AN HISTORIC COLONIAL CHURCH

Nestled on the edge of the Pukekohe East tuff ring and crater with a rural outlook, the Pukekohe East Presbyterian Church has considerable historic value as one of the oldest buildings in the Pukekohe District and one of the first Presbyterian Churches erected in South Auckland.

Constructed from locally sourced native timbers, the building is an important example of a colonial New Zealand wooden church and is in largely original condition. It is a significant historic landmark in the district and both the church and churchyard have considerable aesthetic value in the midst of the rural landscape.

SPECIAL COMMUNITY SIGNIFICANCE

The church has considerable social value and community association. The church and the remains of its original stockade are symbolic of the isolation of the early settler community and of the trauma faced by local settlers and Māori during the Land Wars of the 1860s. The church is also associated with prominent settler families, such as Roose and Runciman, and the churchyard contains the graves of many of the district’s first settlers. Regular services were held at the church until 1994 when they ceased because of the congregation getting too small. The cemetery in the grounds of the church is continued to be used for burials.

WAIKATO LAND WARS BATTLE SITE

The church has additional historic value as the site of a Land Wars battle between a Māori force, local militia and British troops in September 1863, as evidenced by bullet holes in the ceiling of the church. It is one of a small number of battle sites associated with the Land Wars that are located within the Auckland region. The church, its churchyard, and its wider context are of significance to tangata whenua, including Ngāti Pou, Ngāti Tamaoho and Ngāti Maniapoto, as a battle site and the burial place of six Māori who died in the battle. A commemorative stone within the cemetery serves as their memorial, although their exact resting place is unknown.