CathNews New Zealand

Tensions are mounting over the future of the Anglican Christchurch Cathedral.

There are two very different schools of thought – those who want the original stone building faithfully reconstructed, and the others, led by Bishop Victoria Matthews, who are pushing for a much more modern design.

Bishop Matthews says the Cathedral is just one of dozens of Anglican churches in need of repair work, but her insistence that it will never look the same is angering some within the church establishment who argue that a failure to return the church to the way it was would be throwing away history.

Haydn Rawstron is a member of the cathedral’s Canons Almoner group, which includes high-profile supporters of the church. He says the Cathedral is too iconic to be rebuilt in a different design.