Earthquake-prone churches are common and so are smaller congregations.

Declining attendance

The most recent data on religious affiliation from the 2018 census shows 48.2 percent of us have no religion.

The "nones" group is growing: the 2013 census says 41.9 percent reported "no religion", while in 2001, the census found 29.6 percent said they had no religion.

These figures are borne out by the 2019 New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study. It found about 14.4 percent of New Zealanders attended church at least monthly, compared to 20-25 percent in 2009.

Religious historian Peter Lineham says some faiths are coming together to share facilities.

But he doesn't think the decline from 20-25 percent to 14.4 percent is correct.

Church attendance has been "relatively steady, but relatively ageing - and that's been going on since the 1980s" he observes. While New Zealand's traditional Protestant Church congregations are declining, it's mostly because of the ageing congregations and the numbers not replenishing.

However, it's hard to "get a fix" on how active the more contemporary churches, like the Pentecostals, really are.

That's because we see some massive examples of the 'mega churches' and we know a lot of the children and grandchildren of Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians are probably going to a Pentecostal church.

Migrant populations

Ethnic makeups of various church congregations have changed, Lineham says.

The arrival of Filipino and the extraordinary role the church plays in their community means Catholic churches - especially those near hospitals and in the north of the North Island - are bursting at the seams.

He says Filipinos and other new migrants are filling Catholic pews, but that Pakeha attendance probably follows similar patterns as other traditional churches in New Zealand.

"No other congregations have quite the advantage of the Catholics of being a world-wide Church so that new migrants get picked up" he says.

He's also noticed the presence of Indians and Africans in the Anglican churches. There's a big Korean presence in Presbyterian churches as well as Pasifika populations - the latter are also highly visible in Methodist congregations he says.

Joining forces

Big denomination mergers began in the 1970s with the Uniting Churches.

These churches still exist, but they are facing a crisis now as most of them involved small country churches or churches in new suburbs joining together, Lineham says.

He thinks most country churches will probably close unless they're being preserved for historic reasons and, longer term, most religions will focus on the bigger towns.

Church assets - like valuable land - are being held close. People don't want to sell those assets to help other denominations.

The assets are being released, but very slowly.

However, the Royal Commission into Abuse in Church and State Care has led to assets already being sold to pay compensation.

Some churches are already selling assets for this purpose. The Catholic Church is paying up to $50,000 to victims. The Anglican Church, $100,000.

Overall it seems that costs are up, congregations are changing and the future looks somewhat challenging.

Source

• RNZ

They are among 79 such buildings in the Masterton District. Some of those buildings are in need of urgent work to bring them up to standard by 2026.

In all cases, owners must fix their buildings within a given timeframe so they are no longer earthquake-prone.

Concerns about whether the buildings will be repaired in time are rising now that Masterton District Council has finished auditing building notices in the town.

Among those included on the register are three churches - St Andrews Church on Upper Plain Rd and St Matthews Church in Church St (pictured) and St Teresa's Catholic Church.

In last week's parish newsletter, the Parish Finance Committee advised the church building in Greytown had finally been sold.

For many months, the church had been on the market, and while there had been many offers, the parish finance committee submitted only two to Archbishop Paul Martin.

The committee recommended they accept the higher offer, which was accepted.

Council and ratepayer concerns

Masterton's Deputy mayor Bex Johnson is worried some owners might walk away from their buildings rather than undertake the required strengthening work.

She says that would leave The Council responsible for either fixing or demolishing the buildings.

Her concern is explained in a report filed last week with the Council's Infrastructure and Services Committee.

It warns: "In instances where owners have not fixed their building, the Building Act sets the expectation that the Council will remove any danger to building users and the public.

"Council will incur significant costs to remove such potential dangers.

"While we [Council] can put a charge on the land to recover costs, it's unlikely full recovery of costs will be achieved."

To ensure the public is not endangered, the Council will have to install hoardings around the buildings, undertake the strengthening work, recover the cost from the owner, or start proceedings to demolish the building.

Johnson said the question could impact ratepayers.

Alternatively, it could affect rejuvenation plans for the CBD if some buildings were not going to be there.

Proactivity an option

Johnson is looking ahead to find ways to avoid the potential problem.

