Motueka’s iconic Chanel Arts Centre is on the market, leaving its long-time caretakers crossing their fingers it will continue as a home for music.
Over the last three decades, the marble church has hosted some of New Zealand’s most acclaimed chamber music performers, but Motueka Music Group publicist Cathie Johnson says its stunning acoustics could fall silent if a new owner does not share the same passion for the arts.
The Chanel Arts Centre sits on the corner of High and Fearon Streets at the northern end of town. It is owned by the Goodman family, and the music group have been its caretakers since 1992, managing the day-to-day cleaning and maintenance of the building and grounds, as well as coordinating bookings for themselves and other users.
The 890m2, residentially zoned property was listed for sale last week. It has a Heritage New Zealand category two classification and is priced by negotiation, with a rateable value of $510,000. Bayleys listing agent Graeme Vining says it has attracted an unprecedented level of interest and may end up going to tender or auction.
“It’s one of the nicest historic buildings in Nelson Tasman.”
He says the Goodman estate “want to do good” by the community and may look at any potential buyer’s purpose for the building before a sale is achieved.
Cathie says the group has been uncertain about the building’s future since Peter Goodman’s death in May 2024.
“He was such an altruist for the arts, and he really supported us the whole way through,” she explained.
Now the music group hopes a new generation of supporters will take on the space so it can continue to echo to the roof and rafters.
The centre is widely acclaimed for its acoustics, and the group has searched for alternative venues for its monthly chamber concerts and other events, without success.
Any new space would also need to house the group’s Rameau concert grand piano, purchased for $50,000 after a major community fundraising effort in 1994.
The Chanel seats about 100 people, and concerts typically attract at least 60 attendees, with some recent performances selling out.
Cathie and group president Víťa Otrubova both express gratitude to the Goodman family for their long-standing support.
“We have been incredibly spoiled by having such a place to have our concerts,” Cathie says. “Boy oh boy, this is hard to replace.”
She reckons the best outcome would be “that we won lotto and bought it ourselves”. The group has a mailing list of more than 460, and they are hopeful that there is an appetite to keep the centre in the hands of the Motueka community, or that someone will purchase it to retain as a performance space.
“There are a lot of venues for concerts, but the unique [thing] about this is the acoustics. They’re just outstanding.”
Víťa says the group’s future depends on finding a suitable venue.
“So that’s the bottom line.”
Cathie says it would be a blow to the town to lose the Chanel, which entices internationally renowned performers.
“Small rural towns are losing all kinds of services, and the arts and cultural life of a community speaks volumes to the strength of those community connections,” she says.
The Takaka marble building was constructed in 1914 and consecrated in 1917 as St Peter Chanel Church. By 1985 the church was deemed too small for Motueka’s growing Catholic community and a larger one was built on Old Wharf Road, with the original purchased by the Goodman family. It then became the Motu Centre and was used by what was then known as the Intellectually Handicapped Children’s Society (now IHC), before being offered to the Motueka Music Group in 1992.
Wellington-based piano virtuoso Richard Mapp has given many concerts at the Chanel Arts Centre over the years, including a fundraising concert for the piano in 1994. He says he is “so shocked and saddened” to hear about the possible loss of the performing space, which he says has beautiful ambience and acoustics.
“I do hope that this wonderful facility will not be lost to Motueka, and that somehow it will be retained as a performance space for the community.”
Motueka Music Group is welcoming any suggestions about how to preserve the space. Enquiries can be sent to motuekamusicgroup@gmail.com.
