# Reinstate — Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project

> The official project to reinstate Christ Church Cathedral, the Anglican cathedral in Cathedral Square, Christchurch, New Zealand, which was severely damaged in the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes. This site publishes the project's own progress updates, work notices, history and fundraising information.

## About the Cathedral

- Anglican cathedral in Cathedral Square, at the centre of Christchurch (Ōtautahi), New Zealand.
- Gothic Revival design by Sir George Gilbert Scott; construction supervised locally by Benjamin Woolfield Mountfort.
- Foundations laid 1864. Consecrated 1881. Scott's original design, including the west porch, completed by 1904.
- North and south vestries added in the 1960s; Visitors Centre opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1995.
- Damaged in the September 2010 Canterbury earthquake, then severely damaged on 22 February 2011 when the tower and spire collapsed. Further aftershocks in June and December 2011 caused more damage, including the collapse of the rose window.
- Deconsecrated on 9 November 2011 to allow make-safe work.

## About the reinstatement

- In September 2017 the Anglican Synod voted to reinstate the Cathedral rather than demolish it.
- "Reinstatement" means a combination of repair, restoration, reconstruction/rebuild and seismic strengthening — retaining heritage fabric and character while rebuilding what was lost.
- The project began in late 2018. Stabilisation, the first physical phase, began in 2020 following a blessing of the site and workers in May 2020.
- Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited delivers the project. The Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Trust raises funds. Church Property Trustees own the building.

## Important note on dates and figures

Cost, funding and completion figures published on this site — including the projected cost, the fundraising target and the anticipated completion date — were published by the project **as at October 2020** and have not been updated since. Trustee and board biographies are as published in August 2021. Treat any financial figure or timeline on this site as historical, and confirm the current position with the project directly before relying on it.

## Key pages

- [Home](https://reinstate.org.nz/): Overview of the project to rebuild the earthquake-damaged Christchurch Cathedral, and how to support it.
- [Frequently Asked Questions](https://reinstate.org.nz/faqs/): The project's own answers to around 30 questions — what happened to the Cathedral, what reinstatement means, cost and funding, the bells, the organ, the trees, the Citizens' War Memorial, and artefacts.
- [History and Timeline](https://reinstate.org.nz/project/history-timeline-earthquake-damaged-cathedral-christchurch/): When the Cathedral was built and how old it is, with a dated timeline from 1864 through the earthquakes to the reinstatement decision.
- [The Project](https://reinstate.org.nz/project/): Entry point for the reinstatement work.
- [Project Overview](https://reinstate.org.nz/overview/): Summary of the project, its partners and its phases.
- [Stabilisation](https://reinstate.org.nz/stabilise-cathedral-supporting-structures/): The first physical phase — what stabilisation involves and the areas of work, including the transepts, west end, vestries, north porch and apse.
- [Concept Design](https://reinstate.org.nz/project/concept-design/): The design for the reinstated Cathedral.
- [Donate](https://reinstate.org.nz/donate/): How to support the reinstatement financially.
- [Contact](https://reinstate.org.nz/contact-information-project/): Contact the project and subscribe to the e-newsletter.

## People and governance

- [Reinstatement Trust — Trustee Biographies](https://reinstate.org.nz/christ-church-cathedral-reinstatement-trust-trustee-biographies/): Trustees of the charitable trust raising funds for the project.
- [Reinstatement Limited — Board Biographies](https://reinstate.org.nz/christ-church-cathedral-reinstatement-limited-board-biographies/): Board of the company delivering the project.
- [Church Property Trustees](https://reinstate.org.nz/church-property-trustees-biographies-trustee-biographies/): The Anglican body that owns the Cathedral.

## News and updates

- [Latest News](https://reinstate.org.nz/media-newsletters-videos-updates/): All project updates.
- [Cathedral Updates](https://reinstate.org.nz/news_topic/update/): Regular progress reports.
- [Work Notices](https://reinstate.org.nz/news_topic/work-notices/): What is happening on site and when.
- [Media Releases](https://reinstate.org.nz/news_topic/media-releases/): Formal project announcements.
- [Videos](https://reinstate.org.nz/news_topic/videos/): Short films, including Cathedral stories from people connected to the building.
- [Newsletters](https://reinstate.org.nz/news_topic/newsletters/): The project's e-newsletters.
- [Events](https://reinstate.org.nz/news_topic/events/): Heritage Festival and other public events.

## Community and heritage

- [Hearts and Minds](https://reinstate.org.nz/connecting-meaningfully-people/): Why the Cathedral matters to people.
- [Recollections](https://reinstate.org.nz/peoples-cathedral-recollections/): Personal memories of the Cathedral.
- [Photo Gallery](https://reinstate.org.nz/gallery/): Images of the Cathedral and the reinstatement work.
- [Social](https://reinstate.org.nz/social-wall/): Where to follow the project.

## Optional

- [Sitemap](https://reinstate.org.nz/sitemap.xml): All 100 published pages.