Mark Stewart: Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited chair on the project getting mothballed

There's belief the Christ Church Cathedral will be rebuilt eventually, despite ongoing funding issues.

The Reinstatement Group has announced it's pausing work - until more funding is found.

The Finance Minister confirmed this month that no more cash will go to the project, leaving it short $85 million.

Project chair Mark Stewart says the Government needs to play a part in the rebuild, but acknowledged constraints.

"People are suffering out there, there is a cost of living crisis, there is fiscal restraint - and we need to be recognizant of that and understand the timing too."

He says they're committed to keeping funding conversations alive with the Government, the City Council and donors.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Together.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
Dupless nine two ninety two is the text number. Standard
text fees apply. It's final. Unfortunately, the christ Church Cathedral
is going to be mothballed until they get more money.
The board responsible for the bill called a meeting today
to decide what to do after the government said no
to putting any more money into the rebuild. Mark Stewart
is the chair of the board.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
High Mark, Hi, Heather, how I'm well?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Thank you? Is no one for Peter to stump up
any more cash?

Speaker 1 (00:24):
No at this Well, it's a big funding challenge. Has
always been a funding challenge right from the day that
it was considered to be reinstated. But it got a
whole lot harder once we got on and inside the
cathedral and figured out how much it was going to
cost affix it.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Did you ask anyone for more cash apart from obviously
the government.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Well, yes, we've been working heavily with the church in
terms of their further contributions to it and managed to
get some success with that through the General Senator. While
back we continue to talk to all of the major
funders and funders of potential donors to this particular site.

(01:05):
We've also obviously spoken to the government and had extensive
conversations with the Chross City Council.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
What I was meaning, Mark was was since the government
said no, they're not going to assist, have you asked
anybody since then?

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Well, no, no, we haven't. We have to announce today
actually that we're suspending construction on the site. Heather. I mean,
it's just there's no pathway to completion without the government
being a part of this. They were, I mean, why not.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
The Anglicans have got heaps of cash, There are heaps
of philanthropists out there. Why wouldn't they come to the party.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Well, I think, well, let's go in order. I mean
the church itself, who you say, they've got lots of cash,
they have lots of access. They say, which are other
churches which are being used as churches? So you know,
it's like cutting off your arms to say your league
and to speak.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
I think it's also a bit disingenuous about the way
in which this to the church has been sort of
got into the railroaded into it. Ultimately, they wanted to
do their own thing with their own private asset, and
they were thwarted from doing that, and ultimately that led
to the reinstatement promoted by the government and by the

(02:13):
Christiat City Council, and so ultimately when the going get staff,
one of the parties has decided to walk away from
that and left the church and private asset again. So
there's a bit that's ingenuous to say that I think
not fair enough.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
I mean, I think that's a fair argument nout. But
basically what I'm hearing is that you guys are going
to mothball it until the government stumps up the cash.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
No I do I think that's the case. We have
to all work in tandem to try to get the
ren standard of this cathedral. There are a few parties
to it. There's the government obviously, there's the Christian City Council,
there's the church, and there's also the philanthropic market around that.
You think about a philanthropist here, somebody that's going to
donate a significant amount of money that's going to change

(02:53):
the dialogheus if you like, they just and simply say
if we don't have a pathway to completion, why would
we give you the money. Now, We'll just give you
a pledge to day and it will activate when you
have a pathway to completion. Because They're not going to
exchange their checkbook for a pile of rocks and moved.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
No fair enough, So let's be realistic about it. Who
is going to provide the money to finish this.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Well, I think it's really a joint holding a hands
to make it happen together. The government has to play
a part. We have to explain it better, you know. Look,
I think we acknowledge that the timing couldn't be worse
for a request like this. People are suffering out there.
It is the cost of living crisis. You know, there
is fiscal restraint and we have to be cognizant of

(03:39):
that and understand that timing too. We don't get to
dictate the timing, you know, it is what it is.
And so the timing that we can dictate is the
construction of the project, which is now basically on hold
until we can gather some support again to the cathedral, okay,
just because people don't want to fund it. It is
sitting in the middle of Cathedral square. It is you know,

(04:02):
the square itself was a regeneration project for christ Church,
was an encod project, but the cathedral itself was not.
And so suddenly it's left in the church's hands to
sort of fix this problem when it's actually a city
wide and a national problem.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
What is the minimum that the government would have to
put in well for.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Us to keep going, we need thirty million to strengthen
the walls, I think last time I said, is.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
That what you're saying to me?

Speaker 1 (04:27):
Though?

Speaker 2 (04:27):
But what the minimum the government would have to put
in a thirty mili.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Well, we need thirty million. I don't care where it
comes from. I'm the reinstatement chair, so I just need money.
At the end of the day, we need thirty million
dollars right now in order to strengthen those walls.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Worst case scenario, though, Mark, isn't it that you stop
all of the work, lose the team, and then one
day in the future get the money and have to
find all these people all over again.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
That's the course we're on right today either. That's what
we've announced today. We are temporarily, well not temporarily, we
are suspending the construction on this site. That is the
decision of our board yesterday. We don't have the money,
there's no site to it, there's no path for completion
on this basis, and therefore add others to demobilize the

(05:13):
site and make it as tidy as possible.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Mark beast of luck with it. I can see this
is going to be a complicated the thing and thanks
for having a chat to us. It's Mark Stewart, christ
Church Castle Cathedral Reinstatement Limited Project Chair. For more from
Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to news talks it'd
be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.