Letters and Evidence from Applicant

BEFORE THE PALMERSTON NORTH CITY COUNCIL

IN THE MATTER OF the Resource Management Act 1991

AND

IN THE MATTER OF an application by the Anglican Diocese of Wellington for the refurbishment, strengthening and extension to the heritage- listed building known as All Saints Church, 338 Church Street, Palmerston North

STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF DAVID MOXON DATED 2020

Introduction

My name is David Moxon KNZM, CStJ MA (Hons), DLitt (Honoris causa) Massey, MA Oxford, Cert Mst, Dr (Hon) Waikato, Lth Aotearoa.

I was baptised in All Saints Church at Palmerston North on 28 October in 1951. My parents were married there the year before, and there have been several other family liturgies there over the years, including baptisms, marriages and funerals. All Saints is the spiritual home of my boyhood.

I went to Hokowhitu School, College St Intermediate, School and Freyberg High School in Palmerston.

After serving with Volunteer Service Abroad in Fiji in 1970, I studied at Massey, Canterbury and Oxford universities.

I was ordained to the Anglican priesthood in 1979, served in Havelock North and Tauranga, then becoming a national theological educator.

I was made Bishop of Waikato in 1993, and Archbishop of the New Zealand Dioceses in 2008.

In 2013, I was appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See in Rome.

I returned to New Zealand in 2017 where I currently serve as an Archbishop Emeritus, including the role of Priory Dean for New Zealand of the Order of St John, a board member of two schools and a university College, and Patron of the Faith Community Nurses network for New Zealand. I also serve as co-chair of the advisory group to the Walking Together Foundation internationally, an ecumenical aid and development agency.

I was knighted in 2015 and made a commander of the Order of St John in 2020.

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The decision to build the font area the way it is

When All Saints church was built, the architect and church authorities were seeking to present a baptismal font where early practice and ancient tradition would usually have placed it when the first separate large church building was created; near the entrance. The rationale for this has always been that someone entering a church is reminded of the fact that the spiritual ‘entry’ into the Body of Christ is by baptism. Arrival, welcome and hospitality always related to a sense of the life-giving waters of new birth, which is what baptism denotes. There is usually a sense of space and a clear view of all the congregation.

However, for whatever reason a decision was taken at All Saints to place the font near the entrance, but not where ancient Christian tradition would have typically have positioned it. The major cathedrals of England, of which Durham is a fine example, placed the font directly after the point of entry, but without a separate room framed by arches. The decision to build a separate baptistry room, out of view of either entrance and semi cut off from the congregation is unusual, and probably reflects an architectural fancy more than good liturgical and Christian practice.

Everyone is welcome anytime of the day

The ancient and early tradition also provided for a large central door as the entrance, providing a clear view of the interior. That not only served a practical purpose but also emphasized that large numbers of people would be welcome, could fit in, and their arrival moved them directly into the main aisle of the church leading up to the altar. That made for great and very practical celebrations of weddings, funerals and large services of all kinds, as well as smaller ones. The decision to place two small doors on either side of the incongruous semi-enclosed baptistry, therefore, worked against these fundamental principles of the Christian tradition. For this reason, baptisms were no longer conducted in the current baptistry when the church was in use before closure. That defeats the point of the baptismal liturgy and its place in any church. Page | 4

The form should follow function

The measure of any church architectural feature follows the basic principle of form follows function. Does the form allow the building to do what it was built to do? If a piece of architecture is not suitable for its original intended purpose and does not reflect its most original heritage, then it becomes a museum piece. All Saints wasn’t built to become a museum. It was built to be a sacred hospitable and meaningful space for the citizens of Palmerston North City. I argue that the current porch frontage proposal returns the building to its original best intention, and provides a more accurate expression of the earliest traditions of the church. The proposed change is the best expressional the generic character of the building.

It might be counter-argued that the proposal is destroying an architectural treasure or special feature. In fact, the proposal will highlight the best feature of the current baptistry, which is the magnificent marble font in the middle of it. By placing this great work of art in the centre of the main aisle near a new central entrance which is wide open to the street, this treasure will be encountered and used by thousands. That has not been the case for a long time. It is customary in many places all over the Christian world to place water in an open font near the entrance for people to sign themselves with the cross using the water as they pass, as a reminder of their baptism. That has not been possible at All Saints for many years.

Preserving heritage for the future with public use

The proposal also emphasizes in several documents that the many other treasures and features of this heritage building will be kept as they are but highlighted for much more public use. The intention to fit halogen spotlights playing on the arches of the great wooden roof, onto special kauri carvings and the great marble altar will make the church much more beautiful and visitable. A new open, welcoming entrance from the front, leading directly off the street into a discretely lit sacred space will become a go-to place for many who simply want to sit and soak up the quiet and the beauty. The proximity of the busy central business district and civic hub Page | 5

make this church a comfortable place to enjoy in these ways. The proposal opens up all of these possibilities. Mothballing the baptistry doesn’t.

Also, crucial to the proposal, is the provision of a drop-in coffee space beside the main door of welcome for those who want to stop off the street on the corner of the Square and chat. Or just sit down, if they wish, while still close to the life of the Square. That is a feature of many churches in Europe and elsewhere. The relationship with the street and pedestrian traffic is well integrated into churches like All Saints in thousands of ways all over the Christian world. It always had been since the beginning of the Christian community 2,000 years ago. Declining the proposal removes this hospitable and community-facing service from the Square and the City.

Anglican architectural guidelines from the beginning to today

Other evidence for the Applicant has noted a resource for church design and refurbishment for the Anglican Communion called “Re pitching the tent” by The Revd Dr Richard Giles, who has been a vicar of traditional church buildings and Dean of Philadelphia Cathedral. In that text, Dr Giles has summarised the way the church ought to use heritage buildings today. He argues from the earliest practice of the faith. The first church ever recognized for Christian use was Peters house in Capernaum in Israel, Palestine. It was enlarged when people began to use it and appreciate it as gathering space for sacred use. The extension involved a hospitable front courtyard facing the street. The proposal by the Parish of All Saints is to do the same. That is not the erosion of an architectural treasure or disregard for New Zealand heritage; it is the reassertion by appropriate evolution of the Church form of the first principles of church architecture and of the original intention of the heritage itself. It is a fundamental matter of integrity and the freedom for a community group to express its most basic belief and practice. It is a matter of human rights.

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______

David Moxon

BEFORE THE PALMERSTON NORTH CITY COUNCIL

IN THE MATTER OF the Resource Management Act 1991

AND

STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF GERALD COGAN DATED 2020

My full name is Gerald David Bampfylde Cogan.

My qualifications are B.B.Sc and B.Arch from Victoria University of Wellington.

I am a New Zealand Registered Architect (Registration Number, 2958).

I am a Fellow of Te Kahui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (FNZIA).

I am a Director and senior architect with BSM Group Architects (BSM), based in the practice’s Whanganui office. In that role, over the last 15 years since becoming a Director, I have overseen the design of most of the Whanganui offices key projects.

On a personal note All Saints, Palmerston North holds a special place in my history as it was here in the mid-80s that I received by Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) Bishop’s Medal – the choral equivalent then of, say, a Duke of Edinburgh award.

I have been involved with several projects on heritage structures, including, but not limited to:

(a) Heritage and Conservation Report for the Whanganui Riverboat Centre, including design and documentation of subsequent internal alterations.

(b) Heritage and Conservation reports for several marae.

(c) Building Condition Report on the former Native Land Court and Aotea Maori Land Board Building (Historic Place Category 1) for Heritage New Zealand.

(d) Seismic Strengthening of the Whanganui Regional Museum (Historic Place Category 2) for Whanganui District Council. Page | 3

(e) Seismic Strengthening and compliance upgrades of the Whanganui War Memorial Centre (Historic Place Category 1) for Whanganui District Council.

(f) Whanganui Collegiate School (Historic Place Category 1) seismic strengthening and associated additions/alterations on:

Science Block, (1967).

Day Pupils Block (Porritt House) for St George’s Preparatory School.

In addition, BSM undertakes a lot of work for various churches and church organisations around the country more particularly from its Auckland office (over 160 projects to date). As well as contemporary church and community spaces, the practice has undertaken and is undertaking work on listed church buildings. The practice has a sound understanding of the contemporary liturgical requirements and needs for a wide range of denominations; Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Reformed, Baptist as well as some of the more contemporary denominations.

The practice’s church work is led by John McClean who, as well as being a registered architect, holds a Master of Theology (MTheol) with Honours from Auckland University as well as leading a church congregation for over 23 years.

In 2020 BSM received a Te Kahui Whaihanga NZIA Western Branch Architecture award in the Heritage category for our work on the Whanganui War Memorial Strengthening. The citation for this read:

“The complex structural strengthening of this Heritage Category 1 building ensures its continued survival by applying sophisticated architectural and structural solutions that complement and enhance the existing aesthetic of the building. Careful consideration was given to the War Memorial’s heritage status during structural strengthening and refurbishment, which retained the building’s architectural integrity and famous form. The result is exceptional; the work has given the War Memorial Centre a new chapter in its life, not only preserving the building for its community but also retaining an icon of New Zealand architecture”. Page | 4

I have been a member of the Whanganui District Council initiated Earthquake Prone Building Community Taskforce, established in 2012, post- Christchurch Earthquakes. This task force included representation from Heritage New Zealand (Alison Dangerfield) as a significant aspect of consideration had to do with the heritage fabric of the Whanganui area.

Heritage New Zealand (HNZ) approached us, we assume through our work at Whanganui Collegiate at the time and given connection through the EQPB as mentioned earlier, if we would be prepared to assist a client in Palmerston North with a project.