"I'm wondering if we can be proactive with this, not reactive, and whether we are having early conversations with the building owners so that we can perhaps identify those that are going to walk away" she says.

Source

• RNZ
• 1News
• TimesAge

Head delivered the news after a notice from the Christchurch City Council informed him the Our Lady of the Assumption church building is earthquake-prone.

Head says his first concern is for his parishioners' safety. He is also concerned about the staff and students from Our Lady of the Assumption School, who use the church for their weekly school Masses.

Christchurch Council's letter explains that the church had been assessed at less than 34 per cent of the new building standard (NBS). It would be at risk during a moderate earthquake.

"If the building or a section of it collapses, it will likely result in injury or death to persons in or near the building," the letter explained.

Parish meetings

Head has held several meetings about the parish church closure with parishioners.

At each of these, he has explained the reasons for the church's closure and shared the options parishioners could consider.

"I think it's fair to say that it was quite a shock to the parishioners because there was no indication of something like this happening," he says.

"At present, the priority [is] the parishioners and their Sunday Mass."

Options

Head says a trial option is being tested, which is seeing parishioners attend Masses at the other churches in the parish during July.

"We've got three other churches plus the Carmelite monastery," he explains.

"So, they have options of two vigils on a Saturday night, and they have options of four Masses on a Sunday morning in (Sacred Heart) Addington, (Sts Peter and Paul) Halswell, Carmelite monastery and (St Peter's) Beckenham."

"On Wednesday, August 2, there will be a meeting of the Hoon Hay parishioners to discuss/evaluate how this ‘trial' has gone and, if required, look at other options.

"The meetings will be held in the Sacred Heart church at either 1.30pm or 7.30pm," Head says.

Managing the change

Head says he notified Bishop Michael Gielen and the diocese of the Council's letter as soon as he received it.

He also notified the parish staff, leadership team and management, as well as the principal of Our Lady of the Assumption school, Janet Cummings.

In a school newsletter dated June 22, Cummings said that the news was "very sad for the parish and school community", but "the safety of all concerned comes first."

In the interim, she said Friday school Masses will be held in the parish hall on the school grounds.

Head says Our Lady of the Assumption church still has to be deconsecrated and officially closed. Just when this will happen is not on the agenda at present however.

"I will work through with the parishioners [on] some way in which we bring closure to that church.

"The more immediate [concern] for me is that the community is able to attend Mass on a Sunday at one of our other churches. That's the top priority" Head says.

Source

• NZ Catholic

While St Gerard's future is ultimately up to the owners, the church - built in 1908 for the Redemptorists - could be deconsecrated so it could be used for events like weddings and funerals, suggests City Councillor Iona Pannett!

The monastery building - which was was added in 1932 - could also be strengthened and converted to housing, she says.

"Given there is a housing crisis, obviously we want to maximise the space that we have."

Pannet, who leads the city's heritage portfolio, says it is "highly unlikely" that St Gerard's will be demolished.

"I think there would be a public outcry," she says.

"It's very hard to demolish a listed heritage building. In that case finding a strengthening solution is really important.

"I love the building, it adds something to Wellington, and the council has supported them [ICPE] but that is not going to be enough," Pannett says.

She thinks costs to strengthen the buildings will probably go above $13m.

Pannett says Heritage New Zealand's rules will allow for changes to be made to the building and its inside does not have heritage protection.

Another Wellington city councillor, Nicola Young​ says the buildings are a significant part of Wellington's landscape.

She wants to see the buildings saved and hopes they can be repurposed into apartments or a hotel.

The big red brick Category 1 heritage building overlooking Oriental Bay has been "yellow-stickered" since the Christchurch earthquakes.

Its last service after 113 years will be held on Pentecost Sunday, May 23. It will be celebrated by the Catholic Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew​.

From then on, the fate of the quake-prone church and monastery buildings - rated at 25 per cent of the New Zealand building standard - remains unclear.

Its owners, ICPE Mission New Zealand, tried to raise funds to get the buildings up to code but, by July 2020, had only raised $42,000 of the $11 million needed. It is understood the cost is now $13m.

ICPE Mission made the decision to close the buildings in consultation with the Archdiocese of Wellington.

"Both buildings have category 1 Heritage New Zealand ratings. The ICPE Mission has yet to decide their future," ICPE Mission New Zealand director Silvana Abea says.

