Back-country huts : more than a roof over your head : a question of values in cultural heritage management

Abstract

This dissertation presents an analysis of cultural heritage management, with a particular focus on backcountry huts and the Department of Conservation. Fifteen huts managed by the West Coast Conservancy of the Department of Conservation were used as a case study. The meanings associated with them were determined by discussion with users, through examination of the huts themselves and through an analysis of the operations and actions of the Department of Conservation. Meanings associated with the huts are known through personal experience and interpretation, and external indicators. Back-country huts are also important as symbols of the exploration and development of Pakeha/European Aotearoa-New Zealand.

The study concluded that the management of back-country huts needs to be a dynamic process because perceptions of cultural heritage are not static. The Department of Conservation needs to change its management focus from primarily natural resource preservation to accommodate broader concerns for the conservation of cultural resources. A strategy is proposed which enables a range of participants (from members of the local community, vested interest groups, to staff of the Department of Conservation) to decide which huts should be conserved as cultural heritage. The strategy allows for perceptions of cultural heritage to change over time.