We assume, therefore, that that is how Matt Soong, leading the project for All Saints, Palmerston North contacted us.

Matt Soong contacted us in early 2017 with our initial scope being to assist with developing the design to enable the parish to apply for Resource Consent.

We noted in our original offer the following scope (excerpts):

1. A resolved preliminary design

a. This is a process of taking the concept design already prepared and working it to a level such that the proposal

i. Is realistic

ii. Buildable – designed so that can be built

iii. Will meet heritage criteria around additions to buildings etc. – we have referred previously to the ICOMOS charter but also attach some information from Heritage New Zealand as to the general approaches required and/or anticipated.

1. We note that once a design is submitted and approved for Resource Consent then that design has to be followed through as any design changes will need to be re-consented. This highlights the importance of getting the early design phases right.

2. The current concept design has the genesis of a good idea but, in its current form is not going to be realistically feasible in terms of construction (overlapping curved roofs, connections to existing building etc.) and will struggle through any heritage assessments. It doesn’t sit well against the original building as well as creating many difficult construction detailing issues. Page | 5

3. We will need to assess the design to get at the nub of the architectural idea and develop a scheme that meets both the aesthetic and functional requirements/desires of the parish as well as fitting in with the assessment criteria for heritage buildings. Part of this conversation will necessarily be around what sort of money the parish wants to spend on this work (strengthening aside) as this will also dictate the final solution. The more complex the structure and construction detail, the higher the overall cost.

4. As a basis for preliminary design we will need to carry out aspects of what we call project research to ensure that the design is done around accurate information; existing building dimensions, site boundaries etc…

We received documentation around the design including, but not limited to:

(a) All Saints Palmerston North Earthquake Strengthening Project – Key Goals Executive Summary.

(b) Original concept drawings (and associated CAD files) – the design principles and form being essentially a fait accompli.

We reviewed the design and documentation received and began an iterative process of discussing and looking at changes to ensure the design aesthetic so that it impinged less on the ‘heritage values’ of the original building, had a good design rationale, was buildable etc.

We had internal discussions and peer review with the practice lead for church projects to test the design around current thinking on church design.

To facilitate our understanding, we met with Matt and walked around the site to familiarise with the building and environs. On approval of our service and fee offer we subsequently had meetings with Matt, with the Church Building Advisory Board and again with Matt, Jono Smith and Garry Newton (structural engineer). Once a heritage consultant, John Brown, was engaged we also met with him and received feedback on the design that was incorporated. This included suggestions such as:

(a) Keeping the west tower elevation and west window free of additional structures – these being the most recognisable architectural elements. Page | 6

(b) Locate the lobby space roof at sill level or slightly below the sill level of the west window. From distance they will remain prominent and the new structure will defer to them as the critical architectural components of the elevation.

(c) An opening or ‘oculus’ allowing view up to the west window from inside the lobby structure…. I think this is a good idea. It is possible this could be achieved with a glazed roof element… (John suggested that the glazed roof could reflect the original plan of the baptistery but it was decided to have it take the form of the window)

These changes and other tweaks were undertaken with ongoing dialogue between Matt and us and testing this for practicality purposes and against the stated parish aims as presented.

(a) The design is influenced by the site constraints as well as protecting the heritage values of the building to as great an extent as possible.

(b) We carried out high-level studies to look at alternatives/options for entrance, but none of these met the stated aims and aspirations of the parish. These were presented in a document by Matt (18046.1 Entrance Options)

Following design iterations a meeting was arranged with me, Matt, John Brown, representatives from the CBAB and HNZ (Alison Dangerfield) around the baptistery issues where it was, we thought clearly explained the issues, the needs/ideals of the parish and the considerations made in arriving at the design solution presented. We understood at the time that HNZ accepted in principle that the baptistery would be demolished.

We later also undertook a more comprehensive study of an option to use the West Porch as an entry. However, with site constraints and existing building conditions, concluded that this would not meet the brief requirements around visibility to the main sanctuary as well as functional requirements around movement into and from the sanctuary. Page | 7

We believe that there is little lost of heritage value by demolishing the baptistery. The primary view of the church in its urban context is diagonally from The Square; here, the tower dominates, and the baptistery is not really evident, hidden behind the mass of the tower. Even as one comes square onto the building, the baptistery form appears lost and awkward tucked between the tower and the west porch to the right.

It is interesting to note that in the original design presented by Frederick de Jersey Clere the tower was to be central on the building with the window and baptistery forming the base of the tower. However, that design and the style was largely rejected by the congregation of the time.1

We believe that the important elements of the architecture are preserved and remain legible. The baptistery is one small element of the overall building, and in its removal, the building is still recognisable as All Saints, and its heritage values on the urban setting are clearly are retained.

It is very apparent that the current entry/entries into the main sanctuary are insufficient particularly in consideration of current thought for church design which has evolved with societal and community changes that have led to liturgical shifts in thinking.

Post-World War II (WW2) there has been a shift in church design as the function of the church has changed. Prior to WW2 the over-enveloping culture was Christian so churches would be spaces where community ‘did’ their spirituality.

Society has changed to be more multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi- religious. In addition, and somewhat ironically, as urban centres have grown in population, the sense of community has diminished so that people are less connected in meaningful ways.

The church’s function, therefore, has shifted from an ‘internal’ focus of community gathering to scattering and connecting. The design of churches should allow for opportunities for the community to enter and explore and be met with Christian care without necessarily having to enter or subscribe to the worship

1 Refer Susan Maclean: Architect of the Angels: The Churches of Frederick de Jersey Clere – pages 81-84. Page | 8 function. To enable that to happen churches need an intermediary space between the main entry and the worship area. This space should be welcoming and not intimidating.

In current design a foyer/lounge creates that space which functionally should have a ‘reception’ where visitors can be welcomed and offered hospitality (cup of tea). In turn this space would often connect with community focussed ministries of the church (budgeting advice, counselling (pastor office) etc. These functions all oriented towards the entry and surrounding the worship space.

Connecting with people is equally important as worshipping – both are part of the work of God.

In terms of the faith community experience in having single small entries this creates the sense of coming in as individuals whereas now we understand that we come as a collective and require opportunities before and after a worship gathering for enhancing that sense.

All Saints, at the present, has the entrance to the reception and the community ministry spaces around the rear. The ones who often need access to this often will not wander around to the rear of a building. Therefore, an entry and welcoming space must be to the front of the site and church. – This very much ties in with the understood aspirations of the parish.

The design of the addition tries to provide this space to function as above but within the constraints created by the nature of the site (boundary conditions). That manages to achieve some of the key design principles required for contemporary church function:

(a) Front entry with intermediate space for visitors to step in and make decisions.

(b) Area for the church to connect with community entering the space; reception and with an alternative link to community ministry spaces.

Even then it compromises in some areas such as accessibility particularly for those who can’t use steps with the need to bring the accessible ramp around the edge into the main area of the addition (due to difference between relative levels of the street and sanctuary).

However, from the entry, there is direct sight line and access to the heritage interior (where there is also much of the heritage value– as described in other evidence).

The design aesthetic is unashamedly contemporary and contrasts with the de Jersey Clere building in materiality and form. It reads clearly as addition and respects the scale of the existing building allowing that still to be read clearly particularly from the primary diagonal view shaft from The Square. The entrance is clear from the street and the structural forms, although organic do reference existing forms and motifs.

I consider this design is cementing the survival of the building by understanding and respecting its use in the past but enabling the best use of it for the future by the parish and the Palmerston North community.

English Heritage considers that new work in historic places of worship should:

(a) Be based on an understanding of the cultural and heritage significance of the building.

(b) Minimise harm to the special historical, archaeological, architectural and artistic interest of the building, its contents and setting.

(c) Bring with it public benefits, such as securing the long-term use of the building, which outweigh any harm to significance.

(d) achieve high standards of design, craftsmanship and materials.

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) - Manifesto

GOOD NEW DESIGN TO COMPLEMENT THE OLD The Society recognises that, from time to time, old buildings may need sympathetic alteration, adaptation Page | 10 or extension to ensure their continuing usefulness. There are occasions, the SPAB Manifesto argues, when it may be better to leave an old building unaltered and to build a new one if the adaptation required would involve serious damage. These cases are the exception. Generally, modest, sympathetic new works allow continuing life for old buildings and can contribute positively to their interest and story. Further alterations and additions, the Society believes, are best when they complement what exists. They should not compete unduly with the old building in form or position; nor should they mimic the original or pretend to be historic. They should fulfil modern needs in a way that respects both the old building’s form and context. The new should not harm the old where they meet, nor create problems with future maintenance.

New Design for Old Buildings: Roger Hunt & Iain Boyd in association with the SPAB

“As a conservation body, it is often assumed that the SPAB prefers new work to be ‘in keeping’ and matched to older fabric, whereas the opposite is true: the Society would rather see architecture that is clearly of its time and readable as such – an ethos which is embedded in the Society’s ethos.”

______Gerald Cogan

BEFORE THE PALMERSTON NORTH CITY COUNCIL

IN THE MATTER OF the Resource Management Act 1991

AND

STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF NIGEL DIXON DATED 2020

Introduction :

(a) MY full name is Nigel Peter Dixon. I have lived in Palmerston North for 35 years, raising a family and participating in community life. I moved here to teach at PNBHS and have been involved in church leadership in the city for 22 years. I also run a business doing leadership coaching and team building.

(b) I am the current vicar of All Saints, Archdeacon for Parish Health and Church Planting, Director of City to City NZ.

