This paper outlines the issues regarding fire safety identified by the stakeholders (New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Museums Aotearoa, Department of Conservation, Local Government Agencies, Te Papa National Services, New Zealand Professional Conservators Group and Federation of Maori Authorities); international and national methods of dealing with the identification and prevention of fire risks in heritage buildings and cultural collections; the need for national policies to guide heritage agencies and the owners and managers of the heritage buildings and collections; and the steps which owners and managers can take to identify and prevent the risks of fire in their historic buildings and heritage collections.

This fire research has been undertaken from the perspectives of two disciplines: cultural heritage management, and fire engineering. The integration of these two perspectives is essential for the development of good fire safety practices into workable, cost-effective management tools.