The NZ Historic Places Trust recently registered Bishop's House in Ponsonby, and St Benedict's Church and presbytery, as Category 1 historic places, identifying them as places of outstanding heritage significance. Continue reading

Rex Nicholls, a Wellington property developer and husband of a former Mayor has, by way of a letter to the editor, offered the church some free advice on how to fund the earthquake strengthening of St Gerard's.

"I realise the current use of it can't pay the strengthening costs, but its tenant could operate from an unused church or hall in the suburbs. There are plenty to choose from. The building needs a new use. A high-quality hotel or expensive apartments would work", he says.

The New Zealand Historic Places Trust lists St Gerard's as a Category 1 which means it is considered to be a building of "special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance or value".

In an interview given earlier this year St Gerard's maintenance and restoration trust chairman, Gordon Copeland, said the Church and Monastery stand at about 27% of the standard required for a new building.

It would cost up to $10 million to bring them up to even 67 per cent of those standards.

Copeland said that was beyond the sum anyone could expect to raise in a public fundraising campaign and he suggested it would probably be more realistic to strengthen the buildings to 34 per cent of code, although it was yet to be determined how much that would cost.

The Historic Places Trust trust has been working with the Wellington City Council to encourage strengthening but it was a challenge, central region general manager Ann Neill said. "There's a gap between the market value of the building, in this recessionary time, and the costs. That's a deterrent for an owner and a barrier to their decision."

The trust wanted to persuade owners they had good reason to strengthen - even if the initial work was minor. She suggested Wellington adopt a strategy from Dunedin, where a targeted rate on heritage buildings will be used to fund low-interest loans for strengthening work.

The church was built by the Redemptorists in 1908, the Monastery in 1932. In 1988 increasing rates and declining numbers forced them to put the property on the market. In 1992 It was purchased by the International Catholic Programme of Evangelisation (ICPE) for use as a retreat and training centre for evangelist missionaries.

In recognition of the monastery's importance as a historic landmark, the Wellington City Council purchased land in front of the monastery to prevent it being obscured by new buildings.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Stuff.co.nz
• Historic Places Trust

The discovery in late August 2012 in rural North Taranaki of a lost carving of the crucified Jesus Christ, 12 years after it was stolen from the Futuna Chapel in Wellington, was very welcome news to the Friends of Futuna Charitable Trust, the guardians of the statue's original home.

The 160cm tall figure of Christ was hand-carved from mahogany by noted New Zealand sculptor Jim Allen in 1961, for the crucifix that completed the award-winning design of Futuna Chapel by architect John Scott.

When the figure was first found Allen expressed his delight at its rediscovery. "This is a red-letter day for all of us and brings to a close our endless speculation as to its whereabouts. I look forward to its re-installation and further confirmation of John Scott's vision for the Futuna Chapel".

Although the chapel is no longer a consecrated church, the Christ figure was part of Scott's original architectural vision for the chapel, and its recovery provides a sense of completeness in the on-going restoration of the building. The Trust has been encouraging the use of the chapel for community events, so that its unique design and spiritual qualities can be enjoyed and appreciated as widely as possible.

Shonagh Kenderdine, the patron of the Futuna Trust and Chair of the Historic PLaces Trust Board, says "The return of the Christ figure to Futuna has great spiritual, cultural and architectural significance for New Zealanders. The figure is the mauri (life-force) of the chapel. Te Hokinga Mai (the Returning) began today with the figure's road journey from Taranaki to Wellington under the protection of the New Zealand Police, who have been so instrumental in its return".

Mark Burry, NZ architect and now Professor of Design at RMIT Melbourne, will present the 2013 Futuna lecture in New Zealand starting in Auckland on 13 March, followed by Christchurch on 14 March and Futuna Chapel in Wellington on Sunday 17 March following the public open day.

Source

• Eventfinder
• Image: TenOne