The All Saints journey to the consent process has been a long one. It began in between 1982-91 when Bishop Brian Carroll was vicar. An exploration of the new entranceway began. In 1999 Dunning Thornton was engaged to begin exploring strengthening and enhancing the building when the church became aware that the church building was an earthquake risk. In 2001, however, the hall at the rear of the church was burnt down, and the attention shifted to replacing it. While some work was done it was the Christchurch earthquake that brought things to a head – a subsequent engineering assessment revealed that the Tower was 3% of code, and at Easter, 2013, the sanctuary ceased to be used by the church.

This began a process of discerning whether to strengthen the building or seek to demolish it. Eventually, a 100% agreement was reached in 2015 to strengthen and enhance, based around the design of Matt Soong. Matt’s design created excitement and hope that we would be creating a welcoming and creative space to interface with the city centre, that would integrate the front and rear of the building into a community hub and a worship centre. Acceptance of this occurred at the end of 2015.

The dialogue with Heritage NZ has been significant over this time. And the original design was significantly adjusted to meet their concerns, its Page | 3 flamboyance reduced, and its interruption of the iconic view from The Square tweaked. After these responses, we had hoped that there would be increasing support as we sought to not only rescue a deteriorating heritage building but were seeking for far more people to feel the invitation to experience this heritage through the openness and softening of the exterior that enabled those who pass to ‘see in’.

We accept that our design does impact on the exterior cladding of the church. About 3% of the cladding is involved, enabling a ‘front door’ and a social space to be created that enables hospitality and placemaking to occur. The austere and excluding exterior is profoundly softened by the proposed changes. We feel the cost, from a heritage perspective, is more than justifiable, especially with the near-zero impact on the integrity of the inside of the church, due to the method of strengthening. A few comments on our realities:

The nature of the decision is set out below:

(a) The church has a unanimous agreement on this design, we have agreed not to strengthen the building ‘as is’, this was not seen as an option by the congregation due to the inherent issues of the original construction (lack of a welcome space, access to toilets, to the rest of the building).

(b) The church is unable to spend such a large sum of money for purely heritage reasons. We are required by the diocese, who owns the building, to show that such spending will enhance community building and the mission of the church.

(c) Motion 11, which impacts the whole Anglican Church of New Zealand, requires us to justify missionally any significant changes to a building. It requires us to be socially responsible with the use of money and buildings – we are to seriously consider the return on the investment, the communal/spiritual value that is added.

(d) We are, therefore, unable to make a decision that merely protects heritage. We are a church, with an obligation to create spaces that Page | 4

build community, serve the needs of a city, are faithful to the Christian mission, and foster the worship and discipleship of future generations.

The design of the frontage is because:

(a) We take seriously that we are an integral part of the city centre. We have a calling to interface and serve this City and have a long history of doing so. Our current reality is being at the end of a long driveway and dissociated from the life of the street. Having a reception and social space at the front of the building would seem to be essential to contribute to city life.

(b) We feel the need, given the unwelcoming exterior of the building, to be seen. The heritage value, for us, lies in finding a way to make available the spiritual and communal offerings of the building to our city/community. To see the external cladding of the building as the primary heritage value seems reductionist and disrespectful to our whakapapa.

(c) The placemaking vision of the City, walkways and art, a context that creates belonging, is something we believe in. To fail to respond to this social responsibility and make our place hospitable and integrated with the life of the City is deeply questionable.

(d) In the modernist era, the buildings that were constructed encouraged the marginalising and privatizing of faith. There was little attempt to create buildings that were human and relationship fostering. It led to a Sunday focus. Our belief is that we must rectify this aberration. At a fundamental level, a ‘church’ is a place of hospitality – where we meet God and each other, creating a sense of ‘home’. A building must work to foster a life together, seven days a week.

(e) A light-filled, aesthetically sensitive, organic ‘garden’ space is an appropriate metaphor for the enhancement. This design is driven Page | 5

by our theology. It is required by our cultural analysis of the needs of the City.

Community requirements:

(a) We are a community that has worshipped in this location since 1875. This is no small thing. The buildings here are the product of generations who have loved this church and served it faithfully. People have met God here, prayed their prayers, received forgiveness, shared the Eucharist, served the City, and shared in a mission for the kingdom of God to come to our City. Most of all, we are a church (not a building preservation society).

(b) We are a crucial part of the narrative of this City. Baptisms, weddings and funerals have taken place here. Tragedies have been mourned here, and victories celebrated. So many events and community-enhancing memories have taken place in this building.

(c) The church continues to contribute to the festival life of Palmerston North. At Easter and Christmas, there are shared initiatives with Square Edge and other churches. Historically the site has hosted so many music events, classical and contemporary, that have come to the City. It is our hope that the much more could happen with the new frontage.

(d) The improvements we commend to you would enable All Saints church to be a community-building hub, positively contributing to the cultural life of the City. We would offer an integrated and unique facility for events and conferences.

(e) The many layers of New Zealand’s history that the church stewards could be made much more accessible for celebration and education. We believe this design would enable us to have much more available and enjoyed building than ever before. Page | 6

I feel that the way the Hoffman kiln has been allowed to be removed from the City’s cultural experience, for heritage protection reasons, is tragic. No one gets to enter or experience this wonderful building, and many offered development options were resisted because of concerns over heritage impact – and now few in the City know it is even there, let alone have walked through it.

We do not want our community’s place of meeting reduced to a museum, protected for architectural values, unvalued as a place of worship and community. We believe, as those who have loved and nurtured this location for nearly 150 years, our views matter deeply. Buildings are for people, and I believe those who built All Saints would be thrilled that so many years later, we are building on the legacy they gifted to us.

______Nigel Dixon

BEFORE THE PALMERSTON NORTH CITY COUNCIL

IN THE MATTER OF the Resource Management Act 1991

AND

STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF SUZANNE MARGARET FORDYCE DATED 2020

Introduction

My name is the Reverend Suzanne Margaret Fordyce, Ll B, B Theol.

I am a member of the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of Wellington. I also hold the role of Deputy Chancellor of the Diocese, and I am an Archdeacon holding responsibility for governance in the Diocese. I also have a special responsibility as an Archdeacon for oversight of parishes in the North of the Diocese, of which All Saints is one.

I have worshipped at All Saints, Palmerston North since 2000. I was ordained to the Anglican priesthood in 2015. Since ordination, I have been the congregational leader of one of the congregations of the parish. My congregation currently meets weekly on a Sunday at St Oswald’s church in Takaro. We meet there because the heritage-listed building on Church Street was closed due to seismic risk. The remaining worshipping space in Church Street available to the parish is no longer large enough to accommodate all of its various congregational groupings on a Sunday.

I have lived in Palmerston North for over 27 years.

I am also a currently practising solicitor and have had a practice which goes by my name in Palmerston North for over 25 years.

Church Structure

The Anglican Church in New Zealand is not a legal entity in and of itself. Its fundamental legal character is that it is a voluntary compact of individuals who gather together as part of the overall body of believers in Jesus Christ worldwide. The Anglican Church, as a denomination spans the globe and its leadership and asset-holding structures, comprise a widely distributed network of interlinked bodies. In Aotearoa, New Zealand and the Pacific that structure is primarily expressed as a network of Diocese and Hui Amorangi. A Bishop leads each Diocese or Hui Amorangi, via a governing body known as Synod, which largely determines its governance structure. Each Diocese also forms its own legal body to hold any land and Page | 3

buildings utilized by the worshipping communities and other missional bodies of the Diocese.

In the case of the Wellington Diocese, that body is the Diocese of Wellington Board of Trustees which is a registered Board under the Charities Act. (Number CC27159) That Board of Trustees is the registered proprietor of the land and buildings known as All Saints Palmerston North situated on Church Street, being the property which is the subject of this application.

That Board holds all land and buildings on trust for the mission and ministry of the Diocese as a whole. As it makes any major decisions concerning land and buildings, it consults with and is guided by the views of the Diocesan Council of the Diocese. The Diocesan Council is the body within the Diocese that is responsible for oversight of the mission and ministry of the Diocese. Diocesan Council holds synodical authority in the Diocese when Synod is not formally in session.

I have been appointed by both the Wellington Diocese Council and the Wellington Anglican Board of Trustees to make submissions on behalf of the Diocesan Council and the Board of Trustees in respect of this application.

It is both of these bodies, The Diocesan Board of Trustees and the Diocesan Council, which will jointly exercise final decision-making responsibility in respect of any steps to strengthen and develop the All Saints heritage-listed building.

Systematic Values Assessment

In approaching its submissions on this application, the applicant has adopted a systematic values assessment methodology which I will refer to in making my submissions.

The values we have identified as essential to be considered in any assessment of this application are not regarded by the applicant as being of Page | 4

equal weight but instead have been ordered according to the priorities and values of the Diocese.

I will be first addressing the spiritual, theological and liturgical imperatives that inform the applicant concerning this application. I will then, secondly, address matters which relate to the impact of this application on the community life of the All Saints parish and the people it serves. Thirdly, I will discuss matters of financial viability. Fourthly, I will address the alternative proposals as to development suggested by other parties. Finally, I will address, from the perspective of the Diocesan Council and the Board of Trustees, the likely outcomes if this application is not granted as sought.

Spiritual, Theological and Liturgical Imperatives

As a starting point, it is essential that it is understood that from the perspective of the Anglican Diocese of Wellington buildings are not artifacts that are significant in and of themselves. That is true not only of the most modest buildings currently held by the Board of Trustees on behalf of the Diocese but also of its most economically valuable and its most beautiful.

Within the life of the Diocese, the value, efficacy and utility of its buildings are measured solely by the question of the extent to which they assist the ministry and mission of the church, which is to enable people to come to know and worship God and to serve our communities in the name of Jesus Christ.

Accordingly, the Anglican Diocese of Wellington places no inherent value on any building as a historical object. The narrative and traditions of the Diocese are, of course important to any family and the Diocese is the same.

