NZ Catholic Newspaper

Marlborough churches shaken in quake

Michael Otto — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 04:00:02 +0000

by PETER GRACE
WELLINGTON — Marlborough churches suffered some damage in the August 16 Seddon earthquakes, while Wellington church buildings seem to have escaped lightly.
Terry and Gwenda Costello run a farm near Seddon. Mrs Costello told NZ Catholic on August 19 that she thought the Catholic Church at Ward — south of Seddon — was probably a write-off.
The initial earthquake was a vicious, violent one, she said.
One of the Seddon community’s Catholic families, the Kerslakes, lost their home and business. “The old Oak Tree Cottage, it split completely in half. It’s a cob cottage. It’s their own home, and their business,” she said.
Nicola and Russell Kerslake ran functions for weddings, and people in Marlborough used to bus there and take Devonshire teas.
Closer to home, the Seddon church escaped structural damage, but property inside was thrown about.
Even though the statues and other items were tied down, “the statue of Our Lady came down and was damaged at the back, and all the crosses were thrown about 12 feet around”, Mrs Costello said.
As well, a large cross on the roof at the rear end of the church came down.
Like everyone in the district, she was getting tired of cleaning up glass, Mrs Costello said.
The parish priest of St Mary of the Angels in Wellington Central, Fr Barry Scannell, SM, told NZ Catholic on August 17 that the church appeared to have suffered no damage as a result of the quake.
The parish had closed the church before the earthquake for assessment and strengthening. Because engineers were already on site, Fr Scannell said that if there was any damage, they would quickly let the parish know.
The Institute for World Evangelisation-ICPE Mission is based in the former St Gerard’s Church and monastery on Mt Victoria. A staff member there said on August 17 that all seemed okay. “We’re a bit on edge,” she said. “Please pray for us.”
Wellington archdiocese administration director Dave Mullin told NZ Catholic on August 18 that church buildings in Wellington seemed to have come through the shaking relatively unscathed. However, there were reports of structural damage to the Church at Ward in Marlborough.
In a report posted to the archdiocesan website, Mr Mullin stated that there had been minor damage to other buldings in the wider region, the extent of which is still to be confirmed.
“Buildings of the archdiocese that are workplaces and other significant buildings will again be checked by structural engineers. Focus will be on buildings classed as earthquake prone,” he said.
“The archdiocese will contact all parishes to ask them to look for any signs of damage to assess the need for a check by a structural engineer.”

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Churches ponder options after insurer withdraws

Michael Otto — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:20:54 +0000

by MICHAEL OTTO
CHRISTCHURCH — A major insurer of Church buildings will not write any new insurance cover against earthquakes in New Zealand from December — and the implications for New Zealand Catholic dioceses are mixed.
In late September, Ansvar New Zealand announced it would stop writing new insurance cover for earthquakes and would renew present cover only until December 1.
This came after credit rating agency AM Best downgraded both the financial strength and issuer credit ratings of Ansvar NZ on September 28.
Ansvar NZ’s United Kingdom-based parent Ecclesiastical Group announced gross claims from Christchurch’s earthquakes since September, 2010, were about $700 million. These included some non-church claims, such as for damage to the Christchurch Arts Centre. Since the first earthquake, Ansvar had collected $35 million in premiums.
The company reportedly provides earthquake cover for some 600 churches in New Zealand, across several denominations, including Catholic churches in Christchurch and Dunedin dioceses.
Christchurch diocese financial administrator Paddy Beban said the diocese will be discussing its options with brokers, “but in today’s environment, it would be unrealistic to anticipate another insurance provider will be waiting to cover diocesan assets”.
Mr Beban believes Christchurch diocese will face big increases in premiums and changes in policy conditions.
He could not rule out rationalising, selling or demolishing churches because of unaffordable insurance cover, but it was too early to say much else.
The Otago Daily Times reported Dunedin diocese manager Stuart Young saying that the Ansvar withdrawal could be managed and would be a short-term blip in the insurance market.
Auckland diocese general manager Kerry Coleman told NZ Catholic that insurance advisers predict premiums will go up when the diocese’s insurance is renewed from January.
“[But] we are going into the marketplace very shortly and we expect a reasonably competitive environment,” Mr Coleman said.
Auckland and Palmerston North dioceses, Wellington archdiocese, and the Wellington-based Catholic Schools Board Ltd all belong to the Catholic Church Underwriting Agency.
This body collectively engages insurance managers Fraser Macandrew Ryan to go into the market and get the best possible deals, Mr Coleman said.
Cover is often diversified with several different insurers, he added.
Fraser Macandrew Ryan chief executive Paul Meehan told NZ Catholic that despite the Christchurch events, there is still competition in the New Zealand insurance market for the Church’s business.
“There is no reason why the Catholic Church’s business would not be competed for keenly by remaining insurers,” Mr Meehan said.
But Church clients will be looking at insurer security, coverage conditions on offer and the price of that coverage, he said.
Even Ansvar could potentially offer earthquake cover in future through an underwriting agency in New Zealand as a subsidiary of its Australian business, Mr Meehan said.
“What they can offer there will largely depend on the extent of the reinsurance cover they can purchase.”
Mr Meehan said the industry is seeing significant increases in property insurance premiums in general, although these would be more “at the commercial and corporate end”, rather than at the residential level.

