Historic Places Trust slams illegal practise

11 June 2007

Historic Places Trust slams illegal practise

The New Zealand Historic Places Trust is dismayed by an item played on TV3 news Sunday night, which showed men illegally searching an archaeological site in Central Otago.

Trust Senior Archaeologist Dr Rick McGovern-Wilson today criticised the behaviour of three Central Otago men, described in the news item as ‘gold mining enthusiasts’ for fossicking illegally on an archaeological site high in the Garvie Mountains, east of Lake Wakatipu.

The three men were looking for the remains of a lost gold mining town, known as “North Pole”, which quietly slipped into the annals of history more than 140 years ago. Dr McGovern-Wilson is concerned by TV3’s coverage of the illegal activity.

“People have to realise that such activities are illegal and can come with some pretty stiff penalties. I was absolutely appalled by what I saw on the TV3 News on Sunday. This situation clearly shows the media also need to be aware of the role they play when they cover such activities.”

Dr McGovern-Wilson said Section 99 of the Historic Places Act 1993 made it illegal for any person to destroy, damage or modify an archaeological site without the prior authority of the Historic Places Trust. The penalty for such actions include fines ranging from $40,000 to $100,000 and a criminal conviction.

The Act defines an archaeological site as a place associated with pre-1900 human activity where there may be evidence relating to the history of New Zealand. All sites are protected and people require an authority from the Trust prior to undertaking activities that may modify, damage, or destroy a site.

Dr McGovern-Wilson said that the provisions of the Act were crucial to protecting much of this country’s archaeological heritage.

“If we allow people to just go off and fossick through archaeological sites around the country then we run the very real risk of potentially losing important archaeological information. It is imperative that we protect these important remnants of our past.”

ENDS

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