Fury at cenotaph delays

Returned Services Association (RSA) members were ‘‘livid’’ about delays in moving the Christchurch war memorial last year and said mayor Lianne Dalziel would not be welcome at the Anzac Day service.

Documents released under the Official Information Act show RSA member Paul O’Connor was angry Christchurch City councillors delayed making a decision on proposals to move the Citizens War Memorial from Cathedral Square to Cranmer Square in February last year. In April last year, days before the Anzac Day service, O’Connor told a working group meeting he was ‘‘livid’’ about the delay.

He said he ‘‘does not believe the mayor should be given the right to welcome the people on Anzac Day because of the lack of progress that has been made in all of this time’’, according to council minutes of the meeting.

Christchurch RSA president Pete Dawson was also angry and told the meeting that ‘‘if he hears a single councillor utter the words when the ode is spoken on Anzac Day, ‘we will remember them’, he will call them hypocrites to their faces. Pete Dawson would like it made clear that this is how seriously the RSA is taking the matter,’’ the minutes state.

Dalziel did attend the Anzac Day service a few days later.

Councillors were briefed about the memorial plans in February last year ahead of a vote on the matter in the same month. But councillors decided they needed more information and the vote was delayed.

Council head of parks Brent Smith said in a February email that people would be ‘‘disappointed’’ by the delay.

‘‘[Councillors] are keen to understand more about the joint venture [to restore the cathedral] and feel they are unable to make any decision until they understand the role of that entity and their needs during the cathedral reinstatement,’’ he wrote.

Church Property Trustees (CPT) chairman Gavin Holley said the delay was ‘‘completely nonsensical’’ at the April meeting. The CPT, which owns the memorial, wanted to ensure it was moved before restoration of the Christ Church Cathedral began, as it would be inaccessible for memorial services for up to 10 years. ‘‘CPT would like it noted it is very clear from their perspective there is no valid reason from council not to progress [the] matter and await the formation of the joint venture entity,’’ the minutes state.

Holley also raised concerns in a February email. ‘‘I must say, I am at a loss as to how CPT can help inform council when my attempts at engagement are declined or not replied to, or relegated to a relationship that I view as being less than effective,’’ he wrote.

The Heritage NZ documents released under the Official Information Act also include a report that concludes moving the memorial would damage its historic value. ‘‘Relocation of the memorial from its current location will have a significant impact on its heritage values in particular its cultural, spiritual, contextual and physical . . . values.’’ In the April 2018 meeting, Dawson dismissed the report as ‘‘biased’’.

But the tensions appear to have been resolved. The Christchurch RSA announced last month it would apply for resource consent to move the memorial to Cranmer Square.