A tractor in Te Puna

Anyone who has, as I have, pored through every one of the four-thousand-plus hits in a Papers Past search of the Bay of Plenty Times, will know that there is nothing especially remarkable about Te Puna tractors.  These hard-working turners of soil were to be found, by the mid-1930s, everywhere in the Bay of Plenty and across New Zealand.  

I have tried hard to discover just how a 1935 McCormick-Deering, model W 12, tractor made its way to a property near the north-western corner of Lochhead Road. Specifically, my cousin Doug Pringle located it in the early 1970’s in a roadside paddock about 250 metres from the turnoff.  In the1960s this was Lot 156, Section VIII, Parish of Te Puna  - Tuhakaraina land, subsequently much sub-divided and on-sold.

The tractor travelled from Lochhead Road, upper right corner, to Lot 173 on Te Puna Road; and then to Lot 206, Munro Road, lower left-hand corner.

Tauranga County map, image courtesy of Western Bay of Plenty District Council

The steel-wheeled tractor, with its tricksy starter motor (using expensive petrol) that, once the machine was sufficiently warmed up, transitioned to much cheaper kerosene, seems to have been transferred as part of the property, and to have been more and more ignored as time went by.  If a separate second-hand sale was ever attempted before 1950, the vendor did not use the Bay of Plenty Times to advertise it. By the time my cousin took an interest in it, it was deep in long grass, speckled with rust and flaked paint, and nothing like the smart example of the same model pictured below.  Some of its lugs had come off its steel wheels, giving it, Doug recalls, “a lurching effect to the driver on hard surfaces.”

Doug can no longer remember who gave him the tractor.  No doubt because of its lurching ride and aggressive effect on paved roads, it had not moved for a couple years before he asked its owners if he could have it to “understand mechanical things”.   Somehow he got it to his family farm on Te Puna Road where he tinkered with it for a bit before leaving home for university.  The tractor then enters definite memory:  He and my brother Ken loaded it on to the farm’s Bedford truck and transported it along SH 2 to the Sparks farm on Munro Road.  There, Ken did some more tinkering and got the machine to move from the implement shed and along the tanker track to the “brooder house” (our parents were in the chicken-rearing business), where it stopped on the verge of Munro Road.

For good.  I like to hope that, before it was scrapped, my father consulted another keen tractor man of Te Puna, Rex Williams, to see if he wanted it.  Even then, Rex was a collector of old farm machinery and an authority on their continued usefulness.  Sadly, neither my dad nor Rex are with us, now, to ask.

Rex Williams and his 1916 steel-wheeled tractor on his Te Puna farm, Snodgrass Road, in 1972.

Image: Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Photo gcc-21555

The W 12 may have been too ordinary a model for Rex to take an interest in.  They were everywhere: light, manoeverable, and simple to operate the manifold had reached a high enough temperature to vaporize the cheaper kerosene from the main tank. Three forward gears (plus reverse), delivering 18 horsepower on its belt and 14 drawbar horsepower through the drawbar. and weighing almost exactly 26 hundredweight (just over 1 ¼ tons), this lightweight tractor was extremely well suited to Te Puna’s free-draining soils and small farm units, and – as my cousin and brother discovered – could be made to work even after very neglectful treatment.

I found a poignant advertisement in the Bay of Plenty Times of 3 July 1937 [1].  Mr F. D. Donovan of Paengaroa, having sold his farm, was offering, among the implements and other stock:

16-yr. Draught Gelding,

1 7-yr. Draught Gelding,

1 Aged Heavy Draught Gelding,

1 McCormick Deering W12 Tractor.

At the time, prices for second-hand tractors were in the region of £250- 300.  Negotiating the sale of a horse was (and always has been) a job for an expert.  There are no ‘typical’ prices to compare the animal horsepower on Donovan’s farm with that of the tractor’s. I somehow doubt, however, that the horse team would have made the same price as the machine.

Sam Snowden’s 1938 advertisement for a different model of McCormick-Deering (the closely-aligned position of the front wheels, for instance).  But note the choice on offer of steel or rubber wheels. Rubber tyres became more and more popular as tractors were put to more and more purposes.

