Legislation to reinstate Christ Church Cathedral to be introduced

Urgent legislation to enable the process of reinstating Christ Church Cathedral will be introduced this week, Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration Megan Woods has announced.

“Reinstating the Cathedral is an important milestone in Christchurch’s recovery. For the last seven years the damaged Cathedral has represented the broken heart of our city, and the frustration and delays we have all experienced. I’m thrilled this legislation will allow us to get on with the work of getting this local landmark reinstated and back open to the public.

“All Cantabrians want to see this situation sorted with a sense of urgency and momentum. This has been a long and controversial process. What local people want to see is progress and a clear way forward.

“The need for such legislation was agreed as a part of the crown offer, with cross party support, to reinstate the Cathedral building and is based on the recommendations from the Independent Cathedral Working Group

“This legislation will enable fast tracked resource management and consenting. It will also support the creation of a Reinstatement Trust, providing governance and overseeing fund raising, and a joint venture project management company to oversee the reinstatement process. We expect the Reinstatement Trust to be incorporated within the next two weeks.

“From there, the Crown, Trust and Church Property Trustees will negotiate the final terms of the joint venture.

“I especially want to acknowledge the previous Minister, Nicky Wagner, for all of her initial work in bringing the various parties together and getting this work under way,” says Megan Woods.

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