Anglicans asked to pay up as Christ Church Cathedral work slows to near-halt

Wednesday, 21 February 2024

Anglicans are being asked to “dig deep” and give to the restoration of Christ Church Cathedral as work at the site appears to have almost ground to a halt.

Acknowledging a big budget shortfall, the diocese launched the five-year fundraising campaign at the Transitional Cathedral in Christchurch on Tuesday night, and will move on to Timaru on Wednesday.

Anglicans are being asked to donate a portion of their income for up to a five-year period if possible, and those at the launch left clutching donation forms.

The diocese has also hired British consultancy firm Global Philanthropic to help find money elsewhere.

Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Ltd (CCRL) has recently refused to answer questions about the status of the $160 million restoration project, despite receiving $25m from taxpayers and $10m from ratepayers. It is now promising to release a full review with costing and time frames in April.

Few workers have been seen on the cathedral site in recent months, and the organisation confirmed late last year it had slowed the work.

CCRL chairperson Mark Stewart said after investigations at the site, they were still trying to establish repair methods, costs and time frames. Decisions include how to best prop the building to rebuild its foundations.

“It was always a case that there was never enough money to finish it,” Stewart said.

“You run out of big donations really quickly in a small place like Christchurch.”

He told those at the launch they need “to invest, and to be seen to invest” if the diocese is to seek money elsewhere.

Mothballing the site would cost millions and was not a good option, he said.

Anglicans have not previously been asked to donate, and were assured when restoration began the insurance settlement would be the church’s only contribution.

Bishop Peter Carrell said with a shortfall to meet, Anglicans now need to “be seen visibly contributing” and to “demonstrate that to taxpayers and ratepayers”.

Project director Keith Paterson said funding had probably become the biggest challenge “because of how long it is going to take”.

Speaking to The Press, Stewart defended the lack of public updates. Having many workers on the site while repair strategies were being investigated would have wasted money, he said.

Former Christchurch bishop David Cole said Anglicans needed to make a sacrifice and look at their income, and what percentage they could pledge.

Fundraising to date has totalled $24m, including $25,000 from King Charles when he was Prince of Wales.

Last month, CCRL appointed a new campaign director, Carolyne Grant, who previously led a fundraising effort for the Court Theatre.

The city council has not received any requests for further funding for the project.

The last project update was provided by CCRL in March last year when community leaders and workers gathered inside the cathedral for the first time since the February 2011 earthquake to mark the completion of stabilisation work.

Paterson said in November that the project was undergoing a full review and an update would be provided “in a matter of weeks”.

Rumours had been swirling that the restoration was fast running out of money and workers had been cut.

In March 2023, the project still had a $50m shortfall.

Call for transparency

Christchurch city councillors have joined calls for CCRL to be more open and transparent about the cathedral’s restoration.

James Gough said councillors had not received any updates on process in recent months.

He said that while restoration work was impressive, “transparency and accountability were crucial”, especially when public funds were involved, and it was disappointing not to have had more regular updates.

“Residents have a right to be informed about how their money is being utilised and the progress of such an important restoration project,” Gough said.

“Open communication fosters trust and understanding within the community, and it’s essential for maintaining public support for such endeavours.”

Sara Templeton said $10m was a lot of money and she would expect greater transparency and assurance before any further ratepayer funds were applied to the project.

Deputy mayor Pauline Cotter said the council last received an update on August 9 last year, when it was told stabilisation work had been completed so there were fewer cranes on site and the working teams would be much larger.

They were also told the organ had been removed, and the stained glass was being restored.

Cotter said she expected another update imminently as they were due quarterly to the council.

But while councillors say they have been given little information, council staff have.

Bruce Rendall, the council’s head of city growth and property, said staff were in “regular contact” with CCRL on regulatory, building consent and Cathedral Square co-ordination matters, and that the last meeting was in December.

Regular progress reporting is due to start on March 30.

In December a first instalment of $3m from the $10m ratepayer contribution was paid to the project. The final payment is expected about August 1, “subject to satisfactory project progress”, the council said.

On Monday, mayor Phil Mauger said the cathedral’s restoration was a key project and he was watching it, but had not received an update in a while.

“They do come around from time to time to keep us up to speed.”

He had a site visit during the first half of last year, and said he had not received any update on the costings.

“I see Mark Stewart from time to time and he has not said anything untoward.”

Mauger and interim chief executive Mary Richardson said on Tuesday they were “happy” with the updates the council gets from CCRL, and were “confident” it would inform the council of anything that arose outside of those update.

Stewart said last March that restoration of the cathedral was on track to be completed in 2027.