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19380921.2.29.1

The emphasis placed on agricultural mechanisation was a consequence of manpower shortages during and after WW I, and was taken especially seriously after WW II [2].  Federated Farmers, furiously lobbying for the use of scant overseas funds for imports important to them, offered Peter Fraser’s Labour government hard evidence [3] of the productivity gains to be had:

Evidence from the Federation will consist of the tractor and machinery survey now being concluded. That survey commenced in April and has entailed a tremendous amount of work but the result has been approximately 15,000 detailed statements from farmers setting out the type of tractor or equipment needed and an estimation of the increased production possible by the use of that machinery. Every farmer who originally notified the federation of his tractor and machinery needs has been written to individually concerning increased production. On a special form, 15,000 replies have now been received setting out in detail estimated increase in butterfat production, lambs, ewes, store sheep, supplementary crops and cereals. Many replies show that additional land would be brought into production if the necessary machinery was available.

The fate of our particular Te Puna tractor remains unknown.  But the charm has lingered on.  Few children’s playgrounds of the late twentieth century were without an immobilized tractor to clamber over; to drive, in the imagination, over ridge and gully; and to pretend to be a grown-up with a lot of mechanised horsepower under your seat.

McCormick-Deering tractor at Katikati, 1964.

Image: Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Photo gcc-7563

References

 The first and third images, and technical information on the McCormick-Deering, came from a number of tractor enthusiasts’ websites:

 https://www.justheavyequipment.com.au/equipment-for-sale/1930-mccormick-deering-w12/JHM3224549

https://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/003/2/4/3245-mccormick-deering-w-12-photos.html

https://cdn.justauto.com.au/ad-assets/JHM3224549/JHM3224549-5.jpg

https://www.facebook.com/groups/593755018124021/posts/2386259818873523/

https://live.proctorauctions.co.nz/lots/view/4-I0EZ30/mccormick-deering-w12-sn-ws3982

[1] https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19370703.2.4.5

[2] See, for instance: https://taurangahistorical.blogspot.com/2024/11/flo-chapmans-farm-diaries.html

[3] https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT19480828.2.53

Hidden Treasures: The Artwork of Te Ao Mārama - Mount Maunganui Library

 

As Te Ao Mārama - Mount Maunganui Library prepares for its upcoming refresh, or "glow-up", some of the library's most treasured artworks will be carefully packed away and placed into temporary storage. While they'll be out of sight for a little while, it's the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at the pieces that help make the library such a unique and welcoming space. Libraries are often thought of as places for books, learning, and community connection. But they're also home to stories told through art. Throughout Te Ao Mārama, artworks reflect the people, landscapes, and cultural heritage of our coastal community, creating a sense of place that visitors experience the moment they walk through the doors.

Whether inspired by Tauranga Moana, local flora and fauna, or the histories and identities that shape our region, these works add depth and character to the library environment. They invite us to pause, reflect, and connect with the stories around us in a different way. As renovation work gets underway, the artworks will be carefully protected until they can return to their home on the library walls. Their temporary absence is a reminder of how much they contribute to the atmosphere of the space and how easily we can overlook the creative treasures that surround us. When the library reopens, visitors can look forward not only to refreshed spaces but also to seeing these much-loved artworks return, ready to welcome a new generation of library users.

Until then, we're taking a moment to celebrate the collection and the stories it tells about our community, our place, and the people who call it home. The first to be mentioned is a taonga created by celebrated Māori artist, Fred Graham. Graham, (Ngāti Korokī Kahukura, Tainui), a visionary for expressing indigenous stories through contemporary artwork, created a mural depicting the journey our tupuna maunga undertook from the dense forest of Ōtānewainuku to the entrance of Te Awanui by the assistance of the elusive patupaiārehe. The carved relief was an evolutionary artwork consisting of mixed media, conveying elements that retell a story of heartbreak, growth, challenges, tikanga and the natural world as understood through the Māori worldview. Graham's sketch design showed the premeditated approach to the design and the many elements that would contribute to one coherent kōrero of Mauao's journey. 