Pre-eminently, however, the Diocese considers that without connection to and use as a home for a living community of faith, any building would be a completely meaningless symbol. Page | 5

Such a building would also hold no valid educative purpose in informing any present or future generation in any meaningful way about the life and work of the Anglican Church in New Zealand.

Worse, mere preservation of any building shorn from any connection to the lived faith and community life of its members would result in a fatally misleading declaration as to the values and life of the Anglican Church in this Diocese.

The primary values of this Diocese are these: we are family, we are disciples, we care for the lost the last and the least.

In the light of those primary values, any over-attachment to the mere form of a building is a form of idolatry.

The notion of preservation of something as a merely aesthetically pleasing material object amounts to a violation of the Church’s spiritual values of placing people and their spiritual and social needs far above any other consideration.

It is also essential to the life of any Anglican Church that its buildings serve the life of its faith community in both liturgical and practical ways. Others will address issues of liturgical efficacy in their submissions, and the Board and the Diocesan Council support those views wholeheartedly. However, in this submission, I want to emphasise the call upon the church, which is inherent in the values I have already referred to, namely the call of God upon the church to radical hospitality.

One of the significant ways in which the parish has experienced the limitations of the historically listed building has been concerning hospitality both within the life of the congregation and to those it is seeking to reach out to. The building as currently configured has no gathering space available adjacent to, and, crucially, at the entrance to its liturgical spaces. Accordingly, the building now does not support the expression of openness, welcome or hospitality. Page | 6

That is a significant barrier to effective ministry in the context of the current community of Palmerston North. As churchgoing generally, as well as a celebration of significant events such as weddings and funerals within church environments more particularly, has declined dramatically in New Zealand since the middle of last century, fewer and fewer people are either familiar with or comfortable in approaching liturgical spaces.

In that light, it is a hospitable imperative in any church building which is intended to serve a local community to create liminal welcoming spaces which do not intimidate or overwhelm people entering into the building. That is the community and hospitality value that has informed the proposal to both open up the frontage to the church not only visually but also in deeply practical ways. That will enable a welcome to be extended without any insistence that people enter immediately into the relatively foreign territory of liturgical space.

From the perspective of both the Board of Trustees and Diocesan Council, the missional imperatives of welcome and hospitality which guide the life of the Diocese will require any development of any building in the Diocese to have attended to these needs as primary considerations driving design and development.

Similarly, in the life of its own worshipping community, hospitable space is of great importance. The ability to gather before and after services, to share refreshments and conversation, is one of the prime ways in which a congregation welcomes newcomers, deepens existing relationships within the church family, and lays a foundation upon which to nurture inter- generational connections between older members of the congregation, young families and children.

We know from experience that engagement in pre and post service hospitality declines in proportion to the degree that places, where hospitality is offered, are physically removed from the location of the service itself.

Finally, the visibility of the Church to the outside world is part of its apostolic mission. The current church has a strong sense of enclosure Page | 7

which does not manifest Christian fellowship in action to the broader community. It is central to the mission of the Church that people passing the place of worship can look in and gain a sense of what the community is about and what its values are. These are only tangibly done through a building that displays not only internal elements of the Church but allows visibility of the activities that actually take place there, and the vitality of the people involved.

Community values

As well as the deeply held spiritual values referred to so far, the Church is called by God to a profound and enduring relationship with the communities within which it is placed. We are called to love our neighbours.

The All Saints land and buildings lie in the heart of Palmerston North. The All Saints Church community has a powerful tradition as one of the first occupants of a centrally located allotment in Palmerston North. The parish has faithfully served the Palmerston community in a staggeringly diverse range of ways and from a variety of buildings on this site for over a hundred years. There is a strong wish to remain there and to continue to serve the city and its people from that central location.

The Parish of All Saints wants to continue to be able to serve effectively as a community gathering place for the wider city, a place for larger-scale ceremonies and other gatherings to be possible for a variety of civic and other purposes.

The same values of welcome, hospitality and open accessibility which the Church seeks for its own family life align too with that outward-facing, missional objective of enabling its buildings to serve the whole city.

Financial Viability

The Board and the Diocesan Council are committed to following principles of good stewardship in all of their decisions relating to property within the Page | 8

Diocese. Prudence dictates that whatever work is undertaken in respect of the All Saints land and buildings is financially viable for present and future generations.

The Board and Diocesan Council are fully aware of the magnitude of the financial commitment that the All Saints parish will need to make for any strengthening and development proposal to proceed. The Board and the Council must therefore be mindful of the capacity of the parish congregation within the medium term to raise funds and in the longer term, if necessary, to service any borrowing undertaken to complete this project and to continue to maintain the building.

Accordingly, any proposal which is to be approved by the Board and the Council must represent the least financial risk for the All Saints Church congregation and have the greatest potential to maintain and enhance the vitality and strength of the congregational life of the parish. That ongoing life of the parish community lies at the core of its financial ability not only to carry out the project but maintain the buildings into the future. The Diocese does not have external financial resources to apply towards either of those financial needs.

The Board and the Council fully support the parish’s view that this proposal provides for a contemporary church and meets ongoing foreseeable needs. Therefore, the proposal represents the best option for maintaining the strength of the All Saints Church congregation and is consequently the most financially prudent course of action.

Counter Proposals

The Board and the Council are aware that other submitters have suggested alternative entrances to the building on the side of the building.

It is the view of the Board and Diocesan Council that such proposals effectively contradict every missional imperative the plans submitted are intended to achieve. Page | 9

Welcome is compromised, openness and visibility are lost and hospitality is made significantly more difficult. Virtually all of the limitations of the current building from the perspective of effective mission and ministry remain, with utterly insufficient mitigation.

Conclusion

The Diocese has neither the will nor resources to support initiatives that do not support and further the fundamental mission of the Church.

Both the Board and the Diocesan Council have made it plain to the All Saints Parish, as it has consistently to other parishes in the Diocese, that it will not approve significant expenditure on a building that is not fit for purpose and does not align with the fundamental mission and values of the Diocese.

I am therefore here to be clear that it is not the view of the Board or the Diocesan Council that this application represents a proposal that would be merely nice to have but that other possibilities for development, strengthening and modernization could also meet with its approval.

At this stage, the Board and Diocesan Council will only approve the work proposed by the current application.

There is no plan B for All Saints Parish for the heritage-listed building.

As the owner of that building, the Board would have to consider relinquishment as the most likely alternative outcome and pursue the ministry and mission of the All Saints parish by other means.

Suzanne Margaret Fordyce

BEFORE THE PALMERSTON NORTH CITY COUNCIL

IN THE MATTER OF the Resource Management Act 1991

AND

STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF VINCENT NEALL DATED 31 AUGUST 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ...... 2 Executive Summary ...... 3 Structure of evidence ...... 5 History of All Saints Church ...... 6 The strengthening and modifying of All Saints Church for the future ...... 8 Consultation with the All Saints Church community in preparing the redevelopment proposal ...... 10 Heritage and architectural elements of interest in the internal parts of All Saints Church ...... 11 Quantitative analysis of the extent of the impact on external fabric of All Saints Church ...... 16 Systematic assessment of the values ...... 16 Spiritual/Theological/Liturgical and Apostolic Values ...... 17 Church Community Values ...... 19 Place-Making Values ...... 20 Structural Safety Values ...... 22 Financial Viability Value ...... 23 Architectural Values ...... 24 Heritage Values ...... 25 Conclusion ...... 26

Appendices Appendix A – Paper prepared by All Saints Church CBAB dated 2015 entitled “To Strengthen or to Rebuild”. Appendix B – “Building Bytes” reports from the All Saints Church CBAB. Appendix C – Photographic essay of heritage items in All Saints Church, Palmerston North. Appendix D – Additional heritage items noted in “A Thing of Beauty” by Betty King. Appendix E - Calculation method for extent of Baptistery wall removal.

Introduction

My full name is Vincent Ernest Neall.

I have a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington in geology. I am an Emeritus Professor in Earth Sciences at Massey University. I am now retired. I spent approximately 40 years at Massey University lecturing and researching in Earth Sciences.

I am a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

I am a Companion of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

I am a Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Soil Science.

I am a Fellow of the Geological Society of America.

I have been involved with All Saints Church as a parishioner since the 1980s. I, therefore, have been involved in the life of the Church for 40 years. In 2013 I was made the Chairperson of the All Saints Church Building Advisory Board otherwise known as “CBAB”. I think the reason for my appointment was because of my knowledge of earthquakes. That came to the fore as a major issue to address in the early 2000s as a result of the development of Earthquake-Prone Policies by the Palmerston North City Council as required by national legislation. A significant part of the work of CBAB was to address the serious lack of seismic resilience of the All Saints Church.

By virtue of my role as Chairperson of CBAB, I have become intimately involved in the planning for the redevelopment proposal, which obtains complete expression in the application for resource consent lodged by the Wellington Anglican Diocese. In particular, I have had a co-ordinating role in obtaining information and skills to implement work associated with the strengthening of the building and its additions to ensure that the functional requirements of the All Saints Church congregation are achieved. Because of my extensive involvement in the project, my evidence addresses a range Page | 3

of contextual material relevant to the determination of the application for resource consent.

I should also note that I am an enthusiast for a large number of heritage elements within the interior of the All Saints Church. I will address these elements later, but my special interest is in the memorabilia and items associated with the Wellington Regiment that was stationed at Palmerston North for the Great War and was their training home before embarking to the fields of Gallipoli. I emphasise these matters later in my evidence because matters of heritage are focused upon the architectural elements of the Clere building design, which places into shadow other important interior elements of the All Saints Church.

