Bluestone Award and Lawson Lecture

Join us for an elegant evening of celebrating heritage in Dunedin and looking towards the future.

 First, find out who will be the worthy recipient of the prestigious Bluestone Award, presented every two years to a Dunedin heritage hero.

Then, enjoy an important and timely presentation by speaker Professor Janet Stephenson, "Heritage in an era of climate disruption".

Professor Stephenson is passionate about collaborative, interdisciplinary research. Her  interests include indigenous resource management; the interconnections between people and their local environments; and the role of individuals and organisations in the transition to a sustainable future.

Her talk explores how climate change will inevitably be a disruptor of heritage – not just impacting valued places, but how we view and understand heritage. For example, many sites and structures will inevitably be lost to increasingly severe flooding, erosion, wildfires and sea level rise. Cultural landscapes will be transformed by carbon farming. Places that seem commonplace today may become rare and highly valued. In the race to decarbonise, some heritage places may become sources of inspiration. Janet Stephenson argues that in a future where the only constant is change, we may be forced to adjust our notions of what heritage is, and what it is we seek to preserve. She asks the audience to consider ‘what and where will our heritage places be in 2050?’

Drink and canapes are included in the price of your ticket.