Buy St David's - The Soldiers Memorial Church, New Zealand

Buy St David's

St David’s has been put up for commercial tender. Join us to make an offer at tender to buy this living memorial to save it – and to create a much-needed Centre for Music.

New Zealand’s living WW1 memorial is at grave risk. But we have a plan to save it, and to see it continue as a living memorial, as St David’s Centre for Music. Please join us!

Heritage

St David’s – the Soldiers’ Church commissioned on Anzac Day 1927 to commemorate our national loss - has been put up for commercial tender. We are calling on New Zealanders to help us buy the church to protect it in perpetuity as a living memorial for all New Zealanders.

We, the Friends of St David's Charitable Trust, have developed a vision to enable St David’s to become an enduring place of remembrance and a vital and vibrant centre for music, welcoming all New Zealanders.

The St David’s Centre for Music

We plan to enter the tendering process that has been launched by the property owner, The Presbyterian Church Property Trust. The tender closes June 17, 2021.

With your support we can save The Soldiers' Memorial Church, enabling it to serve the soldiers, the musicians, and the wider community, and remain a living memorial to the lives lost in World War One and subsequent wars.

Please donate!

The Plan

No building has a secure future unless it is in daily use by the community. Our work over three years of extensive planning and testing have proven its potential as a sustainable and much-needed centre for music. As the St David's Centre - Te Whare Tapere o Hato Rāwiri – the church building can serve the needs of the acoustic music sector – as a performance space for choirs, chamber music, soloists and orchestras, as well as providing practice and rehearsal space and mixed-use community facilities. Our not-for-profit model will keep it accessible and viable as a truly accessible public space.

Located at 70 Khyber Pass Road in Central Auckland, St David’s Memorial Church is located on train, bus, cycle and motorway networks and is readily accessible from across the region.

As the St David’s Centre for Music, the unique church building with its glorious Great Hall, exquisite stained glass windows, superb acoustics and suite of smaller rooms can continue to provide sanctuary, solace, joy and inspiration.

See www.saintdavidsfriends.org.nz to learn more about the history of this building.

Watch this video to hear the acoustics inside the Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RU9sYdV0tg from an online concert recorded in the Church just before it went on the market.

The Friends of St David's Trust's track record since 2014 is evident in the highly successful “Art of Remembrance” fundraising campaigns that have enabled us to keep the building safe by installing fire protection systems and security cameras, alarms, exterior lighting and 24/7 onsite security during lockdown. We honour and thank artists Max Gimblett ONZM, and Warwick Freeman, and the thousands of individuals who have supported our initiatives. See more at www.rememberthem.nz

Some carefully protected funds still remain from past fundraising, purposed to cover essential deferred maintenance of the building after purchase.

Please join us by spreading the word and donating as you are able:

Lest we forget.