A Napier man who fought to recreate a historic lighthouse near the grounds of the city’s old prison says he will no longer pursue the project after numerous rejections from various local and central government agencies.
Mario Schmidt, who lives near the old prison on Bluff Hill, started pursuing lighthouse projects in 2019.
He said despite being disappointed, he was “relieved” a conclusion had finally been reached after five years of trying his best to get a project under way.
“At this point, I feel that I have done all I can for this prison, and continuing to pursue lighthouse replicas is emotionally draining for me,” he said.
“Hence, my urgency now for a conclusion to this five-year endeavour of trying to bring back a lighthouse to Napier.”
The site of the old Napier Prison was closed to the public earlier this year after concerns were raised about the strength of buildings and retaining walls.
The former prison is on Crown land administered by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (Linz).
Schmidt aimed to get permission to build a replica lighthouse near where the original lighthouse stood on Bluff Hill, which he felt would enhance Napier Prison’s appeal as a heritage site and tourist attraction.
“As far as I know, the Napier lighthouse was the only lighthouse worldwide which was also attached to a prison, with the light attended by prison wardens, not a lighthouse keeper.
“This sort of maritime history is unique worldwide, so the preservation of this Napier history is vital in my view,” he told Hawke’s Bay Today in 2022.
Napier’s first town planner, Alfred Domett, created the Lighthouse Reserve on Bluff Hill, but the council decided in 1873 to build a lighthouse on nearby Napier jail land in Coote Rd.
“I believed that this proposal would have been a fantastic opportunity for Napier as a port city to enhance its character with the history and historic track on that hillside,” Schmidt said.
In their response to Schmidt, Heritage NZ said that while they appreciated his commitment to the project, they would not back it, citing the ICOMOS NZ Charter, which discourages the full reconstruction of places.
“In our view, the proposal to reconstruct a lighthouse on the site of the Napier Prison (Former) site is not appropriate and is largely inconsistent with recognised best-practice.
“The fact the proposal constitutes a full reconstruction and also not in the original location, HNZPT cannot support the proposal on heritage grounds. Furthermore, a reconstructed lighthouse on the site is, in our view, not essential or necessary for understanding the cultural heritage values of the prison or the wider site.”
Despite this, they said they remained open to working with interested parties in the old jail to preserve its heritage.
Linz said the proposal fell outside the scope of the prison’s current preservation work as it continues to grapple with numerous ownership and seismic challenges.
“While we are managing this property on behalf of the Crown, it is not intended for LINZ to be the permanent owner. It would be inappropriate for us to approve a major change to the property when we are only the custodians. Any future and ongoing use of the property would need to be considered by any potential future owner.”
While Napier City Council said it was an “exciting proposal which could benefit Napier”, they also cited ownership and planning concerns and encouraged Schmidt to further engage with Heritage NZ.
Schmidt said Maritime NZ had shown the most ongoing enthusiasm for the proposal and he thanked them for their support.
When reflecting on the process, he said the proposals also took a significant personal toll, which was often “emotionally taxing”.
“What people must realise is that presenting individualistic or offbeat proposals, like a replica lighthouse, requires courage and resilience, as I take a risk with each proposal,” Schmidt said.
“Each time I prepared and researched a possible replica location, I put in a lot of energy and had high hopes and enthusiasm for a replica lighthouse, only to face repeated rejections.
“I often felt that I wasn’t taken seriously.”
Schmidt said he hoped his work motivated Crown Property Management to allocate more funds to Linz so the old prison could be maintained better in the future.
“Perhaps someone else will take on the task of repurposing the prison in the future. I wanted to make one final attempt to present this proposal to the appropriate parties and have it documented,” he said.
“The fate of the property now seems to once again lie with the Crown.”
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.