Catholic church delivers some overdue fresh air to a gloomy city

Monday, April 29th, 2024

It’s been a bruising April for many of Christchurch’s iconic landmarks, venues and events, teetering under the weight of their own financial turmoil.

The Arts Centre’s management team continues to sound the threatening drumbeat of insolvency if the ratepayer doesn’t rush to their rescue.

(The doom-mongering hasn’t stopped them frittering lavish operational sums on their multi-media “Save the Arts Centre” advertising campaign.)

Meanwhile, Ferrymead Heritage Park and Orana Wildlife Park are also seeking substantial council funding, up to $1.5 million, annually.

Last week also brought the shock postponement of the New Zealand Agricultural Show, with the Canterbury A&P Society board in a state of upheaval, if not dysfunction.

Sub-standard operating models would seem to be the common denominator across these entities.

A Council responsibility?

Over many years, the city council has allowed itself to be treated like some great and benevolent provider, handing-out the cash to many a passing cause.

But as the business end of the long-term plan process fast approaches, the sheer clamour for fatter council grants and funding lifelines has been quite audacious, if not impertinent.

It’s essential the council stands firm and adopts a “tough love” fiscal stance, to protect the interests of all ratepayers, who are already bracing for a double-digit rates hike.

Canterbury’s signature A&P Show has a long, proud legacy of 160 years, as does Christ Church Cathedral.

The church’s reinstatement leaders didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory last week, at the council briefing.

I’m not convinced all the dire warnings of the cathedral without additional public funding being plagued by vermin, pigeons and razor-wire struck the right note.

I still believe the onus is on the church to principally self-fund the completion of the strengthening programme, which requires a $30m funding injection by the end of August.

Beyond that, local and global philanthropy is critical.

But as the council briefing underscored, there’s considerable ability to rescope the cathedral project to get the price-tag back below $200m.

Scrapping base-isolation for the building alone would save well north of $20m. (Base-isolation wasn’t included in the Arts Centre’s restoration, either.)

Hope and humility shine

In stark contrast to these trying times for so many high-profile entities, the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch’s announcement on Sunday was a welcome breath of fresh air. Finally some new hope and humility, amid the climate of gloom.

Building a brand new cathedral on the Barbadoes St site marks a great home-coming for the Catholic diocese, given the first chapel and church were built there 160 years ago, as forerunners to the basilica.

Following December’s launch of the future cathedral consultation, Bishop Michael Gielen’s (pictured) preference to return to Barbadoes St has received a ringing endorsement.

The four-month long survey has produced 85 percent support for Barbadoes St, with only 10 percent support for the now-dumped Armagh St proposal. Read more