Blog

Hours of dedication, bundles of cotton swabs and plenty of patience will be needed to return Taranaki Cathedral’s stained glass windows to their former splendour. As part of the Taranaki Cathedral remediation and development project, the church’s array of stained glass windows, many of which have deteriorated over time, will be restored, bringing out the details and colours the artists intended. “As far as we are aware, they have had minimal maintenance over the years and a number are failing,” Cathedral... read more

Like a harmonious choir, the successful remediation of Taranaki Cathedral is dependent on all parts being in tune. One of those is the building’s renowned acoustics. With Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary to host a wide range of arts, music and drama events once earthquake-strengthened, as well as regular church services, weddings and funerals, it is important that the acoustics are not adversely impacted by proposed modifications. Working on this are acousticians Daniel Protheroe and Arthur Postles, of Marshall Day... read more

Neil and Raewyn Wolfe with the commemorative certificate of their wedding day at St Mary’s Church. Being fashionably late to her wedding wasn’t an option for bride Raewyn Phillips – hers was just one of four held at St Mary’s Church on a busy Saturday in April 1966. “Our service was at 11am and the Reverend stressed to us that I couldn’t be late because there was another wedding at 1pm,” says Raewyn, who married well-known Taranaki rugby player Neil... read more

The Government’s multi-million dollar commitment to the development of Taranaki Cathedral has given the project team confidence work can be under way by May next year. “This funding gives us the ability to really look ahead with surety and set dates for when work can begin,” The Cathedral Project remediation and design manager Jenny Goddard said. “We can now accelerate our planning with engineering specialists and consultants, and begin preparing resource consents to push ahead with the work. “By May 2019... read more

With St Chad, St Michael and St Aidan watching every move, Mark Whyte carefully takes a sample of grout from the beautiful 120-year-old stone reredos near the altar of Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary. Whether the saints approve, it’s hard to tell – the stern look on St Chad’s face suggests otherwise – but the work has their best interests at heart. Stone sculptor Mark, and business partner stone mason Robin Ayers, from Christchurch company Goldfield Stone Ltd, are in... read more

Taranaki Cathedral Dean Peter Beck says a Government announcement today to invest up to $5 million for the development of the Cathedral is a “fantastic boost” for the project. “This is fabulous and gives some certainty around the future of our historic Cathedral,” Dean Peter said. “We are greatly appreciative and excited by this announcement. “There is still a lot of work to be done and we are truly thankful for the tremendous support the New Plymouth and wider Taranaki... read more

The Taranaki Cathedral’s significance to the community and its vision for the future has led the New Plymouth Bridge Club to make a generous $2800 donation towards The Cathedral Project. Each year the club selects a local charity or community organisation as the recipient of money raised at the President’s Charity Night, and this time The Cathedral Project was chosen. The New Plymouth Bridge Club’s immediate past president Murray Carter said more than 120 people took part in the fun evening,... read more

With plenty of blood, sweat and tears – and millions of dollars – being invested to earthquake strengthen and upgrade Taranaki Cathedral, keeping it safe once complete is a priority. That includes keeping it safe from fire. As part of The Taranaki Cathedral Project work, fire engineer Sam Grindrod, from fire engineering consultancy Holmes Fire, recently made a site visit to evaluate the life safety aspects of the building and to determine what form of early warning system from fire would... read more