This assessment was prepared on 08 Mar 2012 with reference to the criteria of the Historic Places Act 1993. Early History: The name ‘Makara’ is a Māori name originating from Mā, an abbreviated form of ‘manga’ meaning stream or tributary and ‘kara’ which is a form of stone-grey waeke (trap rock). The land around Makara was very important to early Māori, especially along the coastline; a number of different tribes were associated with the area at different times during pre-European settlement. Cape Terawhiti, on the coast, was an important site for Māori, not so much for the land, but for the location, as it guarded the whole of the northern entrance into Whanga-nui-a-Tara (Wellington Harbour), controlling those who wished to cross the strait. There were Māori settlements located all along the coastline, with the westernmost range of Terawhiti being used by Māori to observe the weather and sea conditions before any decision was made about crossing the strait. Furthermore, it has been said that the explorer Kupe dried his sails on Makara Beach during his voyages in the tenth century. To live along this coastline, in the bays around Terawhiti meant control over one of the most important waterways in New Zealand. European Settlement: The survey of the Wellington land district began in 1839 with the arrival of the New Zealand Company. The first surveyor general, Captain William Mein Smith, was ordered to find rural areas that could be divided into 100-acre sections for selection by holders of land orders. Smith laid out the Makara area in this fashion where there were initially 39 sections surveyed, of which four sections were designated as Native Reserves. One of the first sections selected under the New Zealand Land Order No. 349 was at the junction of the Makara and South Makara Roads recorded as Section 23. Part of Section 23 was later donated for the sole purpose of building an Anglican Church. One of Section 23’s joint owners, Samuel Revans was the publisher of Wellington’s first newspaper, and his section became known as ‘Printers section’. One surveyor noted the section as having a house and two fenced gardens, one of which he named ‘printers garden’. In 1847, some of Revans’ publishing colleagues took up neighbouring land on section 20; unsurprisingly with the influx of printers and publishers to the area, the land at the junction of South Makara and Makara Road became known as ‘Printers Flat’, a name that stuck for the next fifty years. At first, European settlement at Makara was slow. The New Zealand Company had an ongoing struggle with the access to Makara; however, with the completion of a road via Karori in February 1858, settlement began to take place. By the 1860s, Makara was becoming a small, thriving district. Some of the families that arrived in Makara came because of military grants that were made available. As with many new settlements in New Zealand, the first settlers had to clear the bush before land could be converted for farming. In Makara a number of the early settlers survived by selling timber for new houses being built in Wellington. There was a rush to the district when gold was discovered in 1862; however, it was not as prosperous as had been hoped and by 1883, machinery had been abandoned. Initially forestry and sawmilling was very productive, but as land was cleared farming became the main form of income. Church History: The Anglican Church was established in New Zealand in 1814, when Samuel Marsden visited the Bay of Islands and set up a missionary station at Rangihoua. The Anglican Church began to grow, especially with the arrival of more settlers to New Zealand; by 1858, over half of the population was Anglican. Makara was no exception, as a community with very strong Anglican roots. There was great excitement when Bishop George Augustus Selwyn visited the neighbouring settlement of Karori in 1859. Mr Christie, one of Makara’s older residents, was so eager to see and hear the Bishop that he endeavoured to walk over the Makara Hill, arriving just after the service had begun. Upon his arrival, in the heat of the day and after a strenuous walk Mr Christie fainted in the doorway of the church. Seeing this, the Bishop stopped the service until Mr Christie had fully recovered. Initially Makara and Karori were a part of the Parochial District of Porirua, and were attended by the same minister. During the early days of settlement in Makara, church services were held at the home of one of the first settlers, Richard Robinson. With the growing number of settlers in both Karori and Makara, there was an increasing need for a designated church. Karori was the first to construct a church, St Marys, which was consecrated on 26 August 1866; however, Makara was not far behind. In September 1866, the first surveyor general Captain S. W. Mein Smith and Mr Samuel Revans, now joint owners of ‘Section 23’, granted almost five acres of this section for the sole purpose of building an Anglican Church. In addition, a donation of £50 from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and £25 from the diocesan fund were also contributed to fund the building of a church. The first church, which was a simple wooden building was opened for divine service and dedicated to Saint Matthias by Bishop Abraham in February 1867. The Bishop described the new building as a ‘pretty little chapel’. The first interment in the cemetery was in 1870, three years after St Matthias’ Church was opened for divine service. The original St Matthias’ Church was the first public building in Makara. In 