“Decolonisation as a Priority and not an Afterthought”: Traversing the Authorised Heritage Discourse in Urban Aotearoa New Zealand

The role of the state in constructing heritage has been widely critiqued for a number of decades. However, ongoing separations exist between academic discourse and heritage practice. What is the current thinking of those shaping statutory heritage in the face of cities in change? This paper explores these issues in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand, through analysis of qualitative interviews with heritage policy leaders across its major cities. It finds that authorised heritage-making must go beyond addition of new heritages into existing power structures. Rather, a "stories first" lens requires heritage's settler colonial legacy to be challenged and transformed.