About the Trust
The Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust is a charitable trust, with a long proud history of conserving, restoring Oamaru's Built heritage.
Charitable Trust #422997
History of the Trust
In 1987 a small group of individuals worked with the former Oamaru Borough Council (since amalgamation, the Waitaki District Council) to obtain funding for a feasibility study into the redevelopment of Oamaru's Harbour and Tyne Streets which unfortunately by the 1980s had seen time and 'progress' take its toll.
This area now known as Oamaru's Heritage Precinct, was the original commercial area for the Oamaru Harbour.
The buildings consisted of large grain and seed warehouses which served the prosperous agricultural sector in the district during the later part of the 19th century.
Following the recommendations of the Arthur Young Feasibility Study the Oamaru Whitestone Civic Trust was Founded as a charitable trust to preserve this important part of the country's history. Eight buildings costing $80,000 where purchased off what is now PGG Wrightson's with a grant from the Alexander McMillan Trust.
Today, the Trust owns sixteen buildings
in the Heritage Precinct.
The Trust's buildings were built during the period from 1870s to1880s and are today New Zealand’s most complete streetscape of Victorian commercial buildings. The buildings are constructed of locally quarried limestone. The easily carved stone lent itself perfectly to the creation of the elaborate Neo Classical style of building so popular with the Victorians at that time.
The Trust is fortunate that there are craftsmen in Oamaru today who have the skills to restore the buildings to their former grandeur.
The restoration of the buildings and adaptive re-use of the buildings’ interior spaces is funded through rental income, donations, and grants from various groups and organisations. Tenanting of the buildings with local businesses, artisans, and craftspeople, helps ensure the buildings remain a living part of Oamaru’s story for years to come. The Trust continues to work to preserve Oamaru’s Heritage Precinct and has made significant progress in achieving its aims and objective.