About the project
Latimer Church exists to grow to the glory of God—seeing more people come to know Jesus, deepening love for Christ and his people, and advancing the gospel in Christchurch, New Zealand and beyond. After years of making do in temporary or undersized spaces (made sharper by the loss of our Latimer Square buildings in the 2011 earthquakes and the property we relinquished in 2018 when we joined CCAANZ), we began a building project to secure a long-term home. In 2021 the church purchased the former Rosebank Estate: a large, accessible site that can serve ministry now and for generations to come. The new facility will be a welcoming base for Sundays and mid-week ministry, a hub for training gospel workers, and a resource to bless the wider evangelical church.
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Our vision is to grow to the glory of God by:
seeing more people come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour,
growing in love for Jesus and his church,
advancing the Kingdom in NZ and the world.
A new building helps us pursue that vision. It will:
provide a warm, recognisably “church” space that welcomes newcomers,
serve as a flexible base for all Latimer ministries, not just us, not just now
support training for gospel workers in Christchurch and across NZ
bless the wider evangelical church, including CCAANZ
Ultimately, we long for God to receive the glory he is due in the world he has created and redeemed through his Son.
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2011: Earthquakes destroy our Latimer Square buildings; we meet in hired venues.
2015: The Trust purchases 12 Berwick St for offices and mid-week ministry (too small for all Sunday congregations).
2018: A 4pm congregation launches at Berwick. Latimer leaves ACANZ and becomes a founding member of CCAANZ, relinquishing associated real estate. Vestry forms a project board and begins work on a “home base” brief.
2021: The former Rosebank Estate is identified as the best fit (size, access, potential). The congregation endorses the purchase and settlement follows. WSP (Harvey Duncan) leads design from concept to detailed phases.
Today: As a church family we’re working to realise a secure, long-term home that supports ministry now and for generations to come.
The Property
In November 2021 Latimer Church purchased 180 Johns Road, the Rosebank Estate and Winery in Northwood Christchurch.
This property was chosen out of 28 options the Project Team considered, because it was such a great size, and a very reasonable price. The only downside was that it wasn’t in the ‘inner city location’ originally hoped for. After much prayer, feedback from the Church, and calculating the impact this would have on travel time (an average increase of 6 minutes), the Latimer Church Trust purchased the property for $1.7M.
After also purchasing a neighbouring section for $545,000 (funded by the sale of Cavan Place), the entire site is a total size of 16,379 m2. It has some that can be repurposed, and plenty of space to grow.
The property also has a fantastic garden with over 200 rosebushes and plenty of lawn for picnics and Easter egg hunts.
The design
To make sure the building would be fit for purpose, we started the design process with the congregations and ministry leaders’ input. Together, we created a ‘user brief’ which described how we would like to use our new home.
The design brief we gave to our architect Harvey Duncan, was for a welcoming space for our existing congregations, that could serve us and the wider Christian community for the next 100 years.
A final design has been endorsed by the congregation and is now under construction. It includes:
500 seat auditorium
church office spaces
large foyer connecting all of the spaces
retaining the existing hall
new kitchen and WC’s
“meeting bubble” with several spaces prioritized for children’s ministry
youth lounge
plenty of outdoor space and gardens
63 onsite parking lots
keeping the existing shed
Floor plans
Note: the spaces may be furnished and used differently than how they are pictured in these renders.
Renders
Our project team
Our project team was formed in 2019 to help find a new home base for our Latimer Church Congregations and ministries. The brief was for a space that would allow us to ‘Grow for the glory of God’, and bless our Church, and the wider Christian community for the next 100 years.
Geoff Banks
Project Director
Geoff has over 30 years of consulting engineering experience and has a wide range of skills from project management to design, and property investment and maintenance. The Director role sees Geoff developing a strategy for delivery of the project with the support of a wider team, and under the governance and guidance of the Board.
Barnaby Coxon
Project Coordinator/Programme Director
Barnaby has a background in church facility management and been involved in the project since 2021. As Project Coordinator Barnaby assists with any needs that arise during the project. Recently Barnaby has stepped into a new role as Programme Director, leading the Property Committee who are focussed on delivering the fit-out and land development of the site, and ensuring the transition is seamless to the new facility.
With the construction contract signed, and project management in place alongside the work of Geoff Banks as Director, attention has turned to the transition and operational needs of the building.
The Property Committee sit under Vestry and are tasked with delivering a plan for the fitout of the building, development of the land, a plan to transition the church, and preparation for the maintenance and upkeep of the new facility.
Property Committee
Programme Director
Barnaby Coxon
Property Committee members
Juliet Wensley (peoples warden)
Andre Heyns (Latimer Church Trustee)
Peter Shenoda
Duncan Bryant
Camille Hunt