Shock, sadness as landmark church forced to close

August 21st, 2012

Parishoners of the Motueka Uniting Parish last Sunday worshipped together in their parish church of St Andrews, in High Street beside the Police Station, for the last time in its present form.

Last week, the parish received a directive from the Presbyterian Property Trustees instructing the parish that because of the building's poor seismic strength rating, it must be closed immediately and remain closed until remedial action to make the building safe has been completed.

Remedial work is to be completed by December of 2014.

Following conversations with Tasman District Council officers, the parish is also informed that the TDC will soon issue an abatement notice.

The parish expects the effect of this notice will be to prohibit people entering the property at all, until such time as building remedial work is satisfactorily completed. TDC has relented somewhat and said parishioners can have continued access to the church hall behind the church, softening the situation a little.

With its beautifully proportioned, white-walled structure and the large tree outside, St Andrew's Church has been a landmark in this town for nearly 100 years.

However, an engineer's report commissioned some time ago indicated the building no longer met National Building Standards and was therefore deemed earthquake prone.

Although a working group has been looking into the nature of the remedial work needed, the timing and finality of the directive, and the soon to be issued abatement notice, came as a shock to parish members when it was announced on Sunday that their place of worship was to close.

Motueka Uniting Parish Minister Rev Peter Norman said, "While uncertainty surrounds the future of our place of worship it is important to remember that the building is not the church, the people are the church.

"Many tears were shed last Sunday, but there is a resolve and a belief that we have been presented with a God-given opportunity for this parish's vibrant, growing congregation to experience something new and exciting.

"It is the maxim 'love God, love others' that will continue to guide us as we set out on what I am sure will be an adventuresome journey into a future filled with possibility."

The church was deconsecrated by Rev Norman one week later

[Editor's note: This action has wider implications for Motueka as a town. We are all aware that following the Canterbury earthquakes building owners and local bodies are becoming much more aware of the risks of having public buildings not up to earthquake standards.

It is likely that insurance assessors will be looking at other public buildings and commercial premises in Motueka with an eye to closing down those deemed too risky.

As well, commercial and public building owners may become reluctant to make any improvements to their properties, lest their planning consents require attention to earthquake standards. At worst, this could mean the existing CBD may see little development and change for many years to come.]

Comment by William Cleaver:
[Posted 25 August 2012]

This PC thing about making sure buildings pass seismic standards may be just going too far. I am all for safety in the work place and at home but when is it going to stop? St Andrews was on site when the earthquake of 1967 happened in Inangahua and still stands proud. You have a greater chance of being involved in a car accident or falling prey to a sports injury than you have being injured in a earthquake.

It's fairly obvious that this recent crackdown is insurance companies and Government not wanting to pay out in the event of a seismic event. As already mentioned development will be reduced to a standstill because the cost to abide to the standards will become too great. Current owners of buildings will not bring their buildings up to standard or forced to charge greater rents to cover the cost. Tenants will all close shop and move to Invercargill or off shore.

Summing up, so we pay greater levies to insure buildings that eventually will be built almost indestructible so the insurers will never have to pay out. So they get richer.

Comment by Jenny Chisholm (Gubbins), teenager at St Andrews 1948-49:
[Posted 25 December 2012]

Your story all over again at Wadestown Presbyterian, where we have had to move out of our 1957 brick church and the 1901 wooden church/hall (on a concrete basement) as well. Same mixture of reaction, from grief to challenge: what does God need here in Wadestown in the 21st century?

While we discuss this question we worship in Queen Margaret College hall, have been given office space at Khandallah Presbyterian, run our mainly music in the Anglican Hall, work out how we can bring the wooden church up to standard and for what cost, and remind ourselves, as Rev Norman said, that 'the building is not the church, the people are the church'.

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