Covid19 response
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has made health and safety adjustments at our offices and properties to minimise the risk of infection to our visitors, members and staff. Check in here to find out more about how different parts of our business are responding to the situation.
Opening hours and conditions for our offices and properties are in accordance with the conditions of the relevant Alert Level declared by the government. We have contact tracing registers in place, and are applying other governmental recommendations for physical distancing, deliveries, meetings, and for other personal and workplace hygiene.
The advice provided by the Ministry of Health is the best way for our community to protect ourselves.
For up-to-date information and advice on the pandemic please visit
Are Heritage New Zealand offices and properties open?
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga offices are open subject to the conditions of the relevant Alert Level that applies to different parts of the country, including those related to group sizes, contact tracing and hygiene procedures. Please arrange any on-site or face-to-face meetings with staff in advance.
Most of our other properties are open on reduced hours, apart from those that normally close for the Winter season. Check directly with the property you may wish to visit before you go. We've missed you!
We are open for enquiries regarding future venue hire for your special occasions.
The Online Shop is open. Deliveries may take longer due to the backlog of parcels moving around the country.
Looking after our people... and you
Contact tracing registers, additional cleaning and hygiene procedures, monitoring of group sizes and other governmental advice regarding Covid-19 response applies. We ask you to be patient if some services may not be available as promptly as usual. We appreciate your understanding - the health of all of us continues to be the most important thing.
National State of Emergency and Archaeological Authorities
The Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014 makes it unlawful for any person to modify or destroy, or cause to be modified or destroyed, the whole or any part of an archaeological site without the prior authority of Heritage New Zealand.
Our archaeologists and pouarahi are working (some remotely) and the authority process is running as normal at present. Currently we are in 'working days' as defined by the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014. Read more about how the normal authority process is working under lockdown.
When a civil defence, local or national state of emergency is notified such as has occurred with the national Covid-19 response, a simplified and streamlined process - the Emergency Archaeological Authority process - may apply to quickly consider work that affects archaeological sites under Subpart 3 Emergency Authorities, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020
If you believe that an emergency archaeological authority is needed, please first discuss the circumstances for which the emergency authority is needed with either:
- Vanessa Tanner, Manager Archaeology phone 027 6089537, or
- Frank van der Heijden, Senior Archaeologist 027 6889741.
Please note the emergency process will be available ONLY for work needed on archaeological sites to enable essential businesses to continue to be provided or maintained. Please see www.covid19.govt.nz
Find out more about the emergency archaeological authority process during the Covid-19 response.
