A BRITISH billionaire has announced that he will fund a survey
of residents, asking what they want for the future of Christchurch
Cathedral, in New Zealand, after the damage caused by the
earthquake in 2011 (News,
25 February 2011).
In a press conference in Canterbury, New Zealand, earlier this
month, Hamish Ogston, a businessman, also repeated his pledge of $4
million for the restoration of the cathedral.
A spokesman for the Bishop of Christchurch, the Rt Revd Victoria
Matthews, said that they had been given no advance information
about the announcement, nor had they been invited to the event.
The earthquake in 2011 destroyed the spire and part of the tower
of the cathedral, and left the remaining structure unsafe. The
cathedral was later partially demolished for safety reasons.
Since the earthquake, there has been disagreement between the
diocese, which wants to build a new, modern cathedral, and groups
who want the old cathedral rebuilt and restored (News, 12
October 2012).