Blog

The Hui held in the Interim Cathedral on September 10 marked a significant milestone for The Cathedral Project. In a formal ceremony, the Reeves family gave its blessing to the association of Sir Paul Reeves’ name with the proposed Atrium at the south of The Cathedral. Preliminary designs for the Atrium show it as a light filled space looking out to Pukaka Pā and the churchyard. Designed to complement the expanded range of activities to be hosted in the Cathedral, this... read more

When the first Vicar of St Mary's, William Bolland, died in 1847, his cousin The Revd Henry Govett was appointed as his successor. His fruitful ministry was to last 50 years. Govett walked immense distances over Māori tracks to visit all parts of his huge parish, holding services in districts as far apart as Opunake and Waitara. Like Bolland, Govett was an Oxford graduate who had come to New Zealand to seek adventure. He found New Plymouth an isolated community. In... read more

Taranaki Cathedral has been identified as a priority historic building under the extension of a fund that promises an additional $30 million for earthquake prone buildings. On Saturday Prime Minister Bill English announced the increase to the Regional Culture and Heritage Fund (RCHF), spread over four years, as well as the inclusion for the first time of historic churches and places of worship “that are central parts of the community's character". Church leaders hailed the announcement as a lifeline for... read more

Retired journalist Mark Birch has been trawling through the St Mary’s archives and published booklets. These are one view of history, often written for a particular time and context. Through the Cathedral Project we hope to tell more of our church and regional stories. These profiles are a start. Well before the completion of St Mary's Church in 1846, parishioner John Lye was busy getting the building and grounds in order – and as soon as the church was opened he... read more

A hui at Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary on September 10 will set out and consult on the developing vision for the restoration and refurbishment of the cathedral and the historic site on which it sits. It’s expected to draw iwi representatives, as well as members of the Crown and churchgoers from Anglican parishes around the region. Over the last 20 years the Anglican community in Taranaki has reflected on the history of its relationship with Māori. This culminated... read more

Matthew 15: 21-28 I invite you to imagine a circle, although the size of each of our circles will be different. You will be able to work out just how big your circle will be as you think of who will be in it. You see, inside your circle will be all the people you find you can relate with easily. That may include friends, family, perhaps neighbours, acquaintances, and colleagues, perhaps those you befriend on Facebook, those you encounter in... read more

It's a real delight and pleasure to welcome Honor Jane who is to be baptised this morning. And of course to welcome your mum and dad and some of your family and friends. To your mum and dad I want to say, good on you for wanting to associate your lovely child with this rather cranky organisation the Church! I know that you wouldn't want to join up your daughter to an organisation which doesn't reflect beliefs and values that you... read more

Breaking big projects down into lots of small, manageable and consecutive steps is really what project management is all about. Cathedral Remediation + Design Manager Jenny Goddard says that over the last few months a few of those important steps in The Cathedral Project have been tackled. In June, soil testing was completed. Hamilton-based Beca geotechnical engineer, Madeleine Prebble and Jordan Young, an undergraduate in mechanical engineering (and son of New Plymouth MP Jonathan Young), were on site to gain more... read more

A bid to get more people eating fruit and veg – at discount prices – is building communities and Christian interdenominational networks throughout NZ. Now the Food Together programme is spreading to Taranaki with the cathedral pivotal to its local distribution. It started as a three-week pilot in June, and has now become a permanent social enterprise in the region. It works like this: People view the fruit and veg menu each Friday on the Food Together Facebook page, place their... read more

Three cultures came together when a Tongan woman and a Māori man were ordained on a South Taranaki marae on Saturday July 15. The ordination ceremony for the Rev Mele Prescott and the Rev Vincent Nuku took place at Aotearoa Marae, Okaiawa. Among those officiating were Mele’s uncle Dr Winston Halapua, who is both the Archbishop of Polynesia, and one of three co-Archbishops of the Anglian Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Also involved was The Most Reverend Philip Richardson,... read more