The trust keeps an eye on building development in the region. The push to make buildings earthquake safe is going to hit places like Wanganui and Rangitikei hard, Miss Pettigrew said.
"We know lots of demolition proposals are going to come through in our provincial centres where the cost of strengthening cannot be sustained with lower rental incomes on offer."
Trust members support Rangitikei District Council's planned incentives for owners wanting to upgrade heritage buildings. Retaining important facades is one way forward, and the design of replacement buildings is also critical, they say.
"The Marton proposal is to have a new corner building with no windows on the upper faade, which does not reflect the character of the other buildings in the immediate vicinity. There will be more discussion on this, I am sure," Miss Pettigrew said.
Heritage New Zealand, the national body that has replaced the former Historic Places Trust, wants to put a lot of buildings at Wanganui Collegiate School into its highest heritage category. Trust members and the school's board think some of the more modern ones don't deserve it.
Heritage NZ has suggested giving some of the buildings a lesser category, to make it clear which are most significant.
The trust supports that approach, because it would also make it easier for Wanganui District Council to re-organise its District Plan heritage list.
"We won't know until the New Year whether or not Heritage NZ will be going down this route," Miss Pettigrew said.
The trust felt it had to support the proposal to extend the Sarjeant Gallery, though some members and trustees weren't keen on the plan and queried how the money would be raised.
However, Miss Pettigrew said it was totally supportive of the need to strengthen and upgrade the existing gallery building.