Banks Peninsula geopark could be a 'game changer' for Canterbury

Tuesday, 8 May 2018

A proposal for Banks Peninsula to be included in a global network of outstanding landscapes would be a game changer for Canterbury, the group pushing the idea says.

It would position Christchurch as more than just the gateway to the South Island and instead draw attention and visitors to the volcanic landscape on its doorstep.

That is the argument of the group advocating for Banks Peninsula, the bulbous outcrop on the east coast of the mainland, to become one of, if not New Zealand's first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) geopark – a unified geographical area where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed under a holistic framework.

And the first step has already been taken.

The peninsula has been described as the jewel in Canterbury's crown.

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The group, which is supported by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and four Banks Peninsula rūnanga, recently filed an expression of interest with a new programme to advance New Zealand applications.

Every two years, the New Zealand National Commission for Unesco will select up to two contenders to submit for further consideration. The Banks Peninsula application is now in the running.

University of Canterbury and Frontiers Abroad volcanologist Dr Sam Hampton described the peninsula as a unique landscape with a rich cultural history.

Te Rūnanga o Ngaī Tahu is supporting a proposal to make the peninsula a Unesco geopark.

Gaining geopark accreditation would be a 'game changer' for the wider region, he said, as it would boost tourism, leverage off an internationally-recognised brand and promote education and awareness of the peninsula's natural and cultural histories.

'Ultimately it's a platform to tell stories about what's going on in an area, why the landscape looks like it is and how the land has been utilised by different people over time.

'It's getting recognition for what we've got in our back yard.'

There are 140 Unesco Global Geoparks in 38 countries, including Ireland's famous Cliffs of Moher, Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the United States's Grand Canyon.

The Canterbury proposal, known as the Banks Peninsula Geopark/Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū, groups the peninsula and its immediate surrounds into 12 areas, including Quail Island/Ōtamahua and Ōnawe Peninsula.

A car drives up Dyers Pass Rd on the peninsula a wintry morning, with Teddington and the Kaituna Pass in the background.

Hampton presented to Christchurch City Council councillors at a draft long-term plan hearing on Tuesday as a way of raising awareness of the project and seeking support in principal.

'We're wanting to get everybody in the same waka and paddling in the same direction,' he said.

He told councillors the peninsula already had existing assets, including walking tracks and roads, that meant it was well set-up to become a geopark.

The group planned, among other steps, to install signage in both te reo Māori and English explaining the stories of significant geological features and cultural landmarks.

Unlike a national park, Hampton said there were no mandated land-use implications for people within a geopark.

'Banks Peninsula is a rural community and the foundation of that rural community is farming. A geopark is preservation and conservation by education, not by legislation.'