What about the sites that were not included on New Zealand's tentative list?
It was not possible to include all sites proposed in submissions. Exclusion from the list does not suggest that these places are of less value than those recommended. New Zealand's tentative list is continually evolving and will be revised at frequent intervals. This means that those sites which did not meet the criteria at this stage may be included on the list in the future.
The Advisory Groups' reasons for not recommending sites for inclusion on New Zealand's tentative list included the need for:
- Clarification of significance of the site
- Further community consultation
- Clear demonstration of world heritage status (building a strong case)
- Further research into the history of the site
- Clear description of site area and boundaries
- Evaluating the comparison with similar potential and existing sites
DOC will develop a process for addressing the issues identified by the Advisory Groups with regards to sites that came close, but were not included on New Zealand's current tentative list.