Napier’s Waiapu Cathedral dean floats possibility of demolition: ‘People need to know about this’

Dean Di Woods is discussing with parishioners, council and the Waiapu Board of Diocesan Trustees as to the future of the Waiapu Cathedral, which has seismic risks and isn't to code. Photo / Warren Buckland

Is it time to think about farewelling the Waiapu Cathedral building?

New information being released to parishioners says decisions will need to be made within five to seven years or it risks becoming an abandoned building in Napier’s CBD.

The nearly 60-year-old cathedral needs what is expected to be roughly $20 million (maybe more) in strengthening work to meet current earthquake codes.

Based on a Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA) done by the parish, the Napier City Council has decided they have 15 years to strengthen the building.

The Very Reverend Di Woods has been talking with parishioners, the council, and the Waiapu Diocesan Board of Trustees, which owns the building, to try to work out what to do.

She said her role as dean of the community of faith was to guide those within the parish with whatever decision they felt was right.

“It was important the people understood all the information,” Woods said of the cathedral.

“Statistically, in five to seven years, if we haven’t started doing something about it, then we should stop using it.”

An independent risk-based assessment for the cathedral’s continued use found the building could withstand moderate earthquakes, but there would likely be risks during a large earthquake.

“When I was appointed, I knew there had been a DSA and knew the building had problems,” Woods said.

“The brief indication around the cost I was given at the time was around $10 million. What we know now is that is way out.

Woods says the parish has a caretaker/kaitiaki role for the cathedral, but its safety sits with the Diocesan Board of Trustees.

“If they needed to, they would shut the building as a matter of being abundantly cautious around safety of people. That will continue to be something that drives decisions going forward.”

For some parish members, the first time they had heard the news of a risk of a full closure was last month.

“We had some information that had been kept fairly tight while people were deciding if it was too dramatic or how to helpfully present it,” Woods said.

“We’ve now reached a point where we were ready to say ‘the people need to know about this’ so we’re at that stage of making the information publicly available.”

Woods said there was a proposal in Napier City Council’s latest district plan to include the building as one of the council’s tier-one heritage sites.

“Whilst it has a heritage status, there is very little we can do to improve the building without having to jump through a whole lot of extra hoops,” she said.

“Certainly, council would give us permission to strengthen it because that’s in the interest of safety, but at the moment we still have a building that doesn’t meet code.”

The parish has been asked if they would like to lodge a submission to object to the heritage status, which would have to be submitted by December.

If they object and the council agrees, it frees up options, including the possibility of demolishing it and rebuilding, Woods said.

She said coming up with roughly $20 million wouldn’t be an easy task for any organisation.

“We’ve also had a cyclone in Hawke’s Bay, and the effect of that on the charitable dollar and discretionary dollar is huge. The effect of that on the council and government budgets are also huge.”

The Waiapu Cathedral has been given a 15-year deadline for earthquake strengthening. Photo / Warren Buckland

A parish meeting on Saturday brought a variety of views to the table.

Many believed transparency and public opinion could play a role in the future. Others noted that perhaps it was a good time to look at options like a rebuild.

“There are an increasing number of people saying that the building is past its used-by date. If the true heritage of this site is that it has always had a church on it, then that’s the heritage factor,” Woods said.

The cathedral is the third that’s been erected on the site.

“There was one before this and one before that, so actually what’s important is to have a place of worship that is of use for the community, fit for purpose, meets modern code of compliance and is of more use to the community.

“If it’s no longer fit for purpose and we are hitting obstacles every step of the way, are we at the point of saying that cathedrals don’t last a lifetime and we build one that’s appropriate for the current generation?

“I wonder if that’s what the people think.”

Mitchell Hageman is a member of the Waiapu Cathedral Choir. He joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.