Rangiora’s town centre has a new window into the past, with two large black and white heritage prints installed today in the Good Street laneway courtyard.
The images – showing 140 High Street and 108 High Street as they appeared in the late 1800s and early 1900s – will give passers-by a chance to pause, reflect, and see just how far the township has come.
“These are snapshots in time – time’s little loopholes,” says Council’s Greenspaces Manager, Grant MacLeod.
“Great community projects like this make people stop, think, and be inspired. There’s a saying that ‘photos keep yesterday in focus’, and this project is an opportunity to celebrate our history, acknowledge how far we’ve come, and think about what Rangiora might look like in the future.”
The heritage prints are part of a series, complementing those already on display along the BNZ bank building. Good Street was chosen for the new additions as it sits close to where the original photos were first taken.
The project, which is supported by the Rangiora-Ashley Community Board, has an estimated cost of $1,000 to install.
The original prints were sourced from the Rangiora Museum, who will also provide historical details about each building for plaques that will sit alongside the prints.
Council says these installations show public services are about more than bricks, mortar, roads and pipes – they’re about investing in town centres, fostering pride, and celebrating the stories that make Rangiora unique.