The other finalists in the category are Islay Cottage, Montrose Station Homestead, The Britten Stables and Thornton Earl Manor. The Barkers, Michael and wife Brigitte, bought the building, the former St Mary’s Church Vicarage, in December 2017. It is a category two listed heritage building, opening it as accommodation in October 2019. The heritage competition attracted more than 60 entries, with a judging panel of four selecting 30 finalists. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on June 11, in the Christ s College dining hall. Judges were Andrew Coleman – Chief Executive of Heritage New Zealand; Ivan Thomson – an urban and regional planner and Fellow Member of the New Zealand Planning Institute; Clare Kelly – an architect specialising in Heritage Conservation; and Andrew Marriott – a structural and civil engineer and director at Batchelar McDougall Consulting.
The judging this year was extremely difficult,’’ Crighton said. “The jurors had to select finalists in six categories from over 60 entries. The standard of entries was higher than ever before and the variety, too, was indicative of just how heritage is so important to so many people in so many ways. Now that almost half of our built heritage has been demolished, appreciation of what remains is evident. The jurors agreed, without exception, that every entry was worthy in contributing to the character and streetscapes of our city and province. Judges were Andrew Coleman – Chief Executive of Heritage New Zealand; Ivan Thomson – an urban and regional planner and Fellow Member of the New Zealand Planning Institute; Clare Kelly – an architect specialising in Heritage Conservation; and Andrew Marriott – a structural and civil engineer and director at Batchelar McDougall Consulting.