Visual convincing of intangible cultural relationships using maps: A case study of the Tongariro National Park World Heritage nomination dossier

Abstract

UNESCO World Heritage site nominations require the use and presence of maps and GIS to demarcate potential heritage property boundaries. UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee provided specific cartographic guidelines and standards for the inclusion of maps within the nominations. The New Zealand government used maps and GIS to visually convince UNESCO, the World Heritage Committee, the International Union on the Conservation of Nature, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites of intangible cultural relationships at Tongariro National Park. More specifically, New Zealand combined scientific maps, Māori language narratives, and symbols to make the intangible tangible and geographically visible. Maps and GIS images that accompanied World Heritage nomination dossiers were housed at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the International Council on Monuments and Sites in Paris, France. The first section of the paper introduces the data sources and methods used in our archival research. Next, we provide a brief description of the Tongariro National Park nomination and present a case study on, and interpretation of, the maps and GIS contained within the Tongariro National Park World Heritage nomination dossier. Finally, we will offer some conclusions and directions for future research.