Rebuild

Westpac Bank Branch Manager (New Brighton) Graeme Soper visited the cathedral office in April 2012 with a generous donation in support of the cathedral's Healthy Eating Programme. The $5,000 donation allowed for the purchase of a new tandem axle trailer. A week after receiving the donation staff made an unusual 'deposit' at Westpac, New Brighton. Two packs of fresh fruit and vegetables, jammed through the teller's space as a thank you.

A memorial to Japanese earthquake victims was recently unveiled at a moving service in the Christ’s College Chapel on Wednesday Feb 22nd, one year after the devastation experienced by our city and region.
In attendance were families and friends of those who died. A party of around 100 travelled over from Japan, attending an early morning memorial service in Latimer Square and the civic service in North Hagley Park, before gathering in the afternoon for this special event. The unveiled sculpture was designed by Christchurch Artist Annabel Menzies- Joyce and paid for by donations from Japan. The top glass prism represents peaceful and pure water from a NZ rain forest stream and sits upon a steel base from which is cut images of the Kahikatea tree (white pine).

The Kahikatea grows to a height of over 150 ft and is the tallest of NZ forest trees. Their roots and branches are often intertwined for strength. The sculpture represents the strength and unity of the families from Toyama city as they gathered and remember their children. There are plans to place the sculpture in the Cardboard Cathedral, in a side chapel area, should this transitional building gain approval and be constructed later this year. In the meantime, it is being kept safe and sound by the artist. Our thanks to Mr David Bolam-Smith for his dedication and hard work in facilitating this event.

Belynda Sibley's second only effort at the art of stained glass stunned Dean Peter Beck. Belynda visited our office recently with an early Christmas present for the Cathedral, a work based on the central window in the now destroyed 'Rose Window'. Three weeks in the making, detail came from a photo of the original window taken by Rolf Broskvar. We're unsure where this memory of our most precious window will be displayed but be assured - it will soon appear for others enjoyment.

It's not what people were expecting but the Cathedral has risen from the rubble...sort of. And it's tasty. The Christchurch Press featured this image recently with the following story.

The Christ Church Cathedral has been reconstructed, albeit in gingerbread. Oamaru-based Americans James Boussy and James Glucksman spent more than 100 painstaking hours crafting a scale gingerbread model of the iconic cathedral, as it was before the February 22 earthquake. The pair, who own Pen-y-bryn Lodge, plan to charge visitors $10 to view the creation. The proceeds will go to the Christchurch Mayoral Earthquake Relief Fund. Glucksman said he was ''devastated'' when he learned the cathedral would need to be partially demolished because of severe quake damage. ''It seemed absolutely fitting that for our second Christmas celebration in New Zealand we would create something that paid homage to the original building while also fundraising to help Christchurch rise up and get back on its feet.'' Standing 50 centimetres high, the cathedral contains 2.2 kilograms of flour, 560 grams of margarine and 500 grams of brown sugar. It also packs a hefty punch with 73,659 kilojoules. The creation is entirely edible, consisting of gingerbread, royal icing and caramel. However, Glucksman said it had been baked to a point "beyond palatability". The pair, who relocated to Oamaru two years ago, have been making gingerbread creations since 1997 as a centrepiece for Christmas celebrations. Travelling around the world for their careers, they have made gingerbread replicas of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral, Beijing's Lama Temple, and other notable landmarks.

The following message appeared in Christchurch's major daily newspaper "The Press' on Tuesday November 9, 2011, signed by Bishop Victoria Matthews and Dean Peter Beck.

"After weeks of extensive consultation with various engineering experts and interested and involved parties within the Anglican Church and the wider community, we have made the painful decision to deconsecrate the Anglican Cathedral in the City Square. The act of deconsecration recognises the transition from sacred space to secular use, removing any sensitivities that this beloved building might be profaned in the ongoing work to make the site safe. None of us can foresee the amount of work that this might entail, but we must protect those who are tasked with retrieving taonga and items of historical value from the Cathedral.
We regret the limitation on numbers of people who are able to attend the deconsecration service, as it will be held within the red zone. However, CTV will record the service, and it will be publicly broadcast next Tuesday, 15 November at 7.00 pm. There has been much speculation about the future for the Cathedral, which is only natural for a building that is a symbol of Christchurch as well as a place of regular worship for many.
We ultimately look forward to the consecration of a glorious cathedral that will combine elements of old and new in its construction, and return to its role as a central place of worship that has always welcomed people of faith or no faith. In the meantime our plans for a transitional cathedral are progressing, and we are looking for an appropriate site within the central city."

ChristChurch Cathedral - the icon of that quake-crippled city, and the most recognised church in New Zealand - is to be deconsecrated ahead of partial demolition. Bishop Victoria Matthews confirmed in a press conference in Christchurch today that the Cathedral would have to be partly demolished, and further engineering measures taken to make the rest of the building safe. Until the demolition work is actually underway it won't be clear how much more of the cathedral will have to be brought down. But Bishop Matthews says some part of the structure may be able to be retained.

It's hardly what people are expecting in a new Cathedral but delightful all the same. This lego model of the fallen Cathedral was built by  'LEGOMAN' of Christchurch and appeared on our Facebook page recently.  He wrote "One of the somewhat unfortunate things about living in this fantastic city is the fact that, just in case you haven't heard, we've been hit quite badly by a series of earthquakes which have changed our city quite a bit.. It's actually a year ago today since the first earthquake, which makes it quite a cool day to be posting this. (September 4) On Feburary 22nd (the worst earthquake) our Cathedral was quite damaged, which gave the building even more significance. So, over the last 6 months-ish I've been building our city's best known Cathedral, which I've only just finished." Cheers Legoman!

As reported last month, a Project Control Group (PCG) has been formed comprising members of the Cathedral Chapter and Church Property Trustees to oversee the rebuilding of ChristChurch Cathedral. The PCG's first major task was to select a Project Manager and this responsibility has been contracted to Beca with Bob Blyth as Project Director. The other main contributors will be Beca's Murray Chalmers as Project Manager, Ainsley McLeod as Strategic Planning Advisor and Jane George as Cost and Risk Manager. Work has been done to identify the overall scope of the reconstruction project and now that is being fleshed out along with the order and timing of the steps involved. The next major tasks are: assessment of the structural and land damage and monitoring ongoing damage from aftershocks; establishing security and health and safety responsibilities and protocols; and arranging safe access, storage and documentation for retrieval of contents and building materials. Beca will also be conducting a gap analysis, engaging with heritage experts, considering appropriate public relations activities and photographic and other recording of the actions being taken. These are preliminary steps in a lengthy and complex project that will involve consultation with many people within and beyond the Cathedral and Anglican Church.