New Nelson-Tasman parish amalgamation Mass planned

The amalgamated St John Paul II Parish in Nelson-Tasman will formally come into being on April 1, coinciding with the start of the new financial year.

Last year, Wellington Archbishop Paul Martin SM directed the pastoral councils and finance committees of Holy Family Parish, Nelson, and Our Lady of the Bays Parish, Tasman District, to begin the amalgamation process for a new parish, and for the development of a single large church.

An amalgamation newsletter stated that the Mass at Garin College on April 19 will be “a historic and joyful occasion for our entire Nelson-Tasman Catholic community, as parishioners from across all seven churches in our region come together as one parish family for the first time under our new name”. Further details about the Mass will be announced in newsletters.

Work also continues on planning for the proposed new church in the region.

The first phase of this journey focused on identifying and securing a suitable site. This began with the formation of a New Church Exploratory Group in May 2024, and involved evaluating several potential options, including discussions and negotiations with Saxton Field and Garin College.

In September 2025, agreement was reached with the Garin College Board to secure the building site – a process that took approximately 16 months.

The next stage will see all possible avenues of funding explored and obtaining the formal approval from Archbishop Martin to continue with the project. Once approval has been granted, a comprehensive due diligence process will follow.

This will include consultation with parishioners, Garin College and the Archdiocese of Wellington, as well as investigation into the physical and legal characteristics of the site; confirmation of a design brief; concept design work and its development through to detailed design; council consenting; tendering; and finally, construction.

FULL STORY

Amalgamation Newsletter 4 (Nelson-Tasman Amalgamation Committee)

Archbishop Martin letter to parishes 2025 (Our Lady of the Bays parish)