• The sun. Final form not set could be a white missionaries face.
• Tukupanel representing stairway to Heaven, Tanes journey to the 12th heaven to fetch baskets of knowledge, see script.
• Patupaiarehe (carved in white pine) fleeing from sunlight - spirae background carved from hardboard rep. Time.
• Patupaiarehe (carved in kauri). Hauling the "nameless one" towards sea.
• Background - white lacing on background (Tuku representing Milky Way and hence night time).
• Large waves representing Open sea side of "Mauao".
• Otanewaimuku.
• "Nameless one" Grows in statue as he is dragged to his present site and given the name of "Mauao" and later "Mt. Maunganui".
• Puwhenua.

Pencil sketch of carving for Mount Maunganui Library, depicting the legend of Mauao. Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Ams 326

The end result was a striking composition consisting of a range of native timbers, including kahikatea, kauri, rimu, and tōtara, alongside hardboard and plastic-laced tukutuku panels. Together, these materials create a richly textured work that blends traditional Māori design elements with contemporary artistic practice.

The Legend of Mauao: carved relief. Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Photo 21-1892

One of the earliest artworks associated with the Mount Maunganui Public Library was Raurangi, a carving created by Jon Freeland from a log of beached tōtara. The work was commissioned and gifted to the library by Mrs L. C. Stevens, reflecting a community commitment to enriching the library with locally significant art.

Jon Freeland with his carving Raurangi Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Photo gca-11966

Jon's artwork, captured above and published in the Bay of Plenty Times on 8 June 1966, the carving became part of the library's story even before the new purposely built library building officially opened in 1967, establishing a connection between art, place, and community that continues today.

Raurangi carving: Mount Maunganui Library Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Photo 21-1893

Ururoa, An Early Tauranga Visitor

 A tonne of ordnance crosses the Kaimai Range, 1832

Ururoa (the great white shark), also known as Rewharewha Te Koke, c. 1780–1861, was a prominent Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu, and Te Tahawai rangatira (chief) of Whangaroa. A close relative and brother-in-law to the renowned Ngāpuhi musket general Hongi Hika, Ururoa led many taua or fighting expeditions alongside him during the 1820s, and following Hongi’s death in 1827, cemented his role as a leading rangatira at Whangaroa.

The artillery general Ururoa or Rewharewha Te Koke. [1]

An enthusiastic artilleryman, Ururoa joined Titore Takiri’s grand amphibious artillery expedition against the Tauranga iwi in December 1831. Ururoa’s Whangaroa contingent arrived at the Bay of Islands in waka taua carrying 140 musket-armed warriors and four 12-pound carronades from the Boyd which had been attacked at Whangaroa in 1809. Their arrival boosted the number of Titore’s toa or fighting men to 600 and the number of cannon and short barrelled carronades to ten.

To revenge Ngāpuhi’s previous reversals at Tauranga, Titore Takire and his rangatira assembled ten artillery pieces for their 1832 campaign [2]

Accompanied on the little schooner Karere (Messenger) by the Rev. Henry Williams and fellow missionaries, who hoped to end the fighting, the expedition comprising 80 waka and Māori-owned cutters entered the Hauraki Gulf in January 1832. Here, Ururoa’s taua and Ngāti Maru allies ascended the Waihou River by waka and laid siege to the great fortress of the Ngāti Haua people and their paramount chief Te Waharoa at Matamata.

Rev. Henry Williams’ schooner Karere (Messenger) accompanying Ngāpuhi’s 1832 amphibious expedition. Stowed in the hulls of the waka taua and Māori-owned sailing boats, their artillery pieces and munitions served as ballast.[3]

 Despite subjecting the pā and its inhabitants to musket and artillery fire during a 2–3-week siege, Ururoa’s artillerymen were unable to create a breach in the palisades that would allow his allied infantry to storm the fortress. Following a surprise foray by Te Waharoa’s warriors, who captured some Ngāpuhi who were crucified on his palisades, Ururoa raised the siege.

