Photo: RNZ
Work to restore the Christ Church Cathedral has ended - for now.
The cost to rebuild the cathedral, extensively damaged in the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, had more than doubled from 2017 estimates to $219 million, leaving an $85 million shortfall.
The project needed a central government lifeline, which Cabinet rejected earlier this month.
Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement chairperson Mark Stewart said today the building was not being abandoned and, therefore, he would not call it a mothballing.
He was hopeful of securing future funding.
But Stewart conceded that reconstruction was over and it would cost $1 million a year to maintain the site.
He said it would cost $5 million to pause and restart the work, but could not give an exact breakdown of those costs.
