Futuna Chapel Trust has bid farewell to long-serving Patron Chris Cochran (FNZIA MNZM) who stepped down from his role earlier this month after eight years of steadfast support and visionary guidance.
With an award-winning background in heritage conservation and architecture, Chris’s tenure as Patron has been pivotal in supporting the Chapel Trustees and to shaping the future of the Chapel.
Trust Chairperson, Ian Pike highlights the impact Chris made on the conservation of the Chapel after it was saved from demolition in 2000.
“Chris wrote the very first conservation plan for the Chapel in 2006 for the newly formed Trust under our first patron, Shonagh Kenderdine”, explains Ian.
“This document was critical in providing conservation guidance to ensure the heritage values of the Chapel would be preserved for the future.”
During his time as Patron, Chris was known for his genuine passion and unwavering dedication to the Chapel’s mission. In a message to the Trust, he expressed deep gratitude for the camaraderie and energy of the trustees, highlighting the collective achievement of transforming what was once a “dump site for building materials” into the architectural and cultural treasure celebrated today.
Reflecting on his tenure, Chris recalled memorable moments including inspiring lectures, innovative community events such as the Colours concerts and the Karori Modernism day, and the unforgettable Haumoana Hui which broke new ground for the Trust. He recognized the enduring generosity of the Scott family, particularly in preserving and transferring the precious John Scott archive to the Turnbull Library and recounted the extraordinary recovery of the Christ figure by two police detectives — a testament to the Chapel’s unique place in the community’s heart.
From his long-time home in the Wedge, a category 1 building in Thorndon, Chris’s work has taken him throughout the country, and has ranged from conservation planning for the early mission houses at Mangungu and Kerikeri, to Parliament Buildings and Old St Paul’s, to the limestone buildings of Oamaru, to marae buildings, woolsheds and remote back-country huts, also to the Antarctic for the Scott and Shackleton huts.
Chris was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to historic building conservation in 2007 and was a member of the Heritage New Zealand Board and the Maori Heritage Council from 2017 to 2023.
Taking over from Chris, long time Trustee and award-winning poet and art writer, curator and artist, Greg O’Brien (MNZM) knows the Chapel well.
“Being on the Trust has been for me, as a non-architect, a mind-expanding, consciousness-raising, humbling and uplifting experience. Over time, I have learnt how the built environment is a part of our inner as well as outer worlds. I have come to ‘know’ Futuna and see the world outside through its refracted light. The building is an education, and it is a joy,” says Greg.
Greg’s dedication to preserving the life of the Chapel has seen him heavily involved in Chapel works including co-authoring ‘Futuna: Life of a Building’ with Nick Bevin and Chris Cochran and working together with Nick Bevin to deliver the 2024 Futuna Exhibition ‘From the Archive’.
He notes some of the most memorable moments of his time as a trustee included attending the lecture programme each year, the diverse concerts held at the Chapel and the great conversations both inside and outside the building at the likes of Open Sundays.
“As a poet, I can think of no better place to entertain writerly thoughts than sitting, suitably attired, on a clear Sunday morning (any time of year) on the porch outside the Chapel; it is like being the captain of a sailing ship, with the mainsail flapping above one’s head.”
Greg notes, “there’s plenty of unfinished business as I sidle from one role to another under the overarching (and soon to be restored) roof of our beloved Futuna. Chris Cochran is a hard act to follow as patron. I’m aware of the whakapapa as well as the Kaupapa of the role so becoming the patron is not only an honour but a challenge. Big shoes to fill. A line from a Little Feat song comes to mind: ‘feets don’t fail me now’.”
The Trust welcomes Greg in his new role and looks forward to working with him in continuing the work of preserving this taonga and sharing its mauri indefinitely.