Urgently needing to reinforce Titore’s main fleet, in February 1832, Ururoa set out to take his force of 200 musketeers and his artillery train directly over the Kaimai Range to Tauranga Harbour by means of the centuries-old Wairere track

Like Ururoa’s artillery expedition, trading and missionary parties struggled to negotiate the vast Mangapouri swamp that surrounded Matāmata Pā on three sides.[4]

When traversing the Mangapouri swamp between Matamata and the Waihou river below the Kaimai Range, Ururoa’s men dragged and floated the artillery pieces and their munitions across in small waka. Described by the travelling botanist J. C. Bidwill in 1841 as ‘of a custard like consistency and of a light brown colour’, any heavily loaded warrior straying from the column immediately sank to his armpits and could be extracted only with the assistance of his comrades.

 After emerging from the quagmire and crossing the fast-flowing Waihou River, the Ngāpuhi camped that night below the dark, bush clad Kaimai Range, which rose abruptly 1,510 feet to the summit of Mount Wairere. Nearby, the rain-swollen Wairere Stream, a glistening silver beacon which marked the entrance to the track, thundered down from the heights.

The Waihou River, Kaimai Range and Wairere Falls 
A notoriously difficult mountain crossing to this day, the Wairere Track climbs steeply on the right of the falls, from the Matamata Plain to a high summit plateau at 1200 feet, before descending to the Te Puna Peninsula on Tauranga Harbour [5]

Placing their precious carronades at the centre of the column, the following morning, Ururoa’s taua began the steep ascent to the summit plateau. The gun captains distributed men along the length of the single haul rope attached to each carronade and sled while others were tasked to heave on the sides and ends of the gun sleds as opportunity offered. There were gradients where the toa on the haul ropes bent double with the strain and preserved their balance only by supporting themselves on their hands and knees. The upper section of the track was most difficult for it was slippery due to clouds settling on the tops. Here, the gun teams could catch their breath only by securing the carronades to trees.

A 12-pound carronade from the plundered Boyd. [6]

Favoured by Māori predatory raiders like Ururoa, who referred to them as pū repo (great guns), early 19th-century British 12-pounder carronades were short, smoothbore cast-iron naval guns. Requiring a crew of four, they were used by artillery chiefs to fire single gunstones or quantities of round stones when iron cannon balls and grapeshot were unavailable. With each gun weighing between 290 and 318 kgs and each iron ball 12-pounds (5.4kg), in February 1832, Ururoa’s gunners hauled more than 1.000 kgs or one metric ton of ordinance over the Kaimai Range to Tauranga.

At last, the carronades were dragged over the shoulder of the peak to the summit plateau, where Ururoa’s taua camped the night beneath a canopy of tawa, rimu, miro and many softwoods. At first light the column commenced the day-long crossing of the summit plateau. The deeply rutted track was muddy and overgrown in many places, requiring the gunners to slide the gunsleds over or beneath fallen trees and struggle through thickets of head-high fern, the carronades crashing after them. 

A waka used by Ngāpuhi to haul cannonballs at Ruapekapeka Pā, Northland in 1845. Ururoa used similar waka to haul his carronades and munitions over the Kaimai Range in 1832.[7]

Proceeding down the range after camping overnight on the eastern edge of the plateau, the carronades were slid down the track. Precipitous drops on either side of the ridge required all the strength of the anchor men; and sure footedness, and constant use of hand holds by the brake men using shrubs and trees to retain control. On the steepest sections, the stern ropes of the gunsleds were passed around a tree and slowly played out as the gun slid downhill. When the stern rope was nearly played out, the bow haulers snubbed the guns to trees on either side of the track to secure them, while the brake men made their way down the ridge to repeat the process.

The lower track provided glimpses of Tauranga Harbour, the Bay of Plenty coast and Ongarahu village on the Te Puna Peninsula. The expedition soon found the track levelling off and the forest opening out. The gruelling six-mile descent ended where a tiny tributary of the Pārapāra Sream crossed their path amid bright afternoon sunshine and low fern covered hills.

