Picton Smart & Connected Postal Address: c/o PO Box 610, Picton Email: [email protected] Long Term Plan Submission 2018-2028 From: Picton Smart & Connected To: The Marlborough District Council 25/04/2020 – Annual Plan Supplement

Re: Marlborough Sounds Heritage & Environment Centre, Picton

This submission is being forwarded by the Picton Smart & Connected, Heritage Working Group. Following discussions between the Picton Smart & Connected Arts & Heritage Working group, the Picton community and representatives of the Marlborough Heritage Trust, we (PS&C) would like to offer our support for the development and building of a Marlborough Sounds Heritage & Environment Centre in Picton. Understanding a community’s historic, cultural, environmental, and social context is essential for celebrating and developing a ‘sense of place’ for both locals and visitors and economically, heritage tourism is now internationally recognised, as a significant attractor for sustainable tourism growth. We believe that a Marlborough Sounds Heritage and Environment Centre, would offer an invaluable resource in both regards. We understand that the Marlborough Heritage Trust which governs the Museum and Ship are fully supportive of such a development on and around the existing Edwin Fox Museum site. It is the opinion of the Picton Smart and Connected Heritage Work Group, that the building should be located on the waterfront with the existing Edwin Fox Ship at its centre. We would propose a two storied building to reduce its footprint, traditionally built using wood, steel and natural materials and we support the building of a structure that mirrors the design principles and maritime feel, of the new Picton library. We believe that the existing Edwin Fox Museum building, side entrance way and associated waterside land, could provide sufficient land area to accommodate this project. Omaka Aviation centre is a fine example of how a heritage-based platform that showcases Marlborough’s history, can greatly increase visitation to Marlborough, while at the same time grow regional pride in provincial heritage. We (PS&C) believe that a ‘Marlborough Sounds Heritage & Environment Centre’ with the Edwin Fox at its centre, would enable Marlborough to showcase its rich and diverse voyaging and maritime history, marine ecology and cultural strengths under one roof. The Edwin Fox Ship The Edwin Fox, (a World Ship Trust-awarded ship, an award shared by the , The Victory, and the ), deserves to be housed in a more modern, environmentally sound and structurally safe space, suitable to preserve and showcase an internationally important and valuable maritime asset. Marketing the Sounds Marlborough’s tourism (GDP) against other industries is low and modest growth has been realised in recent years in this sector. At Picton Smart & Connected we believe that Marlborough should safe proof its future by developing diversity and strength in all of its industries and we believe that sustainable tourism is one sector that Marlborough needs to develop and strengthen, as a safe guard, should other industries, not maintain current growth patterns. Designed Future Proofing We (PS&C) also believe that as Picton is further industrialised through Port expansion, it will become more important to offer a designed path for visitors including cruise ship passengers, to experience the Marlborough Sounds through local operator offerings and informative platforms, such as this concept. Now more than ever a Marlborough Sounds Heritage and environment centre as part of Marlborough’s tourism offering is essential to showcasing the Marlborough Sounds, its heritage, and its environment. In short, if we want to truly showcase the Marlborough Sounds as a high yield domestic tourism attractor and attract increased international tourists, when they can again come to New Zealand, we need resources such as this to increase the natural value in tourism terms. In addition to this, Tourism New Zealand will now be looking at more sustainable tourism for New Zealand with higher levels of environmental consideration, so the ability to guide visitors to an iconic New Zealand landscape (Marlborough Sounds) via a facility such as this, as a designed introduction, will be a critical tool in the products marketing and physical delivery. It also goes without saying that increased tourism can and often does mean, increased environmental pressure, so a centre educating visitors before they interact with the environment, will be vital to the environmental future of the Marlborough Sounds in tourism terms and will raise the value of the product, through a designed environmental aspect and brand. The centre will increase awareness & sensitivity to the landscape’s needs in environmental terms, change attitudes, teach skills, and increase the desire to participate in the guardianship of the Sounds, as an iconic New Zealand environment. It is also our belief that visitors will stay longer if they feel connected to the environment in this way. In recent years Destination Marlborough has increased its marketing of the Marlborough Sounds and we believe that Marlborough now needs a ‘presentation platform’ to showcase the Marlborough Sounds story under one roof. We believe that a Marlborough Sounds Heritage & Environment Centre, would assist Destination Marlborough to effectively promote the Marlborough Sounds and that it would provide information and support opportunities to explore locations that can be physically visited, using local operator offerings e.g. Perano Whaling Station, Ship Cove, Kaipupu Point and various other sites. Effectively turning the Marlborough Sounds into an internationally important, heritage and ecological landscape. Potential to include: • Maori Culture / Voyaging exhibit • Captain Cook / Tuia 250 exhibit • Picton Heritage and Whaling Museum • Maritime History Archive • Eco (Kaipupu, Envirohub, D.O.C, Dawn Chorus etc) • Multi-Functional Exhibition / Conference Space Possible Concept / Visual: Marlborough Sounds Heritage and Eco Centre – next to Edwin Fox Dry Dock. Concept showing potential use of land / space.

Conclusion We believe that this centre of excellence would be regionally, nationally, and internationally important, in both heritage and environmental terms. We believe that it would greatly improve the ability to tell authentic and important stories of Marlborough’s past, present and future in both historical and ecological terms. We believe that this centre will fit well with Tourism New Zealand’s plans to increase environmental value in New Zealand’s tourism offering and place Marlborough at the forefront of sustainable tourism in Aotearoa.

NB: This is a supplement to our LTP submission of 2018. Writer: Richard Briggs Picton Smart & Connected Arts & Heritage Working Group Tel: 027 727 6218

Email: [email protected]