Waipukurau's earthquake-strengthened church set to reopen

Organ builder and historian Dr Ron Newton from Oamaru was recently on site re-installing the pipe organ at St Mary's Anglican Church in Waipukurau. Photo / Warren Buckland

After a four-year closure, St Mary's Anglican Church in Waipukurau is being readied for its reopening.

Congregation members welcomed a recent $110,000 grant from the Lotteries Heritage and Environment Fund, which they say has not only completely funded stage one of the earthquake strengthening, but also the "lion's share" of stage two of the work.

"This means the [church] tower can now be fully strengthened," said Alan Sutherland, spokesman for the local subcommittee tasked with strengthening the 1929-built church.

Strengthening work started in April on the church, which was closed by the standing committee of the Diocese of Waiapu at Easter in 2014 after it was rated at just 13 per cent of the New Building Standard (NBS).

Back in June, Sutherland said that once completed, stage one of the project would sufficiently strengthen the main body of the church to allow it to reopen, while also ensuring the church tower posed no risk to life in a severe earthquake.

Stage two would involve strengthening the tower and would cost $100,000, he said at the time.

Now, contractor Jacob's Construction had nearly finished the work on stage one, and thanks to the new grant, stage two funds were almost fully raised, Sutherland said.

"This second phase will not follow on immediately after we complete stage one, however, and so we intend to go ahead with our plan to reopen the church with suitable fanfare and ceremony on August 15, St Mary's Day," he said.

Organ builder and historian Dr Ron Newton from Oamaru was recently on site re-installing the church's dismantled pipe organ.

The church is also being rewired and having new fire alarms and systems installed.

The local subcommittee has had to raise more than $200,000 since September 2016 for the strengthening work to go ahead.

• For details about the community celebration and opening ceremony on Wednesday August 15, search for St Mary's Anglican Church Waipukurau on Facebook.