On 7 March 1832, Titore Takiri and Ururoa’s fleet of 80 waka taua and sailing boats moved down the harbour to besiege and bombard the Ngāi Te Rangi hapū defending Otūmoetai Pā.[8]

Ururoa’s taua subsequently attacked and dispersed the inhabitants of Ōngarahu and elsewhere on the Te Puna peninsula before mounting the carronades in the bows of plundered waka. His little fleet of waka pū repo reunited with Titore Takiri’s grand fleet at Matakana Island on Tauranga Harbour on 6 March 1832.

 Rev. Henry Williams noted that Ururoa’s taua had already engaged the Ngāi Te Rangi people at Otūmoetai Pā ‘in four or five severe engagements. The most recent had occurred that very afternoon when several artillery rounds were exchanged. Ururoa’s gunners subsequently participated in the historic artillery sieges of Otūmoetai and Maungatapu Pā - extraordinary and unique events in the military history of New Zealand.

Sources

Bentley, Trevor, Tribal Guns and Tribal Gunners, Wilsonscott, Christchurch, 2013: 85-95.

Bentley, Trevor, Early Maritime Tauranga, Vol. 1. Kererū Books, Tauranga, 2025: 103, 188-189, 217,

Bidwill, John, Rambles in New Zealand, W. S. Orr & Co., London, 1841: 78-79.

Gudgeon, T. W; Reminiscences of the War in New Zealand, Southern Reprints, Papakura, New Zealand,

1986: 127.

Matheson, Alister, Wairere Track: Ancient Highway of Missionary and Māori, Publicity Printing, Tauranga, 1975: 10, 13, 21, 24, 75, 30-32, 189, 220.

Wade, William, A Journey in the Northern Islands of New Zealand, George Rolwegan, Hobart, 1852: 131-132.

Williams, Henry, The Early Journals of Henry Williams, 1826-1840, (L. M. Rogers ed.), Christchurch, Pegasus Press, 1961: 107, 110, 133, 148, 243, 251, 440-441,

Williams, William, Christianity Among the New Zealanders, Seeley, Jackson, and Halliday, London, 1867: 158.

Woon, William, Reports from Select Committees on New Zealand, British Parliamentary Papers, Vol. XX, 1837-40, (680), 158.

Images

[1] Ururoa Rewharewha Te Koke (1780-1861), Wiki Tree, https://www.wikitree.com › wiki › Te_Koke-1

 [2] Titore Takiri, Sherrin, R. A. A.; Wallace, J. H.; edited by Thomson W. Leys. Early History of New Zealand: From Earliest Times to 1840. H. Brett, Auckland, 1890: 342.

 [3] Williams, Henry, ‘War canoes and Mission boats’ Sherrin and Lees, 1890: 150.

 [4] Williams, Henry, 1792-1867. [Williams, Henry] 1792-1867 ‘Passing through a swamp in New Zealand’. [London, Seelys, 1836]. Ref: PUBL-0031-1836-1. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.

 [5] Merrett, Joseph Jenner, 1815-1854. [Merrett, Joseph Jenner] 1816-1854. View from the Banks of the Thames of the Fall of Wai Riri. Ref: PUBL-0076-090. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.

 [6] Carronade, Carron Company; artillery maker(s); circa 1780; Scotland, cast iron. Dimensions Overall: 500mm (width), 350 mm (height), 1220 mm (length), 460kg (weight). Registration Number DM000143, Te Papa Tongarewa, National Library of New Zealand, Wellington.

 G[7] raham, David Henry, 1885-1965: Men alongside a waka used to sledge cannon balls at Ruapekapeka. Photographs of taonga Māori. Ref: 1/4-018228-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.

 [8] Joseph Josenhans, ‘War Canoes’ in Illustrations of Missionary Scenes, An Offering to Youth, Mainz, Joseph Scholz, 1855. XII.

Why Are New Buildings Made to Look Historical?