1892, the Church acquired the old schoolhouse, sited near the church. After the construction of a new school, the old schoolhouse was given to the church and became the church hall. The church hall was the hub of many social functions until its demolition in 1963. The Parish of Karori and Makara Diamond Jubilee Souvenir pamphlet describes the church life at Makara in the 1860s as being in a ‘flourishing condition’, acknowledging that this was probably a result of ‘the large families of these days and the early settlers, although hard workers found time to attend services’. By the 1900s, the ‘flourishing condition’ of the Anglican faith had in no way diminished. After a visit to England in 1906, the Church Vicar Arthur Hansell returned to Makara and immediately began fundraising for a new and more permanent church building. Planning for the new church started immediately, and in 1919, the community agreed on a tender, which was then accepted by the vestry of St Marys in Karori. The last service was held in the old church in December 1920 and its demolition ensued. The appointed architect for the Anglican Diocese of Wellington, Frederick de Jersey Clere, designed the new church, and McVicar and Smith of Karori were contracted to build the church, employing a local man, Bert Hawkins as a labourer. Clere had become the diocesan architect in February 1883, and designed over 100 churches in Wellington and the lower part of the North Island. He did not only design Anglican churches; a number of other denominations also commissioned him. During his architecture training in England, Clere was exposed to the ideas of the Camden Society at Cambridge University. It was an aim of the society to ensure that Anglican worship took place in the correct setting, and they felt that certain criteria must be met: these criteria included a church having a nave, chancel, porch, vestry, pointed windows, a belfry and a steep roof. All of these elements were utilised by Clere in his designs, including those for St Matthias’ Church. The Bishop of Wellington (Bishop Sprott) laid the foundation stone on 12 February 1921, and six months later on 27 August, he consecrated the new St Matthias’ Church in front of a huge congregation. The Bishop congratulated the community for building a church in such permanent materials (reinforced concrete), and for their ability to fund the church, claiming that it was ‘unusual, but very pleasing, to be able to open a church free of debt and thus have the consecration as its first service’. St Matthias’ Church is the second church built on this site but is in no way representative of the first church that was erected. Until 1905 Clere’s churches were all timber, however there was a greater desire for churches to be built in materials that are more permanent. Clere built his first reinforced concrete church in 1910, a material that he would continue to use frequently. He liked concrete as a material and wrote articles about the possibility of concrete as a safe structure for earthquake prone areas. Clere’s work is recognised as being ‘an economical and unostentatious adaptation of the contemporary Gothic revival style’, and St Matthias’ is no exception. St Matthias’ Church is a combination of different styles which come together to create a design which fits well within the surrounding landscape. While other similarly small rural church congregations have struggled, St Matthias’ Church has maintained its place in the community. St Matthias’ still holds services, with communion held on the first Sunday in February, April, June, August, October and December, as well as weddings, funerals and christenings. The cemetery is also still in use today.

This assessment was prepared on 08 Mar 2012 with reference to the criteria of the Historic Places Act 1993. Construction Professionals Architect: Frederick De Jersey Clere Contractors: Messers McVicar and Smith of Karori Labourers: Bert Hawkins Setting: St Matthias’ Church is situated within a 4.5 acre block of land owned by the Anglican Church. The church is located on a small rise within a reasonably sized churchyard, surrounded by toi-toi, trees and bush. Surrounding the church are the gravesites and headstones of a number of local Makara families, with burials dating from the early 1870s. At the southern corner of the churchyard is the lychgate. The original lychgate was constructed at the same time as the second church in 1921. In 1964 it was demolished and removed as it had become unstable and was therefore considered unsafe. A replacement lychgate was constructed and blessed in 1992 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the first St Matthias’ Church. The new lychgate followed the same design as the first. It has a very steeply pitched roof, and is roofed with the same tiles as the church roof. It is an ‘open’ wooden and concrete structure with a simple wooden gate painted white, and the larger neighbouring gate is of the same design. Exterior: The church is located on a slight rise facing from a southeast to northwest direction. It is a single story structure with a large two-storey tower. It is built of reinforced concrete with a rough finish and painted in a cream colour. The Gothic windows have a crisscrossed leadlight effect and are bordered with dark rust colour paint. The single gabled roof is at a 45-degree pitch and clad with terracotta coloured tiles and has a cross on the end of the roof ridge. At the top of the two-storey Norman style belfry are shorter Gothic windows with shutters rather than lead lighting