Church asset management approach seen as good example

By CathNews New Zealand

October 17th, 2025

The congregation at the opening Mass for the new Holy Name Church in Matakana earlier this year (Catholic Diocese of Auckland)

The Catholic Church is being held up as an example of how to manage and recycle assets in New Zealand. Source: Newsroom.

The sale of the former Holy Name Catholic Church in Warkworth to help pay for the new church site at the Ascension Winery site is cited as an example of a longstanding programme of “asset recycling” by the Church.

This provides a model for public schools, hospitals and health clinics that are failing the most basic standards of asset management, the Newsroom article stated.

“Asset sales,” as they came to be known in New Zealand, have been controversial – but the newer model of asset recycling commits to reinvesting the capital directly in new infrastructure that better meets contemporary needs.

Speaking about the former Ascension Winery site purchase, Auckland Diocese general manager James van Schie acknowledged that people had long associations with the old church in Warkworth, and it is never easy to sell such infrastructure.

But there were deep conversations with the parish community and the move to the new site turned into something really positive.

For most parishioners, Mr van Schie said, it’s been an exciting opportunity to set the new church up for the future. “To say, hey, this is a big change, it’s a hard change, but we’re trying to create an intergenerational benefit here.”

The new site is too big for the church right now, but Matakana and the wider Warkworth area are both growing.

“To be able to facilitate that growth for future generations is a real gift. Asset recycling makes sense, but it’s not a quick fix. It requires a patient, long-term outlook that can withstand short-term political and economic fluctuations,” Mr Van Schie said.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Newsroom that she’s supportive of agencies such as health and education accelerating their recycling of tangible assets.

Mr van Schie urged agencies like Health NZ and the Ministry of Education to think ahead.

“It does require a lot of patience. Over the life of a project, you could be talking 30 or 40 years of work,” he said.

FULL STORY

Finance minister urges education and health to ‘recycle’ redundant properties (By Jonathan Milne/Newsroom – subscription required)