An Exploration of Traditional Architecture in Modern Times

[Editor’s note: In August local architect Phil Green put forward to members of Tauranga Historical an illustrated talk on the above topic.  It was not a discussion of old buildings: it explored reasons why, despite having unlimited technological freedom, modern architects so often create new buildings intentionally designed to resemble historical architecture. Because of its relevance to heritage conservation debate generally, we offer a lightly edited version of it here.]

Two city-state skylines: Athens, above, and Singapore, below

As one of humanity's oldest forms of cultural expression, buildings tell stories about the societies that created them.  Even though computer modelling now allows architects to design forms that would have been impossible only decades ago, they still make use of historical references.

Reasons for this tradition can be found by examining its historical origins, the social influences and economic motivations that drive it, and developments in construction techniques.  The tradition also has its critics; its continued use carries some implications for the future.

Creating buildings that imitate earlier styles is not a modern phenomenon. Throughout history, architects have repeatedly looked backwards for inspiration. The Renaissance revived the architecture of Ancient Rome. The Gothic Revival movement of the nineteenth century brought medieval design back into fashion. The Greek Revival movement spread across Europe, New Zealand, Australia and North America, where government buildings were deliberately designed to resemble ancient Greek temples. These styles were not considered copies. Instead, they represented admiration for earlier civilisations while adapting them for contemporary society.

Today's historical-style developments continue this tradition. Architects have a wide repertoire of historical elements they can use:

• Stone or brick façades
• Symmetrical layouts and classical proportions
•  Columns, porticos, decorative cornices and arches
• Timber detailing and decorative ironwork
• Structural features like pitched roofs and traditional window arrangements.

Auckland Municipal Destructor and Depot (Former), Auckland. CC BY-SA 2.0
Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org | Joe Ross

https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/7664/Auckland-Municipal-Destructor-and-Depot-Former

Although these features can appear to be centuries old, most are manufactured using modern construction techniques. Behind the façade is usually reinforced concrete, structural steel, modern plumbing, elevators, air conditioning and sophisticated earthquake engineering. Therefore, these buildings are historically inspired rather than historically constructed.

One of the strongest arguments for historical architecture is its ability to preserve cultural identity. European cities attract millions of tourists because their streets possess architectural consistency developed over centuries. Many newer developments - including in colonised countries - imitate these environments because visitors associate traditional architecture with authenticity and culture. Some entire towns have been designed using historical styles specifically to attract tourism. Although these places may be relatively modern, visitors enjoy the atmosphere they create

Cuidad Cayala, Guatemala City [1]

When entirely modern buildings are inserted into historic districts, many people believe they interrupt this visual harmony. Architects are therefore asked to design sympathetic buildings that blend with their surroundings. This approach is especially common in heritage precincts where planning regulations require new developments to complement existing streetscapes. Rather than competing with historic landmarks, new buildings become part of a continuous architectural story.

British urban street: eighteenth, nineteenth and late twentieth-century styling

Numerous surveys have shown that the public often prefer traditional architecture to highly modern designs. Psychologists suggest that humans naturally appreciate buildings containing patterns, symmetry and ornament. Traditional buildings also tend to include features at human scale: visible windows, decorative entrances, textured materials, clearly defined roofs.

Glass towers, while impressive, can sometimes feel anonymous or intimidating. Traditional architecture often creates a greater sense of comfort and belonging. Supporters of today's revival architecture see it as continuing a tradition that has existed for thousands of years, and  argue that cities should prioritise beauty over novelty. If people enjoy traditional buildings more, architects should design environments people actually want to live in.

Suburban residential street in Poundbury, Dorset [2]

Financial considerations can play a major role. Historic-looking buildings often command higher property values. Luxury developments frequently incorporate classical architectural elements because they communicate permanence, stability and prestige. Hotels designed to resemble historic mansions often attract visitors seeking a distinctive experience. Retail developments may re-create historic streets because customers generally spend more time in visually attractive environments. Developers understand these preferences. If buyers prefer traditional homes, developers build traditional homes. Architecture therefore reflects market demand as much as artistic vision. For developers, architecture is therefore not only an aesthetic but also a commercial strategy.

