The Anglican cathedral in Christchurch might have to be demolished after the most recent earthquake damaged the building even further.

The 6.0 magnitude aftershock, which struck New Zealand’s third largest city on June 13, caused the west wall of the cathedral to collapse. It also destroyed the famous stained glass Rose Window.

The cathedral’s spire collapsed in the February 22 quake.

But the human cost in disruption, relocation and mental stress is more significant.

City areas abandoned

In order to start the redevelopment process, the New Zealand government has recently mapped the city into four zones: Red, Orange, Green and White. Land in the Red zone is unlikely to be built upon again, land in the Orange zone requires more assessment, areas in the Green zone can be redeveloped without further assessment and areas in the White zone haven’t yet been adequately assessed.

Rev Jay Behan is the vicar at St Stephen’s Anglican church, Shirley. The church, and much of the congregation, is located to the east of the city, an area which has sustained significant damage in the earthquakes and aftershocks.

“We have nearly 30 households who have been marked in [the] Red zone… [and] another eight at least in Orange,” he said. “Because a lot of the land out our way will not be able to be built upon again, the likelihood of everyone being able to find homes around here is unlikely, so the impact [on the church] will probably be significant.”

The continual aftershocks that have struck the city have left members of the church apprehensive about the future.

“Until recently I would have said that spirits have remained mostly positive but the continuing significant aftershocks, or "earthquakes" as we prefer to call them, and the news [about the new zones] on Thursday has brought about a palpable sense of pessimism,” Mr Behan said.

Temporary church buildings

Many of the church's buildings have already been condemned, however a decision on the future of the main structure itself is still pending.

“We are still waiting on an official decision on our buildings,” Mr Behan said. “In the meantime, we are meeting in a local school hall.”

While the people of Christchurch struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of the earthquakes, Mr Behan believes it is important to continue to find things to be thankful for.

“We are thankful that we are not alone in all of this,” he said. “We have a government who is willing and able to help support its people and more importantly we have a God who is ever present and sovereign. We also have the support of brothers and sisters in Christ, which is a wonderful blessing.”