My evidence is partially expert and partially factual. I have read the Code of Conduct for expert witnesses issued by the Environment Court Practice Note. I agree to comply with the Code of Conduct. I am satisfied that the matters addressed in this Statement of Evidence are within my expertise. I am not aware of any material facts that have either been omitted or altered or might detract from the opinions expressed in this Statement of Evidence.

Executive Summary

The major physical elements of the proposal and relevant quantitative data are the following:

(a) 100% of all historical items and memorials will be retained, 95% in their original positions;

(b) Only the font, foundation stone and baptistery windows will be moved to a new position in the Church;

(d) Removal of the baptistery wall equates to 10.15% of the Church frontage area; Page | 4

(e) The extent of the removal of baptistery equates to 2.6% of the external walled area of the Church; all remaining walls (except the two entrances below) are retained by post-tensional strengthening;

(f) A new entrance is to be created in a position of one clear glass window, nearest the street on the South side;

(g) A section of the wall on the south side of the West Porch will be ‘opened’ to provide egress to a kitchenette;

(h) For earthquake strengthening, the parapets are removed and replaced with concrete beams that provide the post-tensioning;

(i) For earthquake strengthening the pinnacles in the tower are to be replaced with fibreglass replicas;

(j) The leaking copper roof is to be replaced with long-run steel roofing;

(k) The remaining fabric of the Church is retained.

The modifications to the Church have been informed by the mission and values of the All Saints Church congregation. These values and objectives have been long-standing. Six were summarised in the Conservation Plan prepared by Mr Bowman that have formed intrinsic elements of the redesign and give the only viable justification for the significant expenditure involved in strengthening the existing building. These values and objectives are:

(a) Be a welcoming open church;

(b) Be a hospitable church;

(d) Be an accessible church;

(e) Be a safe church for the community;

(f) Be a practical church; Page | 5

(g) Be a modern church.

The journey to the current proposal has been a long and arduous one, and many voices have been heard and contributed to the final outcome. There have been both protagonists and antagonists. That is to be expected. There was no clear consensus for a period between 2013 and 2014 about whether or not the building should be retained. There were credible voices in favour of demolition because that would produce a building more fit for purpose and provide more value for money. Those voices did not carry the day, but I am certain that if this application is declined, then those voices will become stronger and there will be no appetite to go through a long journey to provide what I believe will be a product that does not deliver on the requirements and mission of the Church. This proposal represents a unique opportunity to retain the important and majority heritage elements of All Saints Church, and it would be a significant mistake in my opinion not to grant consent to this application.

I annex to my evidence as Appendix A, a paper prepared by CBAB dated 2015 entitled “To Strengthen or to Rebuild?” This paper provides valuable historical information about the process that has been followed since 1999. The reason that the paper is entitled “To Strengthen or to Rebuild?” is precisely because, as I said, those were the two options under serious consideration between 2013 and 2015. It outlines the decision-making process and the development of the design and the selection of the seismic strengthening scheme. This paper demonstrates the systematic process followed in preparing this application for resource consent.

Structure of evidence

The structure of my evidence is as follows:

(a) A brief consideration of the history of the Church;

(b) A brief history of the work on the strengthening and modification of All Saints Church; Page | 6

(d) A consideration of the values that informed the redevelopment proposal scheme;

(e) A quantitative analysis of the heritage impacts of the redevelopment proposal scheme.

(f) A summary of engagement with Heritage New Zealand.

History of All Saints Church

The Conservation Plan by Mr Bowman in Appendix C to the Assessment of Environmental Effects sets out the history of All Saints Church. I would like to set out the major events in this Statement of Evidence for a number of reasons. First, it demonstrates what an important role the Anglican Church has played in the life of Palmerston North City in this location. Secondly, it demonstrates that heritage is not limited to the existing design and the existing building but relates to this place and its use for Christian activity by the Anglican Church. Thirdly, it reinforces the importance of sustaining that cultural and spiritual tradition in its present location in a way that respects the needs of the existing All Saints Church congregation and enables it to flourish.

The land is described as Lot 838 in a very early survey plan prepared for the European settlement of Palmerston North. The boundaries of the land and its description have not changed since its acquisition by Bishop Octavius Hadfield who saw this bush-covered land and its potential as a site for Anglican worship.

On that land, a humble wooden structure was constructed in 1875-76. Before that, church services were held in the local sawmill and for some period, in the Courthouse. Later the priest in charge of administering the first church acquired adjacent land where a vicarage was built. Page | 7

A second church was constructed in 1882 as a result of burgeoning attendance reflecting the growth in Palmerston North from its earliest days. That church was enlarged in 1891 and again in 1901.

In 1905 the original church had deteriorated, and so the choice had to be made whether to maintain it or boldly choose something new. The parish agreed to build a new brick church “worthy of being a House of God”. To that end, the architect of the Anglican Diocese, Frederick de Jersey Clere was commissioned to complete plans, but these were rejected because they did not provide enough seating and incorporated elements better suited to a timber church.

In 1910 the existing timber church was shifted to the rear of the property.

In 1913 Mr de Clere was again commissioned to prepare a new design which seated up to 950 people. That design (the present design) was accepted. The foundation stone for the present All Saints Church was laid on 1 November 1913, and the Church was consecrated on 29 October 1916.

During World War 1, the Church became the “home church” of the Wellington Regiment.

In 1929 the Church acquired a new organ built by George Croft & Son of Auckland.

In 1939 the sanctuary was furnished with the Oamaru stone wall designed and carved by Mr Frank Guernsey of Christchurch.

In 1944 the Kauri reredos of “the Last Supper” was installed, carved by Mr Guernsey.

A memorial lamp and plaque in the South West corner record three members of the All Saints Church Scout Troup who were killed in the Tangiwai disaster on 24 December 1953.

The Church was closed at Easter 2013 following notification by the Palmerston North City Council in 2011 that the building was 3% of the Page | 8

New Building Standard (“NBS”) and could no longer responsibly be used as a place of worship.

The strengthening and modifying of All Saints Church for the future

As stated, I have attached as Appendix A a report from the All Saints Church CBAB that sets out the analysis and justification for the present proposal. In this section, in my evidence, I also want to set out briefly some of the main events in that lengthy process.

In 1999 the Church commissioned Dunning Thornton Limited, structural engineers, to prepare an earthquake strengthening plan to bring the building up to full code compliance applicable at the time. The plan that emerged from that consultation involved an invasive method of erecting pillars throughout the interior of the Church building. The idea was not progressed further because of its significant potential visual impacts.

The church closed in Easter 2013 and shortly thereafter in August 2013 the All Saints Church CBAB was established. The Board was tasked with evaluating the options for the Church building’s future between:

(a) Strengthening to at least 67% of NBS which was the requirement of the Anglican Diocese at that time;

(b) Demolishing and rebuilding, perhaps retaining some significant features of the present building; or

In April 2014, CBAB was made aware of the new non-invasive method of improving the NBS to 100% called post-tensioning. That involved drilling vertical holes down through the brick walls and threading metal wires (or rods) in them which are subsequently tightened to compress the bricks into the mortar. As a result of this new information, CBAB consulted with Structural Concepts a consultancy specialising in that technique. Page | 9

In 2014 CBAB received two peer reviews of the main options for strengthening.

In October 2015 CBAB released the document entitled “To Strengthen or to Rebuild?” (Appendix A) to the All Saints Church congregation for consultation and discussion.

The main conclusion of the “To Strengthen or to Rebuild?” report was the following recommendation:

“We recommend the Church proceed with the strengthening of the existing building, incorporating modifications to the frontage that will enable safer and easier egress. Of the two strengthening options considered the Board recommends option 1B, from Structural Concepts, because of the lesser invasive nature of the strengthening process. Option 1B maintains the current atmosphere of the Church, yet has the potential to upgrade the interior for 21st-century usage”.

That recommendation rests on the assumption a resource consent is obtained that allows redevelopment and re-purposing of the Church to secure the Congregation’s objectives. If it is not obtained the next viable option is demolition.

I note that in the summary paragraph, there is little explanation for the values and goals that informed the structural design of the modification promoted. It was not simply about safer and easier ingress and egress but also introducing design elements that enabled the Church to better fulfil its mission and requirements. This further detail concerning values and goals is outlined in my evidence and other evidence presented on behalf of the Church. I mention this because sometimes the purpose of the redevelopment is described in terms of ingress and egress, which is an oversimplification and invites people to consider other ways achieving that function only. The redesign incorporates elements that achieve functions that are far more extensive than simply convenient ingress and egress. Page | 10

In October 2015 the vestry (which is a resourcing body of the Anglican communion) approved the concept for strengthening the existing Church building using the post-tensioning method as long as the other redevelopment .objectives were achieved

In October 2015 CBAB was asked to consider three contrasting concept designs for the proposed new frontage to the building. In May 2016 the glass atrium design was approved.

In July 2016 CBAB received new terms of reference to manage the strengthening of the existing Church and the construction of the new frontage.

On 7 July 2017, the first preliminary meeting with Palmerston North City Council staff began the resource consent process.

In January 2018 further parish consultation occurred on the final building plans.

The first version of the proposed new frontage was released for public consultation on 7 May 2018 with the second round of consultation with an amended version in May 2019.

In September 2019 a resource consent application was lodged that was publicly notified on 15 July 2020.

Consultation with the All Saints Church community in preparing the redevelopment proposal

An important value or kaupapa of the All Saints Church (and indeed the Anglican Church) is to work collaboratively and where it is possible to achieve consensus by reasonable compromise so that the community moves forward peacefully and in unity. Where this spirit is achieved, the Church considers it is operating under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, in that long process that I have described in my evidence, CBAB worked on consulting and informing the All Saints Church Congregation. Page | 11

One way that CBAB did that was to publish periodically small informative newsletters called “Building Bytes”. Attached to my evidence in Appendix B are two of these newsletters’ editions no. 10 and 12.