Regent Street, Christchurch New Zealand.
Left to right: before the 2011 earthquakes; rebuilding; and re-completed.

Not everyone supports historical revival architecture. Critics argue that it imitates rather than innovates; that architecture should represent its own era, and that false historical appearance may confuse future generations.  Certainly, decorative features can increase construction costs. Many modernist architects believe “honesty in architecture” means expressing modern materials rather than disguising them. They argue steel should look like steel—not stone.

Another criticism of older architecture is that historic buildings are often inefficient. However, modern historical buildings usually combine traditional appearance with sustainable technology. Thermal, energy and water conservation measures mean architects no longer need to choose between beauty and sustainability. Modern engineering allows both.

Although historical buildings may appear handcrafted, today's construction methods are highly advanced. Technologies such as computer-aided design (CAD,) Building Information Modelling (BIM), laser-cut stone, 3D-printed mouldings, prefabricated wall systems, earthquake-resistant steel frames and fire-resistant materials dramatically reduce construction costs while maintaining historical appearance. A building that once required decades to complete can now be finished within a few years.

Artificial intelligence, robotics and digital fabrication are changing architecture rapidly. Future historical buildings that appear to be almost identical to buildings constructed centuries ago may be constructed using autonomous robots and 3D-printed stone. At the same time, architects continue searching for ways to balance innovation with cultural heritage. Rather than replacing history, modern architecture increasingly seeks to build upon it.

Centre for Performing Arts, downtown Vancouver, Canada

The growing popularity of new buildings designed to look historical reflects a desire to connect the past with the present. These buildings preserve cultural identity, satisfy public preferences, enhance tourism, and often provide economic benefits, while incorporating modern technologies that improve safety, comfort and sustainability. Although debate continues between supporters of modernism and advocates of traditional design, historical-inspired architecture demonstrates that progress does not necessarily require abandoning the past.

Instead, architects are finding ways to combine centuries of architectural knowledge with contemporary engineering, creating buildings that honour history while serving the needs of modern society. However, historical significance is not always determined by architectural excellence alone. Sometimes ordinary buildings become treasured because of the stories they hold. Schools, community centres, workplaces, and homes can all gain historical value when they become connected to important evens, cultural movements, or shared memories. Heritage is a much about people as it is buildings.

Looking further ahead, future generations may even preserve examples of modular housing, adaptive reuse projects, and resilient structures designed to cope with rising sea levels and changing climates. These buildings may tell the story of how communities responded to some of the greatest challenges of our era. 

Left: Neoclassical futurism, designed by Tim Fu [3]. Right: A biophilic city, designed for construction by 3D robots [4]

Ultimately, the architecture that becomes historic will be the architecture that best represents who we were. It will reflect our innovations, our struggles, our successes, and our vision for the future. As architects, planners, builders, and citizens, we have a responsibility to consider not only what we build today, but what legacy we leave for tomorrow. The historical architecture of the future is already being designed, constructed, and lived in around us. The buildings we create today are not merely structures of the present – they are the heritage of future generations.

Image credits

All images except the photo of the Auckland Municipal Destructor and Depot were sourced by Phil Green.

References and captions

These were contributed by the editor.

 [1] For further discussion, see https://www.archdaily.com/1034953/the-cayala-paradox-how-are-private-districts-shaping-public-space-design-in-guatemala

[2] For further information, see https://poundbury.co.uk/

[3] An exponent of architectural practice using artificial intelligence: see https://www.timfu.com/tim

[4] for a practical example of a biophilic structure within an existing city, see https://journalofbiophilicdesign.com/journal-of-biophilic-design/rotterdam-rocks-a-new-biophilic-landmark-for-rotterdam

Blame it on the demon drink

A crazy night of lighting fires that led to three years in gaol for George Victor Clark did not discourage Ethel Appleton from marrying him in 1927 [1]. He was the son of Elizabeth and John Angus Clark, a mining agent, of Tauranga. His father died when the boy was fourteen and George became a cabinetmaker, then joined the Wellington Infantry Regiment in 1917 where he became a machine gunner.

