Extra Christchurch City funding of $150 million was found for cost overruns for one modern-day "cathedral", the "multi-use" stadium and rugby replacement for Lancaster Park. The city council had also agreed on 30,000 seats rather than a cheaper 25,000-seat proposal.
Work on rebuilding the other, the Christ Church Cathedral, has been paused because the money cannot be found for its cost blowout.
But it was public pressure that got the church’s cathedral in its present hole.
We should have sympathy for the Canterbury Anglican Diocese. After the February 22, 2011, earthquake, the church did not want to rebuild its centrepiece. Its leaders saw more purpose, mission and practicality in an achievable modern replacement.
Bishop Victoria Matthews in 2012 said "we would not be responsible stewards if we ignored the financial realities".
But others had other ideas. One city councillor threatened to chain himself to the ruins to stop demolition. A petition started and legal action was threatened and came to pass. So much for it being a private building and a private decision.
The Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision in September 2013, decided the demolition of what remained of the former cathedral could legally go ahead. Nevertheless, more legal action and opposition loomed, mostly from those outside the church.
While it was right to consult the public and despite the cathedral’s role as a symbol of Christchurch and its place in the city centre, it was primarily an Anglican place of worship built by the church and owned by the church.
Churches, as they struggle in this increasingly secular age, not only cannot afford vast sums on buildings but also realise they should be more about people and mission than bricks and mortar.
They know, too, that returning primarily to old formats and older styles of worship (while they have a place) are a path to slow extinction.
Four agonising years after the High Court decision, in 2017, about 55% of the Anglican Church’s synod voted for a rebuild option, persuaded in the end by outside sources of finance. The government offered $10m plus a $15m interest-free loan. The city council offered another $10m, and the Great Christchurch Buildings Trust pledged $13.7m. Insurance contributed another $42m. Funding raising and restoration could begin.
It was hoped the restoration would cost $104m, although there had been speculation about much higher figures. Surprise, surprise; costs blew out to $248m before being revised to $219m, still leaving an $85m shortfall.
Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited, leading the restoration, sought $60m from the government, which was rejected. It was announced this week there was no option but to postpone the restoration.
There is no timeline to restart nor a strategy to raise the extra money. Although the church might sit on building assets worth huge amounts, these are often cost-incurring burdens.
It is all so disappointing for the church and the people of Christchurch.
Meanwhile, the city’s movers and shakers, including a powerful rugby lobby, were in 2022 able to persuade the city council to sink in another $150m into Te Kaha "multi-use" stadium. This brought the cost to $683m. Construction is advancing steadily.
This is when billions will need to be spent over the next decade on the city’s Three Waters infrastructure, and when another South Island covered stadium exists only 360km away.
In a sense, sports and concert arenas have parallels to cathedrals. They are community gathering places with a secular type of worship. They develop their rituals and have high priests.
In the 21st century, they are much more likely than any religious counterpart to receive the necessary funding.