I am pleased to say that the All Saints Church Congregation has reached a unified position in relation to this proposal and the All Saints Church Congregation considers that this proposal represents their best assessment of how to achieve an appropriate balance between the preservation of heritage interests while sustaining their future mission including the apostolic dimension of Christian living.

In the newsletter no. 10 (the November 2015 issue) CBAB reported on the response from Heritage New Zealand’s heritage advisor Alison Dangerfield. Ms Dangerfield was the point of contact for CBAB in relation to heritage issues. The quote emerged from the decision by the All Saints Church Congregation to retain substantial elements of the existing All Saints Church while also introducing the new elements contained in the proposal. Ms Dangerfield is quoted as saying in an article in the New Zealand Heritage publication, the following:

“We supported the team in developing the seismic strengthening project, from the early days when it seemed a very hard undertaking to now when a manageable future project is planned.

In that process, we have seen the parish examine how much the history and the physical fabric meant to the parishioners, finding in the end that it was pivotal in their spiritual identity and their direction”.

Heritage and architectural elements of interest in the internal parts of All Saints Church

I have an interest in the features and heritage elements inside the All Saints Church. A lot of these elements do not find their way into the recent literature and assessment of the heritage value of All Saints Church. I consider this to be a deficiency in those assessments because the internal elements of the Church contain important records and indications of the early development of Palmerston North. Page | 12

One hundred per cent of these historical items and memorials will be retained and 95% of them in their original positions. The importance of this cannot be overstated and can only be achieved if there is a viable pathway to preserve and strengthen the existing building and make it for purpose as a contemporary and modern church.

Attached to my evidence as Appendix C is a photographic essay of some of the internal heritage elements of importance.

This assessment has been part of a personal study, and in that study, I wish to make acknowledgment of two particular sources as follows:

(a) Early work on the history of the All Saints parish called “A Short History of the Parochial District of All Saints’ Palmerston North” edited by Reverend George W Dent with 12 illustrations published in 1928 by London & Toronto J.N. Dent & Sons Limited printed in Great Britain;

(b) “A Thing of Beauty” drawings by E Wright and text by Betty King a book entirely produced in Palmerston North and printed by the Manawatu Standard Limited, Commercial Printing Limited published in 1975. A limited-edition of 1,000 copies. This book emphasises the significant elements of the interior of the All Saints Church, some of which are addressed in this evidence. Elements not addressed in this evidence but addressed in the text of “A Thing of Beauty” are reproduced in Appendix D to my evidence.

A significant feature of the internal elements of the Church is the hammer- beam roof framing (Figure 5, Appendix C). The roof is supported by tall Jarrah pillars. They were once reddish-brown but have significantly faded. The General Manager of Heritage New Zealand at the time, Clare Craig, said that she had never seen a ceiling like it in New Zealand and that it was a remarkable architectural feature. I agree. It is an impressive and interesting design for a masonry building. There is an almost pioneering and inverted arc-like feel which speaks to the pioneering spirit of the early Page | 13 settlers of Palmerston North. The arrangement also places the building in a distinct period of Palmerston North history.

The authors of the “Thing of Beauty” describe the special effect of light passing through the Great West Window and filtering through collar strut and arch. They describe the roof being divided into bays supported by arches resting on the king posts of the huge Jarrah pillars. They describe the light effects of Evensong (the evening prayer of the Anglican Church) when light strikes the nave, and the reddish-brown of the tall Jarrah pillars throws soft gold light on the hard Rimu pews.

The Jarrah pillars and the ceiling require refurbishment. CBAB have consulted with specialists in Woodville about enhancing the original timbers. That would involve removing shelac, cleaning the surface and coating with a moisturiser. The effect will be to restore that reddish-brown glow that was a feature of the timbers.

To accentuate this feature, CBAB also proposes to arrange both down lighting (which is the only form of lighting at present) and up lighting to draw people’s attention to the ceiling space.

A brief examination of the internal elements of the Church reveals the importance of the Great War in the life of the All Saints’ community. The Reverend Rosher in his contribution to the text “A Short History of the Parochial District of All Saints’ Palmerston North” refers to the fact that the Wellington Regiment was stationed at Awapuni. He describes the event in this way on page 42:

“It was on my return from this little tour on behalf of the children’s home that the Great War broke upon the world with such appalling suddenness that Palmerston, which had so long been a trading-centre became crowded with khaki-clad territorials, and Awapuni the training-camp for what later proved to be the Expeditionary Force. It was a wonderful camp. With trifling exceptions, the behaviour of the men was splendid. Palmerston people kept ‘open house’ for the men and bathrooms were free and open as long as the hot water lasted. I shall never forget those wonderful camp-services and the real Page | 14

enthusiasm which everyone – man, woman and child – lent every energy to the common cause which claimed us all”.

The relationships forged because the Wellington Regiment was stationed at Awapuni can be seen in three internal elements of the All Saints Church.

The first element is the Memorial Window on the North side of the Church commemorating the sacrifice of members of the Wellington Regiment who lost their lives in the Great War (Figure 7, Appendix C). The right stained- glass window of the lower panels shows a suffering Christ adjacent to a fallen soldier depicting the promise of salvation for those who had given their lives for others.

The next element is the stone ‘parchment’ memorialising Lieutenant Colonel William George Malone (Figure 10, Appendix C).

Lieutenant Colonel Malone was famous for leading the New Zealand forces to take Chunuk Bair. At the same time the Australians took Lone Pine. After the New Zealanders were relieved by the British, counter attacks by the Turkish forces meant that Chunuk Bair could not be held. The New Zealand memorial to the service of soldiers in Gallipoli is now located on Chunuk Bair.

The piece de resistance is the Peace Window otherwise known as the Great Eastern Window that was installed in 1923 in memory of all of those who died in the Great War (Figure 16, Appendix C).

The Peace Window and the other memorials are described by Reverend Blackburne in “A Short History of the Parochial District of All Saints’ Palmerston North” in this way at page 60:

“During these nine years the Church was much beautified by the addition of a large number of stained-glass windows, and memorials in brass and marble, the colours of the three battalions of the Wellington Regiment, presented to them by the King, the colours of the New Zealand Medical Corps; the flag that was flying over the hospital at Bethune where Doctor Martin was working. The windows were all the work of Messrs Ward and Hughes of London and are of Page | 15

a very high and artistic standard. Space will not permit to give a full list of memorial windows, and I must content myself with describing the Great East Window, which was erected not only as a memorial to those who gave their lives in the war but also as a thanksgiving to peace. It represents Our Lord in glory on His throne as the Peace-giver – soldiers on each side with their banners, bending the knee for Him. The other lights of the window depict the saints and martyrs and all of the Heavenly Hosts drawing a picture, in fact, of the te Deum.”

It is this remarkable window that will be visible in the distance through the new entrance to be formed as part of this development proposal. The beauty of this feature will be uplifting and remind us all of the true gifts of peace.

Adjacent to the choir stalls is the large organ manufactured by George Croft & Son Limited in Auckland. It is one of only two remaining of this size in New Zealand and was built in 1929. The intention is to retain this organ, and because of the way in which the proposal will implement seismic strengthening, it is not necessary to remove the organ and store the pipes. The process of dismantling the organ and storing the pipes is a very delicate operation and significantly increases the risk of deformation of the pipes causing an irretrievable distortion of their musical qualities, making them unusable. Avoiding removal and storage significantly reduces the risk of those sorts of impacts which may ruin the functionality of the organ.

In 1939 the sanctuary was furnished with the Oamaru stone altar (Figure 22, Appendix C). Behind that altar is a finely carved reredos that frames the altar with the centrepiece being the Last Supper and an ornamental crown immediately above the figure of Jesus. This was installed in 1944 and was carved by Mr Guernsey (Figure 22, Appendix C).

Appendix C shows other memorials, but it is by no means a complete inventory of the internal contents of All Saints Church. It is not an overstatement to say that there is much within the internal elements of the Church that provide an excellent understanding of the All Saints Church Page | 16

community that played an important part in the history of Palmerston North.

The great advantage of the CBAB proposal is that all of these internal elements are preserved with complete authenticity. The CBAB proposal is, therefore, a magnificent gift to the wider community by providing these features in a preserved state.

Quantitative analysis of the extent of the impact on the external fabric of All Saints Church

Others will talk about the significance of the baptistery and its usefulness for the current All Saints Church Congregation. I would simply add that in my view the baptistery strikes me as an odd add-on feature to the frontage and is a significant barrier to access from the street frontage of the Church - an unfriendly fortress-like structure portraying poorly the Christian ethos.

What we have done is a quantitative analysis of the extent of the baptistery fabric to make the point that the degree of impact should not be overstated. In the Conservation Plan by Mr Bowman, all of the major facades of the All Saints Church are described as of high value. Therefore, the quantitative analysis demonstrates that a significant proportion of all-important fabric is preserved. The method of analysis we undertook is illustrated in Appendix E. The areas of each of the elevations were measured. Then for each of those elevations, a calculation was made of the extent of the baptistery demolition or removal. These areas were then totalled and made into percentages. What that revealed was that the total change to the exterior perspective was no more than 2.16%. This is a significant achievement, given the functional improvements that any redevelopment had to achieve.

Systematic assessment of the values

Following the report by CBAB in Appendix B, the expert team developed a systematic analysis of the values that formed the basis for the preference for the current proposal. That values-based analysis has been employed in preparing evidence for this hearing. The values-based system demonstrates the multi-factorial character that led to the ultimate result. Inevitably, where there are multiple factors informing a choice, there will be elements of Page | 17

tension and trade-offs that need to be made to achieve an acceptable result. I am able to confidently say that those trade-offs and analysis have been thoroughly tested with the All Saints Church Congregation, and there is complete unity of voice that this is the optimal proposal.