She says the Covid-19 pandemic means for the second year running the ICPE's School of Mission could not take place, with overseas missionaries and students unable to attend.

"At the same time, the reality of a large building that needs serious earthquake strengthening has led the ICPE Mission to rethink our long-term presence in Wellington and look at new ways of being Christ's presence in the city."

Historic Places Wellington chairwoman Felicity Wong​ is full of praise for the ICPE.

"The ICPE have looked after that building, and have made it open and welcoming to the people of Wellington.

"The church has a special place in Wellington's landscape and is an important heritage building," she says.

Source

• Stuff
• Scoop
• Image: Flickr

The building is listed as a category one historic place, with "special or outstanding historical or cultural significance or value."

Garin arrived in Nelson in 1850 and worked for nearly 40 years as a priest and renowned educationalist across the region from Takaka to Marlborough.

It is as an educationalist that Garin is best remembered, founding Catholic schools in the area, and teaching a classical education of French, Latin and algebra to students, most of whom were not Catholic.

Garin believed religious instruction to be an integral part of Catholic education, and as a result, his schools received no aid from the Nelson Education Board. Yet they flourished.

In 1867 he won the support of Oswald Curtis, the Nelson provincial superintendent; and the Education Act was amended to make it lawful for the Bible to be read in class 'as the last part of the ordinary school course of instruction', and for schoolrooms to be used for religious instruction outside school hours.

Garin accepted these conditions and provincial government aid was provided for his schools.

When he died in 1889 he was initially laid to rest in the ground in Wakapuaka Cemetery.

However, following his wishes, the chapel was subsequently built to house his remains.

He was exhumed and is buried in a crypt underneath it.

The 10 people present at his exhumation, including two priests, were taken aback to discover that although his coffin was waterlogged, Garin's remains had not decomposed.

Those present signed an affidavit confirming what they'd seen, swearing to keep the facts a secret, to prevent a cult developing around Garin.

In 2018, the Nelson City Council told the building's owners must carry out seismic strengthening work by 2038 to ensure the chapel is no longer earthquake-prone.

Parish of the Holy Family Nelson and Stoke spokesman Gerry Quin​ says the notice covers two aspects of the chapel: the canopy at its entrance and the bell tower.

The canopy has been strengthened with a support beam until more permanent repairs can be made, Quin says.

Strengthening the bell tower is on the to-do list, however.

With resources being channelled into getting the parish's other heritage building, St Mary's Church, up to scratch, earthquake strengthening work on Father Garin's Chapel was a long-term project, Quin says.

At the same time, the parish is keen to protect the little church from further deterioration. A caretaker visits regularly to check the building is in order.

While the chapel is closed, there is no risk to the public, Quin says.

Source

• Stuff
• Te Ara
• Image: Stuff

This is particularly the case for heritage buildings where complex issues leave a great deal to consider.

The comments come from brokerage firm Crombie Lockwood.

Steve Walsham, group broking manager of Crombie Lockwood says that many historic church buildings were built to specifications dating back to the late 1800s or early 1900s.

He suggests church organisations would do better to consider practical issues if these structures need rebuilding after events like earthquakes or fire

With church attendance declining over the past generation, church leadership may think of building back smaller to fit the needs of today's churchgoers, for example.

Insuring heritage buildings to the value of a suitable replacement could be problematic, Walsham says.

He notes many old churches contain works of art such as artisanal stained-glass windows and hard-to-source materials such as native timbers or Italian marble.

The valuation process includes the cost of the time and skill of expert craftspeople to replace them, he says.

While many church organisations are asset-rich, they often lack liquidity, Walsham says.

This means that insurance cover can be prohibitive for many church communities located in high-risk seismic zones.

Local government consents and Heritage New Zealand consultation are additional concerns church organisations need to complete before repair work can begin.

Walsham says completing these phases of the work, may take years. By then, the value of insurance cover may no longer reflect real-world costs once repairs get the green light.

"Then, if you think of an example like a historic hotel or retail establishment, this could also present a need for extended loss of revenue/profit insurance if the building and the business that operates from it have to be closed for a significant amount of time."

"The subject of insuring historic buildings is an emotive and complex one for all concerned. But through dedicated expertise, solutions certainly can be found."

Source

• Insurance Business
• Image: Stuff