Improving Disability Access

What it involves

St Andrew’s on The Terrace is raising funds to improve access into the church for disabled people. This will involve two major changes: building a new ramp with the proper gradient for wheelchairs and other mobility aids on the north side of the church entrance; and removing the step up into the church. The latter will be achieved by raising the level of the portico floor so that it is level with the church foyer.

These improvements will provide visible, safe and equal access through the main door of the church for everyone regardless of age or physical ability.  For St Andrew’s people equal access for all, regardless of whether they are attending a church service, a concert or another event, is a clear matter of justice and compassion, consistent with our long social justice tradition. The total cost of the project is projected to be $180,000.

Why are we doing this work?

We began to explore ways in which we could improve disability access back in 2017 when several members of our Parish pointed out that they were no longer able to enter the church through the front door of the church because they could not manage the step. It also became apparent that the existing ramp was too steep for wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

The current disability access is through the south side door of the church and as one user commented, ‘you have to go looking for it’. This is far from ideal, and it requires negotiating a busy driveway and carpark. People entering through the side door need assistance to open the double doors and are afforded little privacy or dignity as they make their way through the audience/congregation to their seat. Opening the doors is also draughty in winter.

Who will benefit?

St Andrew’s on The Terrace is a much-loved concert venue in Wellington, arguably with the best acoustics in the city. The number of concerts held in the church has increased markedly in the last few years. To give an idea of traffic into the church, between 1 July and 31 December 2024, there were 212 events, an average of 35 per month. This number does not include events held in the St Andrew’s Centre, behind the church. We estimate that somewhere between 2,600 and 3,500 people enter the church every month, including for Sunday services. We also know that at least 18% of the adult population of New Zealand has a physical disability (2023 Statistics NZ Disability Survey).

Progress to date

St Andrew’s on The Terrace is classified a Category 1 Heritage Building which means that making any alterations needed to be worked through very carefully. As the kaitiaki (guardian) of a heritage building we feel strongly that we must not only care for our church, but we must adapt it for use in the 21st century. During 2018 and 2019 we engaged extensively with the heritage community including Heritage New Zealand, the Wellington City Council and heritage architect Paul Cummack to come up with a design to improve access that would work for everyone.

We received Resource Consent for our improvements in November 2020, but unfortunately it was necessary to put the project on hold during the COVID years. We restarted in 2023, which necessitated changing architects as our architect, Janine Mitchell, who did such a brilliant job in the early phase, had retired. Wright and Gray (Simon McRae and Emily Martin) picked up the baton and in 2024 completed detailed design and ran a tender process to select a building contractor. On 31 January 2025 they submitted the Building Consent application on our behalf. Getting to this point has cost $45,000. We hope to start work on the changes around 1 July 2025, subject to available funding.

Fundraising

During 2024 a small team from the Finance and Facilities sub-committee of the Parish Council began writing grant applications. At March 2025 we have been successful in securing grants of $35,000 made up of $30,000 from the Stout Trust and $5,000 from the Justice-Compassion Trust. We are deeply grateful to both trusts.  We have also received approval from the Presbyterian Church Property Trustees to draw down $70,000 from our Property Fund.

We now need to find the balance of $75,000. In February 2025 we submitted an application to the Lottery Community Facilities Fund for a grant of $75,000. We hope the Fund will provide all or at least a large proportion of the amount requested.

We are holding three fundraising events this year. We are delighted and grateful that Professor Jack C Richards sponsored Joshua (pianist) and Oscar Han (violinist), two talented young musicians, to travel from Sydney, Australia to perform on 2 March.

The second concert will take place on 11 May when Quang Hong Luu will perform. Quang is currently studying piano with Associate Professor Jian Liu at the New Zealand School of Music.

A third event will take place on 26 July when an exceptional group of disabled dancers called We Dance, under the direction of Sumara Fraser, will perform for us. This will be a joint fundraising event.

How you can help

If you wish to make a donation to the project you can do so online or by internet banking.

Our bank details are as follows:

Bank account name: St Andrew’s on The Terrace
Account number: 02 0534 0004022 07
Reference: Ramping It Up

If you would like a receipt for tax refund purposes, please email the office on office@standrews.org.nz with your name and the amount donated, plus your contact details and whether you are happy for your donation to be publicly acknowledged.  We would be really grateful for your help.

St Andrew’s on The Terrace
28 March 2025