows interest in heritage sites
October 30, 2023 | Stories

By Rosemary Baird 

The winners of the inaugural Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Documenting Our Heritage Photo Competition were announced recently. 

Highly Commended, Cargill’s Monument (List No. 4754) by Melanie Dick

The competition aimed to encourage members of public to explore The List/Rārangi Kōrero and submit photographs of listed sites. The photographers shared their images under a creative commons licence. The photos will be used by the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website and deposited in Dunedin Public Libraries' digital repository, He Purupuru Mahara / Scattered Seeds.

According to Otago Southland Area Manager of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, Sarah Gallagher, "We had a total 82 submissions, and it was wonderful to see a range of outstanding images of historic places from Dunedin and wider Otago. The New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Korero will be enhanced by these images showing historic places as they look today.”

Competition judge, photographer Mark McGuire, who also ran a workshop at Dunedin Library in preparation for the event, was impressed with the entries. “Many excellent photographs were submitted that satisfied all competition criteria, so it wasn’t easy to select the two winning entries.

“Clearly, there is a lot of interest in our heritage buildings and sites and there are many local photographers, young and older, who have shown a talent for documenting and celebrating them.”

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga would also like to thank Dunedin Public Library, who were event partners, and displayed the photo entries on the CUBE photo display during Ōtepoti Dunedin Heritage Festival. Gallery De Novo also sponsored the prize for the youth category. 

The results: First place going to Trevor Douglas (open category) and Corbin Barringer (youth category) for their photos of Ross Creek Valve Tower and First Church of Otago. Congratulations also to Melanie Dick, Kate Burton and John Caswell for their photos which Mark highlighted for honourable mention.

Winner of Open Category, Ross Creek Valve House, (List No. 4722) by Trevor Douglas
Winner of Youth Category, First Church of Otago (List No. 60) by Corbin Barringer
Highly Commended, Teviot Station Woolshed (List No. 336) by Kate Burton
Highly Commended, Cathedral Church of St Joseph’s (List No. 364) by John Caswell.
Documenting our Heritage Photography Competition
Ōtepoti Dunedin
Ōtepoti Dunedin Heritage Festival
Baird, Rosemary (author)

Rosemary Baird | Outreach Advisor
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