A letter from Dean Di Woods has been uploaded to this website, reiterating the options for the future of the Waiapu Cathedral building and the parish that were presented at the parish meeting on Sunday 15 September.

This information includes a letter to the parish from the Dean, a finance report and an options flowchart – all available here,

Dean Di Woods, with the Vestry and the Seismic Strengthening Committee have considered many options over the past year. The Diocese cannot afford to strengthen the building in its current form, and make the upgrades necessary for building safety.

“We have no intention of demolishing the building – the reasons include cost, heritage awareness, public sentiment, and risk, with uncertainty about what lies beneath our foundations”, Dean Di Woods states in her letter to the parish.

“Repurposing the building is the only viable option,” she concludes. noting that a developer’s concept drawings could see the current nave converted into four storeys of commercial space (500m² per floor), with the rest retained for church use.  

For our Cathedral parish people, the positive options include temporary relocating to another church or hall for worship services, and the possibility of merging with other parishes into a Greater Napier parish.

The Cathedral building is owned by the Waiapu Board of Diocesan Trustees and they have resolved in principle that they support the repurposing of the Cathedral for commercial use, and are open to joint venture proposals.