“Sanity Has Prevailed”: After Years of Wrangling, Christchurch Votes to Rebuild Its Quake-Damaged Cathedral

• Christchurch’s Anglican synod voted to reinstate Christ Church Cathedral
• The rebuild was estimated at about $108 million, in stages
• About $42 million came from insurance, with pledges bringing funds to about $90 million
• Supporters said the vote ended the prospect of years of litigation

After years of dispute over whether to demolish or restore it, Christ Church Cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand, will be rebuilt, RNZ reported on 11 September 2017. The Anglican synod voted to reinstate the cathedral, badly damaged in the city’s earthquakes.

The full rebuild, to be completed in stages, was estimated at about $108 million. The church’s insurance proceeds were around $42 million. The Greater Christchurch Building Trust pledged $13.5 million, with the potential to raise an equal amount, and pledges from the government, Christchurch City Council and others brought the money available to about $90 million.

Philip Burdon, co-chair of the Greater Christchurch Building Trust, welcomed the certainty: “We have now got resolution rather than the ongoing prospect of years of litigation.” Mark Belton of the Restore Christchurch Cathedral group said: “Sanity has prevailed,” adding: “The engineering community right from the start said it would be insane to knock it down.”

Bishop Victoria Matthews said the rebuild could be completed within a decade, and National’s Christchurch rebuild spokesperson Nicky Wagner said workers would be on site by Christmas 2017.

The decision shows how a damaged heritage church becomes a shared civic question. The cathedral’s fate involved insurers, heritage campaigners, the city council and central government, and the funding gap had to be closed by public money and pledges as well as the church’s own resources.

Jamaica knows the cost of disaster damage to historic churches, from earthquakes to hurricanes. The Christchurch case points to the value of full insurance cover, early engineering advice and partnerships with heritage bodies and government. It also shows that when a church building is a national landmark, its future is rarely the congregation’s decision alone, and planning for that reality should begin before disaster strikes.

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