Former Christchurch mayor throws support behind public money for Christ Church Cathedral restoration

Thursday, 12 March 2026

Christchurch’s former mayor Lianne Dalziel has come out in support of spending more public money to get the central city Anglican cathedral restored.

In an opinion piece published on Newsroom Dalziel argues it is “vital” both the government and the council “come to the party”, to catalyse development of the square and sites surrounding it.

Dalziel penned the opinion piece as the Christchurch City Council consults on heritage spending on quake-damaged buildings.

The council’s heritage submission question asks the public to rank their level of support for more council funding for four sites as a whole - the cathedral, museum, the Arts Centre and the Provincial Chambers. All but the Anglican cathedral are publicly owned.

The consultation prompted Canterbury Museum, the Christchurch Arts Centre, and Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Ltd to launch charm offensives encouraging the public to make favourable submissions.

Eighteen months since halting its restoration project, Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Ltd (CCTL) is not doing any “meaningful fundraising” and is focused only on the city council plugging the $40m to $45m funding gap to complete the first stage of work.

Dalziel said she’d stayed out of civic matters since she decided, in 2021, not to seek a fourth term as mayor, but she was about to make her first council submission since then.

“I believe there is a strong investment case to be made for us to contribute to securing their future,” Dalziel said of all four buildings.

CCRL, the non-profit company restoring the cathedral, is running a campaign called ‘Speak Up - Help Reopen Christ Church Cathedral’.

The company hopes to persuade the city council to plug a $40m to $45m funding gap to complete the first stage of work, after deciding a partial reinstatement could be done for $180m to $185m.

Any extra heritage funding would be part of council’s long-term plan (10-year budget) taking effect from mid-2027, rather than in the upcoming budget where no money is set aside.

Dalziel, who said she was raised Catholic, said she’d looked at photos of the cathedral when it was built and it was clearly prioritised ahead of many other buildings.

“Since first looking at these pictures, I have felt very strongly that we owe it to their memory to see it reinstated.”

“Making this important building accessible will enable so much more to happen around Cathedral Square, which looks bleak not just because of the state of the cathedral, but also because of the drab paving stones and the lack of imagination that has been applied to this space over decades.

“A funding pathway is needed to unlock the additional funds that will ensure that the first part of the reinstatement can be achieved with the nave and the tower open again for all to use.”

“Whether we see it as a place of prayer, a sanctuary, a part of our city’s history, a tourist attraction, or somewhere we can come together to celebrate or to commemorate an important event, or to listen to someone who brings words of hope or challenge or both, the reinstatement of Christ Church Cathedral will have restored the heart and soul of our city.”