Ordinary and Outstanding: A grounded investigation of associative values in landscape assessment

Abstract

Picturesque ideologies embedded in the Resource Management Act, 1991 have significantly influenced landscape assessment methodologies in New Zealand. Its influence has given overwhelming priority to the protection of “outstanding natural landscapes”, landscapes which are “conspicuous, eminent, or remarkable” to their viewer. The application of the picturesque aesthetic to landscape was contested in the 2009 Lammermoor decision in Central Otago, New Zealand. The decision saw artist Grahame Sydney and poet Brian Turner challenge the nature of the Resource Management Act, 1991 and landscape assessment methodologies in New Zealand, revealing the existence of other ‘outstanding landscapes’. These landscapes could contain important values and meanings to people such as memories, recreational value, amenity, and trauma, and are not necessarily ‘outstanding natural landscapes’ in appearance. This thesis takes inspiration from the actions of Sydney and Turner and asks, what would landscape assessment in New Zealand look like if landscapes which are outstanding for associative social and cultural reasons were given equal priority to outstanding natural landscapes, and how artists may be able to aid in their identification? Field work in the Grey District on the West Coast of the South Island drew on local artists’ identification of outstanding landscapes. Analysis of their selected sites and conversations with them revealed the potential of artists as experts, and highlighted the influence of Insider and Outsider perspectives on understandings of a landscape’s associations.