ChristChurch Cathedral has suffered further damage from the 5.2 aftershock on Friday, according to a statement from the diocese.

“Since Friday there is more noticeable bowing in the walls, especially towards the southern end of the cathedral, and more stone has fallen,” the diocesan communications officer, Philip Baldwin, said today.

“This aftershock was in the range forecast by the scientific experts. Plans for deconstruction of the cathedral, in terms of safety, have to take into account this ongoing seismic activity.

“The deconstruction methodology... will be provided publicly as soon as it has been approved.

"This deconstruction allows for safe retrieval of heritage items inside the cathedral, which include Bishop Harper’s effigy, the organ and the remains of the pulpit, as well as memorial stones and panels.”

Mr Baldwin said that in coming months the diocese intends to set up a website for people to make suggestions for the future cathedral.

Cathedral fact-finding tour

Meanwhile, a five-strong group comprising Bishop Victoria Matthews, acting dean Lynda Patterson, diocesan project manager Marcus Read and architects from Warren and Mahoney will visit cathedrals and relevant buildings around the world over the next two weeks.

They will also talk to people involved with these buildings.

Their findings will inform plans for the future cathedral in the Square.

The consultants involved are not charging for their time on the trip. All members of the group are flying economy class.

Mr Baldwin said the group’s tour encompasses 12 cathedrals in the UK, Europe and the United States.

These include Coventry Cathedral (which has retained the ruins of the cathedral that was bombed during World War II), St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California. 

The tour has been scheduled to coincide with Bishop Victoria’s trip to Dublin for a meeting of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith, and Order.

Information from the tour will be available daily through a special website, http://blogs.anglicanlife.org.nz/cathedral/