Christchurch ratepayers are being asked if they want to contribute to the rebuild of four heritage buildings in the central city, amid a $290 million shortfall.
The buildings being considered are the Christ Church Cathedral, the Canterbury Museum, the Canterbury Provincial Chambers and The Arts Centre.
The Christchurch City Council has asked ratepayers for their views on “investing in the restoration” of all four as part of its draft annual plan, released this morning.
In a consultation document, the council said it estimated the “total funding gap between the estimated restoration costs and the funds committed from all sources is around $290 million”.
It added closing this gap would require funding from “multiple sources, including central government”. Any contribution the council makes would also have an impact on rates increase.
Earlier this week, Canterbury Museum announced it was making a bid to secure funding from local and central Government to complete its multi-year rebuild, now forecast to cost $261.9 million.
Canterbury Museum trust board chair David Ayers said inflation, escalating construction costs and funding delays have increased the cost by 27%.
It was now seeking an extra $32 million from “local authority funders” over four years from 2026/27, to help complete construction in Rolleston Ave.
That’s on top of a previous request for funding from funding from Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council, Waimakariri District Council and Hurunui District Council.
It has also asked central Government for $32 million over four years.
“Throughout the redevelopment project, we’ve continued to undertake value engineering and make compromises to reduce costs,” Ayers said.
“We’ve now exhausted all feasible options for reducing costs without undermining the building's functionality or asset life.”
The Christ Church Cathedral also needs financial support to continue after mothballing its multi-year, multi year rebuild in 2024, due to a lack of funding.
Around $90 million had been invested already, with $38 million put in by the church, $25 million by the Government, $24 million coming from donors and $3 million from council.
The Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited said it had reduced its plans going forward, but still had a $40 to $45 million shortfall.
“The post-Covid environment presented significant fundraising changes which necessitated a pause,” a spokesperson said.
“We identified the original scope was too big so we have reshaped the project so it can be delivered in stages which halves the funding gap.”
Christchurch ratepayers can now have a say on whether they want to contribute any more funds to the rebuild.
Consultation on the draft annual plan is open until March 27.
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