The Auckland City Council will give Parnell’s Holy Trinity Cathedral $3 million.

This grant will offset the $12 million cost of overhauling the cathedral organ (including removal of the bridge); providing an avant garde chapel on the Newmarket end of the cathedral; linking historic St Mary’s and Holy Trinity; improving access to St Mary’s; and repairing the 104-year-old George Croft Organ in St Mary’s.

The City Council, which met this morning as the strategy and finance committee, voted 10 to 6 in favour of the grant after a two-hour debate.

Much of the discussion centred on ‘church and state’ arguments and the role of the cathedral as a gathering place for all Aucklanders.

The majority of councillors were persuaded that the cathedral plays a unique role in the life of both city and nation.

It has hosted state funerals (Sir Ed Hillary), civic funerals (eg, Paul Holmes), and the commemoration of national and international tragedies (eg the Christchurch earthquakes and the Samoan tsunami).

The cathedral also hosts music festivals and recitals by the Auckland Philharmonic and the NZ Symphony Orchestras.

The cathedral delegation, led by Dean Jo Kelly-Moore, produced figures showing the cathedral hosts more than 100,000 people each year, 84 percent of whom come for community events. Twenty-six percent are concertgoers, 19 percent tourists, and 15 percent school communities.

The cathedral community, which is the size of a standard parish, constitutes 16 percent of users but has already given more than $1 million towards the target.

Other donors have contributed more than $4 million, bringing the total (with the Council contribution) to just over $8 million.

“This is a very exciting day for us and we are very, very grateful for the support of the Auckland Council,” Dean Jo said today. 

“Each part of the Selwyn’s Vision project is about a working cathedral and ensuring that Holy Trinity can continue to serve Auckland and the nation. 

“The support of the council today will not only ensure that this project happens in the time-frames set; it is also affirmation of the important role that cathedrals have in the life of our cities and regions.”

Fundraising towards the $12 million target will continue through 2013, and work is expected to begin next year. 

To find out more about Selwyn’s Vision call the Cathedral on 09 303-9500.