The first step in the systematic analysis was the creation of seven value categories as follows:

(a) Spiritual/theological/liturgical and apostolic (SP);

(b) Church Community (CC);

(d) Structural Safety (St);

(e) Financial Viability (Ec);

(f) Architectural (Arch);

(g) Heritage Values (Her).

Then each of these was divided into sub-categories of values under each of those value categories. This methodology is set out below.

Spiritual/Theological/Liturgical and Apostolic Values

The first question that any church has to ask itself is “why are we here?” and “what are we about?”. Any expenditure or effort on buildings is subject to these fundamental questions. It has been a long-standing view of the community that the entrance to the Church does not fulfil or portray its mission. This call for change started in 1982 when the then vicar, later Bishop, Brian Carrell talked about improving the entrance to All Saints Church. The Church has addressed this question continuously since then with greater urgency as the issue with the building’s seismic status has become more acute. The Conservation Plan prepared on behalf of the Church identifies the Church’s self-defined objectives under these basic categories: Page | 18

(a) Be a welcoming open church;

(b) Be a hospitable church;

(d) Be an accessible church;

(e) Be a safe church for the community;

(f) Be a practical church;

(g) Be a modern church.

All of those objectives are tied to the fundamental character of the All Saints Church mission and what it considers to be the contemporary expression of Christian community centred on a place of worship.

The values in this spiritual category that CBAB is seeking to enhance and achieve are the following:

(a) SP–V11 - Providing a central and welcoming entrance as opposed to the foreboding and illegible entrance of the current frontage. That change will also advance the apostolic mission to invite people to fellowship and worship in a theologically appropriate way;

(b) SP–V22 - Providing an area adjacent to the Church, which is sheltered and provides people with a hospitable place after major events, including weddings and funerals. At that point, after the service, there is an opportunity for gathering, communication and exchange that is a special fruit of the service already conducted;

(c) SP–V33 - Providing additional spaces adjacent to the Church that afford opportunities for gathering and hospitality. The Church is a large church and not only can it host services but other events that

1 Sp–V1 - Spiritual Value No. 1. 2 Sp–V2 - Spiritual Value No. 2. 3 Sp–V3 - Spiritual Value No. 3. Page | 19

celebrate appropriate activities such as singing, organ recitals and concerts;

(d) SP–V44 - The visibility of the Church to the outside world as part of its apostolic mission. The current church has a strong sense of enclosure which does not manifest Christian fellowship in action to the wider community. It is central to the apostolic mission of the Church that people passing the place of worship can look in and gain a sense of what the community is about and what its values are. These are only tangibly done through a building that displays internal elements of the Church.

Church Community Values

The spiritual values are crucial to the Congregation’s identity. However, worship is only part of the Congregation’s activities, and there are other needs that have to be met as part of the redevelopment. These have been generically described as Church Community Values for want of a better term. These are summarised below:

(a) CC–V15 - Being in the heart of Palmerston North. The All Saints Church community has a powerful tradition as one of the first of occupants of a centrally located allotment in Palmerston North. There is a strong wish to remain where we are and to respect the traditions that exist both around the site and in the existing building. All great reform must have fidelity to the tradition but also steer the direction to meet the current needs. That requires a balance, and the proposed redevelopment preserves substantial elements of internal and external heritage in the existing building. We calculate that the intrusive alteration and demolition will not exceed about 2.16% of the total external perspective of the Church;

(b) CC–V26 - A familiar place of worship. The Church does need a place of worship. It operates like a magnet for people wishing to

4 Sp–V4 - Spiritual Value No. 4. 5 CC–V1 - Being in the heart of Palmerston North. 6 CC–V2 - A sense of Place. Page | 20

gather. Closing the doors in 2013 resulted in an estimated drop of 40% visitation from foot traffic on the street seeking pastoral care and food, simply as a result of the absence of street access;

(c) CC–V37 - Ready access to facilities, including toilets. An important aspect of the design is creating linkages to the rear of the Church. The toilets are at the rear of the Church. The design provides for a side entrance into that linkage so that you do not have to leave by the Church’s front doors. Access to these facilities for young families and older people is particularly important. Providing a covered space enables people to feel sheltered from inclement weather and to meet their needs in a discreet, comfortable way;

(d) CC–V48 - Connection to the rear of the Church. The engine room for non-worship activities is the community centre at the rear of the Church. This includes the hall, the large cooking facilities and other side rooms. A central element of the design is creating linkages between these facilities and what will be the new ‘front end’ of the Church. This creates all sorts of efficiencies and benefits and adds to the life of the Church.

Place-Making Values

Place-making is, I have been told, an urban initiative to increase the vitality and activity occurring in public spaces. The reason for that is that active, enjoyable public spaces contribute enormously to the community wellbeing. All Saints Church by reason of its central location can contribute to the liveability and vitality of Palmerston North’s most central space, The Square. The Palmerston North City Council has a place-making initiative and interestingly, the featured photo is of people walking down the alleyway adjacent to the All Saints Church.

There is a coincidence between increasing vitality of All Saints Church and its worship and achieving these place-making goals. These are reflected in

7 CC–V3 - Access to facilities. 8 CC–V4 - Connecting to the facilities behind the Church. Page | 21

the values and purposes that have contributed to the final design proposal. These value sub-categories are summarised below:

(a) PM–V19 - Activation of the frontage. Activation means that the interior and the exterior spaces are inviting and visibly show the activity that is occurring within the building. The high level of glazing in the proposal means that the following activities are visible to the public:

Worship;

Hospitality and gathering;

An additional benefit is that the heritage fabric and elements of the building are also made visible to the public;

(b) PM–V210 - Street level activity. Activity at the street level is achieved because there are areas where people can gather protected from the elements during ceremonies marking significant life events. We all have memories of weddings and funerals where people are gathered, and all of these events are critical to the function and life of the community, and their visibility at the street level is important;

(c) PM–V311 - Legibility. The building and the spaces around it need to be legible, which means that people are able to visually see where the linkages are and how they relate to each other. Improved legibility will encourage a greater understanding of how to access the building both as a place of worship and also the rear parts of the building;

(d) PM-V412 - Sovereignty. Place-making is a grassroots movement where communities themselves contribute to place-making by portraying their identity. The new improvements are an All Saints Church Congregation-based initiative to portray essential Christian

9 PM–V1- Activation of the frontage. 10 PM–V2 - Activity at street level. 11 PM–V3 - Legibility. 12 PM–V4 - Self-defined activity. Page | 22

values and to further the apostolic mission. The essence of place- making is the sovereignty of communities to express themselves, and that is appropriately allowed for by meeting the All Saints Congregation’s needs while respecting the substantial portion of the existing building fabric.

Structural Safety Values

Making the Church safe is an essential and self-evident requirement. The option that has been selected is the least invasive and will be the least visible, both internally and externally. The Anglican Diocese requires at least 67% of the New Building Standard (“NBS”) for seismic resilience. We discovered that the engineering method that we liked could achieve 100% of NBS. That means that there is improved safety but also some degree of redundancy built in the event that standards change which could always happen. The sub-values that have informed this value category are the following:

(a) St–V113 - Safety. The work will dramatically improve the safety of people within the Church and in public spaces such as footpaths. Public safety is a pre-eminent consideration. This section of Church Street is designated as a high foot traffic area which means that public safety on the footpath and down the alleyways is also important. Achieving 100% of the NBS is a significant step towards providing a safe environment;

(b) St–V214 - The benefit of the structural work is to preserve most of the existing heritage elements from significant seismic events. That includes protecting the tower, which is a distinctive element of the Church. The engineers say that removing the baptistery provides the opportunity to install a concrete platform that will provide a secure base for the strengthening of the tower. The only other material change to the fabric not affected by the redevelopment is the removal of the pinnacles and the replacement of them with

13 St–V1 - Safety. 14 St–V2 - Heritage preservation. Page | 23

modern facsimiles plus removal of the parapets and replacement with a concrete beam which will enable the post-tensioning of the Church walls.. These cannot be strengthened to an appropriate standard in their present form;

(c) SC–V315 - The new building will comply with all relevant regulations and laws and provides some redundancy in the event of increasing regulatory standards;

(d) SC–V416 - The engineering technique that is proposed provides a further element of redundancy. The wires used for tensioning could be replaced with other materials rather than steel such as carbon fibre. These future materials may further increase the resilience of the building to seismic activity and be used with relatively small incremental costs.

Financial Viability Value

Good stewardship dictates that whatever is undertaken is financially viable for present and future generations. CBAB has spent a lot of time refining the design, including the method of earthquake strengthening to achieve the lowest cost possible. For example, we have changed the use of MacAllory bars to wires saving enormous expense. Even with that effort, the total cost is going to be very significant (over $7 million), about 73% of that total cost represents the cost of achieving structural stability and safety. The Wellington Anglican Diocese has made it plain that it will not approve significant expenditure on a building that is not fit for purpose. The Wellington Anglican Diocese has neither the will nor resources to support initiatives that are not supportive of the fundamental mission of the Church. The value sub-categories that have informed the financial viability aspects of the development include the following:

(a) Ec–V117 - Diocesan approval. The proposal has Diocesan approval because in combination with the structural strengthening which is

15 St–V3 - Legal compliance. 16 St–V4 - Future proofing. 17 Ec–V1 - Diocesan approval. Page | 24

a significant portion of the total cost, other features will be built into the design that meet the Christian mission as summarised in the Spiritual (Sp) and Church Community (CC) values;

(b) Ec–V218 - Financial risk management. The proposal represents the least financial risk for the All Saints Church Congregation. The reason for that is that this proposal provides for a modern church and meets contemporary needs. Therefore, the proposal represents the best option for maintaining the vitality and strength of the All Saints Church Congregation. That is an essential element for creating a financially viable building programme that involves not only upgrading but also maintaining the facility.

