 WHARANUI, Marlborough, South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand – 10 March 2025 If you've driven past Saint Oswald’s Church on State Highway 1, just north of Kekerengu, you’ll have noticed significant progress over the past six months. Thanks to major restoration efforts, the church is now looking better than it has in decades. Restoration Progress The earthquake repair work is complete, including realignment of the south wall, structural strengthening with steel rods to meet public safety standards, a new polymeric slate tile roof, and meticulous masonry repairs with restoration of the church stonework. Two badly damaged stained-glass windows have also been fully restored and reinstalled by Graham Stewart Stained Glass, Rangiora. One of the most special moments of this restoration has been the return of the church bell, repaired by Bruce Murray and Johnny Malthus. Bruce shared, “It’s fantastic to hear it ring again after so many years.” Next Step: Landscaping and Accessibility EnhancementsA new landscaping plan designed by Leicester Murray will get underway next month, honoring those buried in the church grounds while creating a tranquil space for visitors to enjoy the stunning coastal views. Key improvements include: · A new stone-walled entrance with parking on the north side, providing a safer way for visitors to access the church, away from SH1. · Fencing and drainage upgrades to protect the site. · Selective tree removal and native planting to enhance the landscape.  Final Step: Interior Restoration With the exterior repairs complete, the focus now shifts to drying out the interior before beginning plasterwork, painting, electrical upgrades, and floor restoration. The balcony will also be made more accessible. Looking ahead, the trustees envision incorporating historic displays at the entrance to share the rich history of Saint Oswald’s. Help Us Open the Church
The goal is to fully reopen the church by Christmas, but funding remains crucial to completing the final stage. 🔹 Sponsor-a-Tile Campaign – Donations of $500 per tile help fund the restoration, with all contributions eligible for a charitable donation receipt. 🔹 General Donations – Any amount is greatly appreciated via givealittle.co.nz/org/stoswalds.
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 WHARANUI, Marlborough, South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand - 11 September 2024 - There is plenty of activity happening under that white - wrapped church on State Highway 1, north of Kekerengu, on the Kaikoura coast. Saint Oswald’s Church was damaged in the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. A charitable trust was formed to fundraise and manage the $1M repair and upgrade project and the church’s future use. A chance to sponsor–a-tile is still open with those who contribute able to have their names in a registration book, which will become part of this special church history on display. The exterior phase of the project began in early July and is estimated to be completed before the end of October. This has involved realigning the south wall which sheared during the magnitude 7.8 earthquake, re roof, masonry repair and extensive structural strengthening using steel rods to bring the church up to publicly accessible building code. T&D Construction from Blenheim are carrying out the work on the historic repair along with specific craftspeople. Leicester Murray, St Oswald’s Memorial Trust spokesperson said “ that it’s been a hive of activity with work hidden under the giant white tent. The heavy roof tiles have been removed and the bell tower stone work repaired ahead of the new tiles being fitted. The new tiles are environmentally sensitive and whilst looking like natural stone slate are in fact made of a rubber and plastic-base manufactured with a state of the art formulation using recycled TPO and EPDM polymers”.  The sponsor-a-tile campaign is still open to donations at $500 per tile and with St Oswald Church now a registered Charitable Trust this gives the added bonus of being able to provide a donation receipt.
The final phase will be to landscape the grounds and complete the interior work once the moisture has been minimised from within the walls. Extensive repairs to the plaster work will be needed before a repaint. New flooring and electrics, furniture and stained glass window restoration and the creation of historic wall displays are all in the pipeline subject to further funds being sought. Locals can’t wait for the project to be completed so the community and passers by can once again enjoy this special little church. This drawing is dated September 1925, the Memorial Chapel Wharanui was designed by William Houlker of Nelson. Charles & Jessie Murray who had St Oswald’s built had a long standing relationship with Houlker who had previously designed the 1918 remodel of their Wharanui Homestead and the original house at Te Rapa, also in 1925.  Work will begin from July 2024 to repair the earthquake damaged Saint Oswald’s Memorial Church, on the coastal road between Kekerengu and Ward, in Marlborough.
A popular rest point and landmark between Christchurch and Picton, access has been closed for eight years since the Kaikōura quake damaged the stone walls, making it unsafe to enter. Work will strengthen walls, replace the roof and create a treed area to park and enjoy the grounds. A ‘Sponsor-A-Tile campaign’ has been launched to fund the remaining balance required. Spokesperson for the project, Leicester Murray, Saint Oswald’s Memorial Trust, said that the church is more than just a tribute to his great uncle Hector, who passed away when he was 19, in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1926. “During its lifetime, this roadside landmark has been a well-loved facility for the rural community to unite and celebrate special occasions.” “We’ve also had many comments from travellers to whom Saint Oswald’s has become a special place to stop, where this little stone church brings some peace, and a chance to step back in history.” “There are few road-side monuments with this character in New Zealand.” Nearly 100 years on, heartbreak has returned to the Kekerengu community. In 2022 Leicester, a descendent of the Church’s benefactor, together with Laura Murray, tragically lost their much-loved son, Wilson, aged 21. Once repaired and restored to its former glory, Saint Oswald Memorial Church will honour Hector and Wilson, by providing a final resting place for two adored sons. Hector’s remains have recently been returned to New Zealand in preparation for the repair project’s completion. Funds raised by the community group of volunteers has allowed the project to start but more money is required. “We have launched a Campaign to Sponsor-A-Tile, to be able to see the work through to completion,” Murray said. Each tile is valued at $500 with of course more than one tile being able to be secured by a sponsor. An estimated 900 tiles will be used in the proposed new roof, using recycled polymers so there are plenty to go around. “The new tiles are an environmentally sensitive solution but look and feel very much like natural stone slate,” Murray said. “The Trust is incredibly grateful for support already given but with a total estimated repair cost of up to one million dollars, we still need your help,” he said. A ‘Sponsor-A-Tile campaign’ has been launched as work begins on repairing the well-loved roadside landmark, Saint Oswald’s Memorial Church, Marlborough. A tile sponsorship form can be downloaded from the website or requested via [email protected] Donations of any amount can also be made via givealittle.co.nz/org/stoswalds. |
