Spending his whole working life in the past, George Farrant, CNZM, is looking to the future. And no, it’s not spending his retirement in the garden or bringing out the power tools but the heritage work still to be finished – the beloved St James Theatre.

His knowledge of the city’s history and the stories and secrets hiding behind many of the city’s walls and doors, is legendary.

George Farrant is the mastermind behind the assessment system of heritage sites, objects, significant views, landscapes and areas, which form the foundation of Auckland’s heritage regulations today. He collaborated with iwi to identify places of cultural significance and led negotiations with landowners to protect these sites.

“If I’ve managed to achieve anything significant in my heritage career it has been less through my personal efforts and much more by being in a position to guide, catalyse, and stimulate the achievements of many hundreds of supportive, skilled and committed professional colleagues,” says George.

Just like the scheduled places he has worked tirelessly to protect, George is rightly deserving of the title of a “significant heritage asset of considerable importance to the Auckland region.”

To read more about George Farrant and his legacy go to OurAuckland

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