Paul Baragwanath’s long family history and the rebirth of St David’s church.

Paul Baragwanath is the director of the newly named Kāhui St David’s, raising funds, managing the ongoing restoration and, more recently, drumming up event business for the church’s newly- opened spaces.

Paul’s grandfather and great-great-grandfather served as ministers at St David’s and his grandmother worked full-time as an unpaid secretary. His grandfather, the Rev Owen Baragwanath, was a popular minister and resided over the largest Presbyterian church from the 1950s through to the 1970s. It was said, during this time, that every street in Auckland had a household that belonged to St David's. People travelled far and wide to attend. It was progressive for the time, marrying Chinese and divorcees when other churches wouldn’t.

Paul’s grandfather advocated for the support of Polynesians and commissioned a Māori and Pacific window in 1964. So popular, the church’s services could cause traffic jams on Khyber Pass. Paul shares his day and how he gets through managing his two demanding jobs.

My alarm goes off ...

at 6am, mostly, unless I’ve been working till the small hours. It’s then a lemon, honey and ginger drink, followed by a little yoga, and the Sudarshan Kriya. That’s an Art of Living breathing process that takes my naturally-racing mind into meditation. No mean feat.

My work day begins ...

with text messages, phone calls and often jumping in the car to head to meetings across different parts of the city and beyond.

My current job ...

jobs. I have two main ones! I’m the director of Kāhui St David’s, a new music and community destination on Khyber Pass in Uptown. Through the support of many people, we rescued the historic St David’s Memorial Church from demolition and have transformed it into a centre for music performance and creation. We are the kaitiaki of this remarkable place – it is the present and future for all of Auckland. It’s here for you!

I also run ARTTFORM, an art advisory service specialising in building private art collections and large scale art-in- architecture projects. Public realm projects include the façades of the New Zealand International Convention Centre and artworks for lobbies and other spaces of the ANZ Centre, PwC Tower and HSBC Tower.

I’m proud of ...

the Colour Quartet project – the art of Sara Hughes – which is inspired by Kāhui St David’s soaring leadlight windows and the artist’s childhood in the New Zealand bush. These silkscreen-on-brass artworks illuminate homes across Aotearoa (and in London!) and are available to buy on our website. Playing my part in bringing beautiful, meaningful art into this world. I am proud of those collaborations.

Mostly I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had through art in all its forms to make a difference in peoples’ lives.

My worst work habit is ...

working through the night. It gets the job done, but I pay for it. Early to bed early to rise is infinitely better.

My typical day ...

is a weave of working on the needs of diverse clients and spaces at ARTTFORM and developing the potential for Kāhui St David’s to best serve its diverse community. I enjoy meeting new people daily and introducing them to Kāhui St David’s.

Everyone walks in with a “wow” and immediately starts to think of concerts and events they’d like to see or be involved in producing. Walking into the Great Hall with light flooding in the east windows – it never gets old. It’s incredibly beautiful and uplifting. (And it’s available now for concerts, conferences, events, gatherings, weddings and funerals. Visit the website to join Kāhui St David’s events invitation list. Come to Green Doors Open, a weekly opportunity to pop in for a sociable or peaceful hour. Bring a sandwich! The Great Hall may be quiet, or musicians may be rehearsing. It’s free, volunteer-run, Wednesdays 12-1.30pm.)

My big break ...

was perhaps the hardest thing of all. In 2014, St David’s was to be demolished and become a carpark. At the same time, the idea of creating a cloak of Max Gimblett brass quatrefoils on the church emerged and I had to borrow $150k in the space of a week for a fundraiser. The deal was I had to pay much of it back if the project failed. I ended up taking a year off work to run it. It nearly did me in – the Sudarshan Kriya got me through – but the artistry and meaning of it inspired people here and around the world. We got there and it became the most successful art-based fundraiser in New Zealand history, raising $1 million. Art can make a difference.

My most memorable moment ...

awww. That’s hard. But perhaps it was doing the Sudarshan Kriya for the first time, which launched my journey into meditation and has lifted me every day since. I now facilitate the programme so others can learn too. My teacher has devoted his life to making peace and to making meditation accessible to everyone. His wisdom has helped me to understand and reconnect with my own cultural heritage. His name is Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar and he’s coming to Auckland on 24 October to speak at the Aotea Centre. Recommend.

Outside of work ...

Orlando is my dog. He is a mastiff-boxer cross (I think). He’s super sensitive. If I think a challenging thought, he reads it and reminds me to drop it. I love walks in nature, the ocean and architecture. My mother, Barb, is a huge inspiration. She encouraged me to follow the things I love. She took me to my first concert at age nine in the Great Hall of the Town Hall. It made an impression.

I chose Uptown because ...

Uptown chose me. It’s on the hill and my family has been in the hood since the 1880s. Once again, it has become a thriving, diverse, optimistic place of renewal. Brent Kennedy, Uptown Business Association’s manager is a lantern-lighter, a visionary. He sets the tone and lifts us all.

I fall asleep ...

listening to a guided meditation. Yoga Nidra. So good.