Wall of Le Quesnoy, scaled by NZ soldiers in October 1918.
Photo: Barry Arabin, private collection; 2003.

George Clark served in the battle to liberate the French citizens in the town of Le Quesnoy, one of the last engagements by New Zealanders in World War One [2]. The German army occupied Le Quesnoy but the town could not be attacked by artillery as there were so many French civilians living there.  It is a walled town in a star-shaped fortress, one of many that Vauban, Louis XIV of France’s military engineer, had designed and built throughout France over 250 years before the Great War. This stalemate meant that Lieutenant Averell led his New Zealand troops up a ladder and over the town wall to liberate Le Quesnoy.

By 1919 George was back cabinetmaking in Tauranga and living with his mother in Edgecumbe Street.  His brother Harold also lived at the same address. 

Towards the end of November 1922, after a day of drinking in hotels in Tauranga, George Victor Clark lit a fire in Tanner Brothers’ Butchery, that was put out by a passing man before the fire brigade arrived. His second fire was lit in Peter Munro’s premises. He then lit some rubbish at the Opera House and also at Whittaker’s, a café. He gathered up some flammable materials and set a fire under the floor of A E Hammond’s timber yard in Willow Street. This fire was extinguished by the Fire Brigade.

A E Hammond's timber yard, Tauranga 1900s. 

Image: Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Photo 99-1140

Constable Skinner arrested Clark who duly appeared before the Magistrates’ Court on a charge of arson, from where he was remanded to the Supreme Court. He wished to make a clean breast of his offences and make a fresh start.  His explanation was that he had been to the pictures then went to his workshop from where he took a box of paper and rubbish, but did not know why. No one had offered him an inducement and the liquor had affected his head: he had been drinking beer in the Tauranga, the Masonic and the Commercial Hotels all afternoon. Witnesses claimed that he was in a dazed condition watching the fires. The Supreme Court sentenced him to three years reformative detention [3].

Fire engine outside Tauranga Fire Station, Durham Street, c. 1927

Image: Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries Photo 99-738

This sentence had been established by the Crimes Amendment Act 1910 and was used heavily through the 1920s. Judges could sentence offenders to indeterminate periods of detention for up to 10 years, rather than a fixed term of punitive hard labour. The aim was rehabilitation and individualised treatment of each prisoner [4].

Although many returned servicemen suffered poor mental health on return home due to injury or illness during the War, no witness at Clark’s trial offered this explanation for his misbehaviour. Shell shock or, as we know it now, PTSD, was not always apparent. Clark had a home and work to return to, in contrast to some of the men who found settling down difficult after such a frightening and disturbing period of their lives. There had been a strong support of temperance at the time of the War. Drinking was seen as the driver of poverty, crime and ill health. At the liquor referendum of 1919 it was expected that prohibition would win but the vote of the returning soldiers for continuance saved the status quo.  However, a decision concerning Clark’s behaviour on that critical November day cannot assume any of these factors to be its cause.

A Half-Century of Progress in Fire Fighting:
Interesting Pictures from Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, North Island [5]
Image: Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19280621-44-01

Upon release George Clark returned to his trade as a cabinetmaker, and married, and had four children. Newspapers of the day and the Police Gazette have not recorded any further crimes.  The family had moved to Auckland by 1943 where he worked as a carpenter, and later a caretaker.  He died in 1961.

References

[1] Marriage index, Births, Deaths, Marriages & Citizenship, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

[2] Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph database.

[3] Bay of Plenty Times, 21 November 1922.

[4] McLintock, A. H., 1966: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, Early Reforms https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/penal-system/page-2  (accessed 30 July 2026)

[5] Supplement, Auckland Weekly News, 21 June 1928. The full text of the caption reads ”The photographs show the members and equipment of the volunteer fire brigade fifty years ago and at the present time. In the old picture the Captain is Mr D. Asher, who was a member of the Auckland Fire Brigade prior to this. The old engine was used in Auckland before being shipped to Tauranga. It was sent to the scrap heap at Whakatane quite recently.  – R. J. Rendell”