Christ Church Cathedral Nelson was first inaugurated in 1859, and underwent several enlargements, until the current Cathedral was begun on Pikimai in 1925, taking until 1965 to complete. The Very Reverend Doctor Graham O’Brien is Dean of Nelson Cathedral and loves his workspace, seeing it as a focal point for the city’s spiritual well-being, but also a cultural and historical touchstone, and a space to bring the community together.
How did you come to be Dean? I grew up mostly in Christchurch, and trained as a research scientist, but have been here in the Nelson Diocese since 1999. After stints in Auckland and Picton, we came back to Nelson in 2009. Five years ago I applied to be Dean of the Cathedral and was appointed to the role.
What is special to you about this space? It’s smack in the centre of the city, probably the iconic building of Nelson, part of Nelson identity, a central focal point. You’re working in a place of significant history, but also in a place of prayer. This is a place where people come to have a sense of God’s presence, so I’m lucky, I get to be in that space all the time. Then there’s the people. There’s always people coming in and out of the Cathedral, from locals, to tourists coming in to light candles, and I get to say ‘hi’.
What are some of your favourite events here? Concerts are always cool, because the building’s fantastic for classical music, whether it’s choirs, orchestras, or brass bands. The Christmas Tree Festival is always a big event for us, there’s a buzz, the place looks great, it’s full of colour and vitality. Te Ramaroa is also really great. Anything that invites the community in is special, we’re always open and accessible.
How many people typically come through the Cathedral?As an estimate, we think about 40,000 would come through the place in a year.
What’s a little known fact about the Cathedral? The number of organ pipes in the big organ box. People can see about 38 on the outside, but there’s just under two and half thousand pipes in that box. Another is that the original design in 1925 was for a building with another story on top, a ceiling twice as high, and extended out the front.
Is there anything else you’d like to see the Cathedral used for? We’re looking at extending the raised area before the pews, so we can clear everything off and have it as an area for orchestras and choirs. We’re looking at building a northern entrance so that as people come up the steps, they can enter straight in, instead of walking all the way round. It’s about increasing flexibility so it’s not just a church asset but a community asset as well. The Cathedral is a place of worship, but it’s also a big space and acoustically good, so what I’d hope is the community can feel it’s their Cathedral.