Architectural Values

The architectural elements of the new addition incorporate many of the important values already listed above. The form of the design is governed by the need to functionally promote those values. The design achieves that goal very well. The ‘look’ is a matter of design and matters of design can elicit responses ranging between love and hate with no particular rational basis for either response. It is a subjective response. Any design that meets the Church’s functional requirements is likely to elicit the same responses. Through consultation, we have achieved a unity of purpose to promote this design.

Before advancing the design, we consulted with Heritage New Zealand. The most important message that they conveyed to us was that any new addition should not mimic the style of the existing building, which would be completely false. It needed to be a contemporary component that was distinctive and new and could not be confused with original elements. We took on board that message. Around the world, you can see existing churches that have had additions to them of distinctive and contemporary style in just the same way as this proposal. The values that therefore have informed the architectural design are the following:

18 Ec–V2 - Financial risk management. Page | 25

(a) Arch–V119 - Contrast. Creating contrast with the existing building so that the new addition is both contemporary and distinctive but which relates to the existing building in a symbiotic way;

(b) Arch–V220 - Organic. The material is organic in the sense of portraying naturalness as a contemporary value that celebrates nature and life. That style also sits comfortably with but in contrast to the somewhat heraldic vernacular portrayed by the existing All Saints Church;

(c) Arch–V321 - Honest materials. The use of honest contemporary materials that provide a contrast to the masonry work but sit with that in a complementary way;

(d) Arch–V422 - Visibility of the tower. Retaining the visibility of the tower as a clean form is a key value. An early design of the additions was further refined by removing a portico adjacent to the tower to maintain the integrity of the tower as it is a distinctive and important architectural element of the All Saints Church.

Heritage Values

The architectural elements of the All Saints Church have heritage value. It is important, however, not to think of heritage only as building fabric. The area on which the Church sits has been occupied for over 145 years by the Anglican Church, and the operation of the Church’s mission in that place is an important aspect of the heritage of that place. In addition, an often- overlooked element of the heritage of the All Saints Church is the contents within the Church. These cannot all be enumerated here. Of particular significance is the fact that the memorabilia of the Wellington Regiment that travelled to Gallipoli is inside the All Saints Church. The Church is an important treasury of historical elements that are part of Palmerston North’s history. The proposed development will retain 97% of the external

19 Arch–V1 - Contrast. 20 Arch–V2 - Organic. 21 Arch–V3 - Honest materials. 22 Arch–V4 - Visibility of the Tower. Page | 26

fabric and almost 100% of the internal elements of the Church. The only changes are the relocation of the font and the foundation stone within the Church. The glass windows in the baptistery will be relocated within the Church corridor link and not lost. This preservation of the predominance of the heritage fabric is a significant achievement with this redevelopment proposal.

The organ is also a heritage item. It was constructed in about 1929 by Croft & Son in Auckland. Because of the way in which the strengthening is designed, the organ does not need to be removed and stored. Removal and storage significantly elevate the risk of the organ losing its functionality. The heritage values that have therefore informed the redesign include the following:

(a) Her–V123 - Fidelity to tradition and the place;

(b) Her–V224 - Preservation of the internal elements;

Conclusion

The All Saints Church community has been on a journey to systematically analyse the best option for the future. In that, we have had to interact with a range of agencies including our own Wellington Anglican Diocese. Unless we can build a business case that would demonstrate the viability of the proposal from a financial point of view and its ability to contribute to the mission of the Church, then this application would not have been lodged.

I consider that the only feasible way to preserve most of the heritage in and around All Saints Church is for the nettle to be grasped and this consent to be granted. I can assure you that the pace of change in making decisions of this type is glacial in the Anglican Church and if it is rejected, then the inevitable outcome is continuing neglect and a building that detracts rather

23 Her–V1 - Fidelity to tradition and the place. 24 Her–V2 - Preservation of the internal elements. 25 Her–V3 - Preservation of most of the external fabric. Page | 27

than enhances the centre of the City. Later by the operation of legislation the demolition of the building will follow. I, therefore, urge a decision that approves the application.

______Vincent Neall

Appendix A – Paper prepared by All Saints Church CBAB dated 2015 entitled “To Strengthen or to Rebuild.”

Appendix B – “Building Byte” reports from the All Saints Church CBAB

Appendix C – Photographic essay of heritage items in All Saints Church, Palmerston North.

Appendix D – Additional heritage items noted in “A Thing of Beauty” by Betty King.

• Foundation stone. Under this memorial stone made of fine polished granite the Bishop of Wellington on 7th November, 1913, placed a copper casket containing the original papers deposited under the font of the 1882 Church, together with linen copies of the local papers and current coins. Added to these was the linen parchment on which the Foundation Stone Ceremony was described. On the step below is a brass plate with those challenging words from Bishop Sprott’s Charge to the people on that historic occasion – “This stone was laid by the Lord Bishop of Wellington, November 7th, 1913. “This stone shall be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.” Josh., 24:27.

• The first Baptistery window (left to right) is in memory of former members of the All Saint’s Guild, founded in 1892. It represents women making garments with loving concern for the poor, after the example of Dorcas who is mentioned in Acts 9:39.

• The second Baptistery window shows our Lord as a young man in the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth (St. Luke 2:40). This is in memory of Archdeacon Kenney who served the Parish from early manhood, first as Curate and later as Vicar.

• The central Baptistery window is of Jesus calling the children to come unto him. (Mark 10:13). It is in memory of Gwyneth Harper, the little daughter of Archdeacon Harper, who died at sea on May 17, 1904.

• The fourth Baptistery window features the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, showing Mary and Joseph presenting the infant Jesus with their offering of two Turtle Doves. (Luke 2:22-39). This is in memory of Beverley Stevens, the daughter of Mrs. N. V. Bertram of Palmerston North, and grand-daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Bagnall.

• The fifth window is of St. Francis of Assisi gifted in memory of Mrs. Mabel Runnicles and was the last to be installed. Page | 3

• The choir stalls were the gift of All Saints’ Guild in 1949, and the work of the late Frank Guernsey. The creative work of this woodcarver glorifies the world of nature in the borders around these kauri stalls. There is a wealth of native flora to be seen, in the mountain lily and the daisy, the berries and the fuchia. There are winged creatures too – little birds among the vines, and to relate all this to the heavenly realm there are cherubs in a number of the borders.

• The reredos on the wall behind the altar is a carving in heart kauri of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper”. Of all the carved work done for All Saints’ Church by Frank Guernsey, this reredos portrays his most sensitive and masterly craftsmanship. It is a memorial to the Reverend H. G. Rosher who was Vicar when the Church was built in 1914.

• The same craftsman also designed and carved the altar of Oamaru stone – given in memory of Alan Skerman, a pioneer layman who worked untiringly for the parish for fifty years. The incredible detail of the carved work in wood and stone is a spiritual delight. There are six cherubs in stone across the front of the altar, and those in wood supporting the reredos. Delicate carving in the centre panel of the stone altar gives accent and a note of glory to this symbol of sacrifice. It is the figure of a pelican feeding her young with drops of blood plucked from her breast. It has become a symbol of Christ giving his Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Holy Communion. The whole centrepiece is fitly framed with a carved design of leaves and flowers and the mysrtic rose, and guarded on either side by two of the cherubs. Two niches on either side at the foot of the altar are furnished with carved stone figures. They represent the Apostle John and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The symbolism portrayed is that of them both kneeling at the foot of the Cross during the Crucifixion. The figures were given in memory of John Holmes Runnicles who died in 1958 after thirty-nine years of devoted service to the Church as organist ands choirmaster. A silver plate near the organ console also records a tribute to his memory. The Archangels Michael Page | 4

and Gabriel stand at either side of the altar beneath their lace-like wooden canopies, as though keeping constant vigil in the sanctuary.

• The Kauri Screen. This separates the Chapel from the Chancel. Made of carved kauri and glass it was dedicated in 1970 to the memory of Mr. H. L. Butcher. In harmony with the east and west windows, the screen is designed in the ‘perpendicular style”. A border of six New Zealand birds is carved at waist height on either side of the screen. On the Chancel side they are the penguin, fantail, kea, bellbird, kaka and gannet; on the Chapel side the kiwi, weka, duck, tui, black teal and albatross.

• On the pillar nearest the organ is a large brass medallion, beneath a tablet to the memory of Keneth Bett, a young man killed in action during the First World War. “Britannia” stands against an ocean background holding in her hand a laurel wreath as a reward for heroism. The might of the Lion has prevailed over the strength of the Eagle, symbolising the victory of Britain and her Allies over their enemies.

Page | 5

Appendix E – Calculation method for extent of Baptistery wall removal.

Total Baptistery Percentage

North elevation 361.9 36.7 10.15

South elevation 361.9 0.0 0.00

West elevation 644.7 6.7 1.04

East elevation 644.7 0.0 0.00

Total 2013.2 43.4 2.16

Methodology

The measured area is determined from each of the North, West, East, and West elevations. Top view is not included as it could only be seen from the top of the tower or in part from surrounding buildings. This is different from surface area which would account for both sides of the elements that are hidden from the elevations ie, north and south view of each buttress or reverse sides of the parapets. These could be seen once again from the surrounding building from a certain height. The surface roof area is also larger than shown on the elevations Page | 6 due to the pitch of the roof. Although irrelevant for this exercise, units are scaled M2.