Our Project
Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited is a registered charity responsible for the Cathedral reinstatement. This includes overall project delivery including the management of consenting, design, construction, and fundraising.
Our Vision
To reinstate Christ Church Cathedral, Whare Karakia Nui, to the glory of God, as an awe-inspiring symbol of life, regeneration and healing, and as a testament to what can be achieved by people working together.
The iconic Christ Church Cathedral is the seat of the Anglican faith in Christchurch. It has been a key part of our city's identity for 150 years. Severely damaged in the devastating Christchurch earthquakes, it is being reinstated to once again take a central place in Cathedral Square, where it will welcome all faiths and none, and breathe new life and vibrancy into the heart of our city.
The reinstated Cathedral will look as it did before, retaining its heritage features, but it will be much stronger, safer and more functional, flexible and comfortable. It will be better equipped to host worship and civic events well into the future.
Once complete, the rebuild will deliver the main Cathedral and Tower, a Visitors' Centre - with cafe and public spaces to the north - and the Cathedral Centre - with supporting amenities and hospitality areas to the south.
It will be a sacred place where people can gather and be at home, hosting friends, strangers, neighbours, tourists and visitors to our city. As the Cathedral comes back to life, it will become a symbol of hope and confidence restored.
In the heart of our city there is no place like it
A spiritual and sacred place for worshipping and celebrating; listening and debating; laughter and tears.
An unconditionally welcoming place for people of all faiths and none.
An iconic place for Christchurch, Canterbury and New Zealand.
An historic place for memories, stories, heritage and taonga.
A civic place for events that shape us as a city.
A popular place visited by 700,000 people each year pre-earthquakes.
An important place for a thriving central city.
A Feat of Engineering and Construction Methodology Expertise
As a comprehensive rebuild of a 150-year-old, earthquake-damaged building, this project has complexities in many areas. Coordination of construction planning for safe work execution, engineering design, architecture, heritage considerations, and programme analysis all make this a complex project.
Due to the uncertain nature of what we may encounter as we progress, we take a collaborative approach. Overall, this collaborative effort results in the most efficient design process, giving greater certainty that the reinstatement solution (design and methods) can be built safely and efficiently and in line with an agreed sequence.
Protecting Heritage
We are taking special care of the Cathedral’s heritage fabric and values throughout the rebuild. If an area needs to be temporarily deconstructed there is a formal process including cataloguing and storing the material suitable for reuse. We are also protecting the heritage fabric from further damage, for example by stabilising and weather-proofing the Cathedral.
Project phases
Stabilisation, strengthening, the tower and the new centres are all distinct phases of the Reinstatement Project. Read more about them here.
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Concept Design
The Concept Design was released on 22 October 2020. It features new ways to explore and embrace the Cathedral and new places for hospitality and mission.
Find out more
Project Timeline
Our project milestones and achievements at a glance.