| 111 Anglican Diocese of Waiapu Heritage preserved at Waiapu The long, narrow building was found to be earthquake-prone and only up to 20% of the code, so the decision was made to demolish and rebuild while preserving the art deco facade. T T Virginiab Wright COMMUNITY The Anglican Diocese of Waiapu is one of seven Anglican Pakeha dioceses spread out across New Zealand, which combine with five Maori dioceses (amorangi) and one Polynesian to form the three Tikanga Anglican Churches in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia. There is some overlap among the three Tikanga, who collaborate and co-operate freely with each other, and each diocese is led by a bishop. In Waiapu, this is the Right Reverend Andrew Hedge, with the diocese spreading from Omokaroa in the north right down the East Coast to Woodville, and west across the Bay of Plenty through Tauranga to take in Rotorua, Taupo, and Turangi. The diocese is named after the Waiapu River, and its head office is in Napier, known for its art deco heritage, which dates back to its extensive rebuild after the catastrophic damage caused by the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake. It is that heritage that is being protected in the building sited next to the Anglican Cathedral in Hastings Street in Napier’s CBD, which is set to become the new centre for the church’s administration and the senior managers of their social services. “Years ago, in the ’80s, the diocese purchased the site and the building, which back then housed an Irish pub. Around 2015, the pub closed down so the board reviewed its options whether to look for another tenant, sell the building, or was there an opportunity for us to redevelop the building into something else,” explains Colleen Kaye, the Diocesan Register, who has been with head office since she began as finance manager in 2011 and was soon promoted. The long, narrow building was found to be earthquake-prone and only up to 20% of the code, so the decision was made to demolish and rebuild while preserving the art deco façade as required by the building’s Category 2 heritage status. The new building is under construction with the expectation that towards the end of the year its offices and meeting rooms will be ready for the 33 staff to move in. “For us, being able to preserve that façade and the unique art deco features has been a great thing, and we’re also working to make it as green as possible, using wooden beams, having a bank of solar panels, and choosing sustainable materials for the build and hopefully for the interior finishes and furnishings as well,” says Colleen. They have worked closely with Tracey Thompson-Gray from Architecture HDT throughout the process. The art deco windows in the new head office’s carefully preserved street frontage have been echoed along the sides of the building, which features a dark cladding, apart from the art deco façade, which is picked out in pink and green and fits in with the rest of the street frontages that have been carefully curated by Art Deco Hawke’s Bay. We are delighted to be the architects for this very important project and we celebrate the Anglican Diocese of Waiapu for their continued contribution and support for our community. Heritage, History, Archaeology, & Research Specialists Elizabeth Pishief PhD - Principal Consultant Heritage & Museum Studies 021 140 8718 elizabeth.pishief@heritageservices.nz 1860s Well Kainga and Pā Buried Pou
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