Funding row over restoring cathedral
The Anglican Church and the Government appear to be at loggerheads over whether an offer has been made to help restore the ‘‘eyesore’’ Christ Church Cathedral.
Yesterday’s press conference by Bishop Victoria Matthews was the latest twist in the cathedral saga which, just days before the sixth anniversary of the February 2011 earthquake, is unresolved.
Church leaders and the Government are both claiming they have done all they can to break the deadlock. In December, Fairfax Media reported the Government and Anglican property trustees were unable to agree on a deal that would see the cathedral in central Christchurch restored.
On Friday, Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Gerry Brownlee said he was ‘‘surprised and disappointed’’ no restoration deal had been made.
The Government, he said, offered $10 million in cash and a $15m loan. But the Church Property Trustees (CPT) maintains no binding offer was received.
‘‘CPT reached an agreement with mandated Crown negotiators including the Christchurch working group chairman Geoff Dangerfield . . . before Christmas,’’ Matthews said yesterday.
‘‘That agreement, to CPT’s surprise, proved not acceptable to the minister and at the last minute a two page, non-binding, principles document was sent through to the negotiating table.
‘‘This two-page statement of principles significantly changed the terms in ways that were not acceptable to CPT.
‘‘A revised two page statement of principles, which is non-binding and which I believe has not been seen by Cabinet, arrived this week.
‘‘But it was not presented by the minister, nor did we have assurance he was in favour of every aspect of it,’’ Matthews said.
She then called the cathedral an ‘‘eyesore’’ and ‘‘icon’’ in Christchurch.
‘‘[It] is not standing as it is today because the Church doesn’t care. We’ve tried every which way to either have it deconstructed to sill level, or to get help to reinstate it.
‘‘Don’t think that you’re the only ones frustrated,’’ Matthews said to a small crowd in Cathedral Square.
Brownlee said the deal involved Anglicans putting $42m towards the restoration, campaign group Great Christchurch Buildings Trust raising $15m from donors and the Government donating $10m. — Fairfax NZ