Resetting the strengthening and restoration of New Zealand's oldest stone church onto an affordable path.
Taranaki Cathedral
Taranaki Cathedral Church of St Mary, Mere Tapu, is New Zealand's oldest stone church, a Category 1 heritage place in New Plymouth. It has been closed since 2016 as an earthquake risk, with its congregation worshipping in other buildings on the site.
An earlier scheme to strengthen and restore the Cathedral had been designed and consented, but proved too costly to deliver in one go. The Taranaki Anglican Trust Board brought RCP in during 2025 to find a way forward, reviewing the plan and shaping a simpler, staged approach that keeps the building safe and compliant while anticipating changes coming to New Zealand's earthquake-risk rules.
The aim is an affordable, staged path that can see a nationally significant building safely strengthened and, in time, returned to its community.
