Wellington archdiocese has been advised that The Catholic Centre in Hill Street near Parliament is a seismic risk.
A newsletter from Cardinal John Dew on March 10 stated that the archdiocese was notified in February that the Catholic Centre was rated at 20 per cent of New Building Standard. A compliance rate of less than 34 per cent classifies the building as earthquake-prone under the Building Act 2004.
A peer review of the engineer’s report was expected in mid-March. The centre was initially closed for two weeks.
“The ability for staff to access the Catholic Centre had been inhibited anyway because of the protest action at Parliament,” Cardinal Dew said in the newsletter.
“As soon as we know if we have to evacuate the centre permanently we will advise everyone, in the meantime work continues from homes and makeshift offices,” he added.
“I thank the staff again for the ways they have generously adapted to new ways of working. Everyone is doing all they can so that the mission of the Church continues with as few interruptions as possible.”
NZ Catholic understands that the peer review arrived at the same conclusion as the original report.
Among the organisations that normally work in the Catholic Centre is the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference executive and the New Zealand Catholic Education Office.
A facebook post from NZCEO on March 7 stated that it has been indicated that the building is potentially unsafe.
“Given the situation, NZCEO staff will work from home, and this is likely to continue for at least the next four weeks. We are committed to continuing to provide an effective level of service for APIS and the Catholic state-integrated education sector.”
A notice on Wellington archdiocese’s facebook page on March 24 stated that The Catholic Centre was currently closed after a detailed seismic assessment indicated that the building would perform poorly in the event of a major earthquake.
The temporary office spaces for archdiocese teams that are normally based in the Catholic Centre were at several venues.
At St Peter and Paul’s Presbytery, Lower Hutt are the Church Mission team (Young Church, Family Ministries, Marriage Ministries, Parish Coordinator, Samoan Chaplaincy, Launch Out, Church Mission Director).
At Cardinal McKeefry School, Wilton, are the Catholic Schools Education Services (CSES) team and the finance team.
At Viard House are Cardinal John Dew’s team and Office of the General Manager.
All contact details remain the same with phone numbers being diverted to the new office spaces.
Reader Interactions