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Christchurch schools and churches off limits pending inspection

Michael Otto — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:00:00 +0000

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand No Catholic church or school in Christchurch will be able to be used until consulting engineers have declared it safe. Bishop of Christchurch Barry Jones made this announcement on February 25.
NZ Catholic understands some churches have been severely damaged, but others have escaped relatively unscathed.
Christchurch cathedral parish administrator Msgr Charles Drennan said that safety is a primary issue.
Msgr Drennan, who is bishop-designate for Palmerston North, and other priests have been forced to evacuate the cathedral rectory by authorities.
This is not because of any damage to the building, but because authorities want to clear the central city area of people for security reasons, Msgr Drennan said.
Christchurch’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was severely damaged in the earthquake, which struck at 12.51pm local time on February 22.
Authorities have put the latest death toll at 113, with about 200 listed as missing. Among those confirmed dead are two babies.
Those missing include dozens of students and staff at an international English language school, which was in one of the buildings which collapsed.
Unconfirmed reports state several people from the Philippines are among the missing.
Hopes were raised that signs of life had been detected in the destroyed Holy Cross Catholic chapel in central Christchurch, but rescuers could not locate anyone on February 24.
NZ Catholic understands chapel administrator Fr Raymond Schmack assured Bishop Jones that he was the last person to leave the chapel.
At least 20 people are believed to have been killed when the spire of Christchurch’s Anglican Cathedral collapsed.
Bishop of Christchurch Barry Jones celebrated Mass at Our Lady of Victories Parish, Sockburn, in Christchurch on February 23, the day after the earthquake. It was offered for the people of the city and region, that they might know the love and peace of God in the midst of suffering.
The Mass began with the singing of Blessed John Henry Newman’s anthem Praise to the holiest in the height.
In his homily, Bishop Jones reflected on the nature of evil, but said that an earthquake is in no sense a consequence of or a punishment for human behaviour.
Bishop Jones read out a message from Pope Benedict XVI conveying the pontiffs condolences, spiritual closeness and blessings.
Society of Mary provincial for New Zealand, Fr Brian Cummings, SM, said the presbytery of St Mary’s parish, Christchurch North, had been destroyed, with one priest describing it as a complete wreck.
But no one had lived in the building since it suffered damage in the September 2011 earthquake, so a cautious approach had paid off, Fr Cummings said.
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand pledged NZ$25,000 towards relief and recovery.
The funds will support the St Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Social Services and other agencies to respond to immediate needs, as well as providing long term recovery and assistance to those affected.
Caritas director Michael Smith said the organisation does not normally respond directly to emergencies within New Zealand, but the scale of the disaster requires an exceptional response.
About half of Christchurch requires fresh water to be trucked in and about a quarter of buildings were still without power late on February 24. Telecommunications are still out in the most severely affected areas. Many areas are without functioning sewerage lines.
Travel is problematic, as many roads have been damaged by liquefaction of underlying earth.
Thousands of homes are uninhabitable, causing many people to leave Christchurch for temporary accommodation in other centres. The New Zealand Government has declared a state of national emergency, for the first time in the nations history.
The Christchurch earthquake is shaping as New Zealands worst disaster. In 1979, 237 passengers and 20 crew were killed when an Air New Zealand DC-10 crashed on Mt Erebus in Antarctica.
In 1931, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Hawkes Bay in the North Island killed 256 people.

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