For Robbie and Karen McCann, seeing their heritage building refreshed has been a proud moment, one that connects the past with the future of Gisborne’s city centre.

Work is now complete on the first project supported through the Heritage Facade Incentive Fund, part of the wider City Centre Revitalisation Programme. The fund helped support the restoration and repainting of the building’s street-facing facade.

“This is a building with history, and it means a lot to see it given a new lease of life while still respecting its heritage values” says McCann.

“As property owners, we’ve invested more than $50,000 into the painting of the facade of this building because we believe in the future of the city centre and the role heritage buildings play in creating a vibrant and attractive place for people.

“We want to see more people living, working and spending time in town again. Having well-presented buildings helps attract new tenants, retailers and businesses, and this space is now ready for new tenants to move in.

“The support from Council through the Heritage Facade Incentive Fund made a real difference. The process was straightforward, and having help with things like traffic management and approvals made it much easier to get the work underway.”

City Centre Revitalisation Programme Manager, De-Arne Sutherland, said the project shows what’s possible when building owners and Council work together.

“This is a great example of what can be achieved when we work alongside property owners who care about the future of our city centre.

“Heritage buildings are a key part of Gisborne’s identity, and this work helps protect that character while making our streets more attractive and welcoming for locals and visitors alike.

“This fund is about encouraging building owners to bring forward planned maintenance and restoration work so we can start building momentum now, rather than waiting another five or ten years.

“The more property owners that get involved, the bigger the impact we can have in creating a more vibrant, attractive and welcoming city centre for everyone.”

The Heritage Facade Incentive Fund provides financial support to building owners to help cover part of the cost of repainting and restoring street-facing heritage facades. Funding of up to $15,000 is available for corner buildings, or up to $10,000 for a single building facade.

The fund is co-funded by Trust Tairāwhiti, who are supporting efforts to revitalise the city centre and encourage investment in Gisborne’s built environment.

The fund is currently operating as a trial and is available for the next 12 months, or until all funding has been allocated, as part of the wider City Centre Revitalisation Programme