A participatory approach to the assessment of built heritage: an example from Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand

This article discuess a pilot exercise in participatory heritage assessment carried out in 2000 in Newtown, an ethnically diverse suburb of New Zealand's capital, Wellington. The approach and process discussed aimed to challenge the criteria and processes associated with built heritage selection and to provide an alternative which is more inclusive of different ethnic and cultural groups. It does this by asking: what is protected? Who decides what is worth keeping? Who is it meant for?|The following recommendations are made regarding the development and implementation of participatory heritage assessment:|Develop a core of facilitators who specialise in participatory approaches;| Expand the range of groups to include specific communities of interest;|Facilitate a discussion of outcomes with group representatives and a heritage specialist;|Support residents to establish projects to manage their own built heritage.