One of the decisions he faced as Bishop of Christchurch was the future of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, after it was severely damaged in the 2010, February 2011 and June 2011 Canterbury earthquakes. His predecessor, Barry Jones had suggested that the nave of the cathedral could be saved. In August 2019, Martin made the decision to demolish the cathedral. By September 2020, the demolition work began.