common to the other windows. This allows air movement through the top level of the tower. At the top of the tower are slightly decorative pointed buttresses. St Matthias’ Church is described as an example of Early Saxon architecture, with a Norman style tower. It does contain fundamental elements of these styles; the tower is undoubtedly Norman, and the simplicity and small scale of the building reflects the Early Saxon style. The roof is not thatched however, and t is a concrete structure rather a stone structure, as is typical for Norman architecture. Additionally, Saxon and Norman styles are not the only styles used in the design. The buttresses, arched windows and pitched roof are common to the later Gothic style, common in many New Zealand church designs. The simplicity and scale of Early Saxon architecture enables the church to fit into the surrounding landscape, while the Norman tower gives the impression of stability and strength. Obviously, a thatched roof as is common to Saxon architecture would be inappropriate in New Zealand, but the tiled roof still maintains a simple style. In addition, the use of concrete as the main structural material is well-suited to New Zealand conditions. The Gothic features present are common in churches around New Zealand, and fit well with the other styles. Interior: The simplistic style of the church continues through to the interior. Facing the entrance is a stained glass window, which draws instant attention, while to the right of the entrance is the vestry. Turning to the left is the nave, and six rows of wooden pews. The walls are plain, smooth, and painted white, with the only decoration being two memorial brass crosses with plaques on either side wall. The aisle is carpeted red, which runs up to the kneeling board and into the chancel. Wooden panelling surrounds the chancel. Three windows are behind the altar with a wooden banner above which reads ‘Come unto Me’. The ceiling of the church is panelled with a very dark timber with a large rafter in the centre. The timber is most likely jarrah, which was a popular hardwood at the time and is identified on Clere’s plans. The vestry is a small room that also provides access to the belfry. A ladder provides access from here to the first storey of the tower. This first level is an empty space with a concrete floor; it is lit by three Gothic lead light windows. In the centre of the room is a wire connected to a rope that runs from the vestry, up through the floor and up into the second storey connecting to the bell. Another ladder climbs from this level to the top storey. This storey also has a concrete floor but has a much lower ceiling. The room has twelve short Gothic windows with shutters rather than glass; this allows airflow through this top storey. In the centre of the room is the church’s large copper bell. Although the date of the bell is unknown it is believed to have been from the original church. A majority of the interior fittings and chattels were provided by the community for the church, with some being offered as memorials. Mr Henry Cook donated the organ that was played at the consecration of St Matthias’, while the font, which is still in use today, was purchased for the first church by Reverend A. L. Hansell, who was responsible for the parish between 1900 and 1914. Hansell suggested that the young men of the parish should raise the funds for the new font. Once the necessary funds were raised, a polished wooden stand was purchased and an 18-inch (45.7 centimetres) shell was acquired from the Pacific Islands by a sea captain and friend of the Reverend. The memorial objects include the stained glass window that was given by the settlers of Makara in memory of John Howard Jervis who was killed at Gallipoli. Likewise, the Trotter family gave a richly ornamented Altar Cross in memory of Arthur, who was killed at Le Quesnoy in 1918. Mr and Mrs Wallace gifted a Chalice and Patten in commemoration of their parents. Two brass Memorial Crosses were donated: one on the north side was erected by the Shotter family in memory of George Henry Shotter, and the other on the south side was erected for Tony Albert Barratt who died aged 21; this was donated by his workmates. A number of these chattels are now in the care of parishioners as a safety precaution after some items were stolen from the church. Although some of the mentioned chattels are no longer housed permanently within the church, they are still returned and used for church services. Stained glass window: Perhaps one of the most prominent features of the church is the stained glass window memorial which was dedicated on 23 June 1917 by the Bishop of Wellington. This memorial was a gift from friends, family and the Makara community in memory of John Howard Jervis, a local Makara man who was killed at Chunuk Bair on 9 August 1915. It was made in Dunedin by Smith and Smith depicting St. George. At the dedication ceremony, mention was also made of an earlier feat of Jervis’, 'that it was the late Trooper Jervis, then only a lad, who in the early morning of 13th February, 1909 rode through a fierce storm of wind and rain over the mountain bridle track from Terawhiti Station with news of the wreck of the steamer Penguin.’ The window was removed during the demolition of the first church and is now the first feature visible when entering the church. It is somewhat fitting that the Makara War Memorial is situated near the corner of the St Matthias’ Churchyard and is visible from the church, as Jervis is commemorated in both these memorials.