The settlement of the Nelson region is said to have begun with the landing of the prominent early iwi, Waitaha, in the waka Uruao. This travelled from Hawaiki and the voyagers made landfall on the Boulder Bank circa 850, near what would become Nelson city. From there scouting parties set out to explore the interior while others continued their sea journey down the east coast of the South Island. The settlement of the Nelson region then ensued and was driven by the fact that the area was found to be rich in resources, such as minerals for fashioning tradable items like adzes. Food, in the form of seal, moa and shellfish, was plentiful too and further inland the district also had large tracts of land with fertile soil, or soil whose fertility could be manipulated, suitable for growing kumara and other garden produce. It was because of this abundance of resources that the district is said to have been 'one of the most fought over in New Zealand.'
European association with the area was first established in 1642 when Abel Tasman anchored in what was to be called Murderer's, then Massacre, and now Golden Bay. The result of this first visit was a lethal exchange between the Dutch sailors and Ngati Tumatakokiri. It was centuries after this initial encounter that European interest in the area began in earnest with explorative visits from Captain James Cook and Dumont D'Urville and a few others. Then in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century flax traders and sealers began to frequent the coast around Nelson. However, because there were few whaling stations in the immediate area there was no substantive European settlement until the New Zealand Company's establishment and settlement of Nelson from 1841.
The company explored the potential of several sites for its settlement but Nelson was chosen as the nucleus, despite the generally swampy nature of the low lying areas, because of its harbour and the plentiful supplies of game and fish. It was then a matter of Captain Arthur Wakefield meeting with the various iwi of the region to persuade them to agree to the proposed settlement. This was essentially a confirmation and extension of a land sale organised by the Tory expedition in 1839. The meeting took place at Kaiteriteri and Wakefield eventually negotiated a deal with those in attendance. However, subsequent events demonstrate that in regard to this and some later transactions there were discrepancies in what each party believed they had agreed to.
The dealings of the New Zealand Company over land led to several instances of conflict in the Nelson region during the 1840s, in particular. Perhaps the most well-known occurrence was the 'Wairau Affray' in 1843. After originally being called Pitfure, the town of Wakefield was renamed in honour of Captain Arthur Wakefield, who was killed during that conflict. However, like the other rural settlements which radiated out from Nelson, it was also not until the 1850s that Wakefield began to come into its own as a settlement, and even then there were two separate villages called Upper and Lower Wakefield.
The 1850s saw the Nelson community and other towns in the area begin to coalesce. Provincial government was established in 1853, and most of the farm land from Wakapuaka to Brightwater was occupied by this date. By the 1850s all of the major Christian denominations had resident clergy and associated buildings in and around Nelson. Between 1853 and 1858 the European population of the district had risen from 4,587 to over 7,000 and continued to grow and prosper into the 1860s and 1870s with the aid of the local gold rushes and the nationwide demand for the area's produce. This growth in population facilitated a second wave of church building which supplemented or replaced the churches that were already established.
Rural religion and St Joseph's Church:
By the time the history of Catholicism in New Zealand officially began in January 1838 with the arrival in Hokianga of the country's first bishop of any denomination, Jean-Baptiste Francoise Pompallier, there was a burgeoning population of faithful for this first mission to minister to. Catholicism came to New Zealand as part of the cultural baggage of the Europeans who visited and settled from the 1820s, and then more formally with the establishment of a mission. This early population primarily consisted of French whalers in coastal settlements, and also English and Irish immigrants many of whom came to New Zealand from Australia.
Whereas an Anglican mission was sent to New Zealand in 1814 and a Methodist equivalent in 1822, the French missionary party headed by the young Bishop Pompallier only set sail for the Pacific on Christmas Eve 1836. The voyage of the Bishop, four priests and three brothers took them to several islands, such as Tahiti, before they arrived at their Oceanic mission base in New Zealand. This group was expanded the following year with the arrival of three more priests and three brothers who continued to base themselves in the north of the North Island, although a station at the new French settlement at Akaroa meant there was some penetration into the South Island. The third of six eventual missionary groups from France arrived in July 1841 and included Father Antoine Marie Garin (1810-1889).
Garin and others were posted to Auckland's Catholic mission station after his arrival, and it was not until 1850 that Garin arrived to work in Nelson. By 1848 the small but active Catholic community in Nelson had erected its own chapel and school, but the region had no permanent priest. This changed with the arrival of Garin and his curate, Father Delphin Moreau, who quickly set about building churches for the wider Nelson and Waimea communities. Garin embraced his role whole-heartedly and soon became the pillar of the local Catholic community. Prior to 1860 his parish covered the top of the South Island from Marlborough to the West Coast and he was energetic in travelling around it. South of the Nelson parish there were few Catholics and therefore less of a demand for priests. Therefore, under Garin the Nelson parish became an important seat of Catholicism in New Zealand as it was the only strong foothold in the South Island.
Whereas there was an Anglican church in Wakefield from 1846, the first Catholic church built in the vicinity of Wakefield was at West Waimea in 1855. Local English immigrant Joseph Hoult supplied the timber for that church, as he was to do again when St Joseph's Church was built. Hoult had arrived in New Zealand in 1842 and had set up a farm in Wai-iti. The family continued to be avid supporters of the initial church but they became more closely associated with St. Joseph's Church's because it was in closer proximity to their home. In the absence of a place to worship in Richmond until 1939, the focus of the district's Catholic faithful was centred on these two early churches.
The construction of St Joseph's Church in 1870 coincided with a second wave of church building in the Nelson region which resulted from its satellite communities consolidating themselves and expanding further. Despite a two acre section of Dr William England's Pitfure Estate being acquired in 1858, Garin only called for tenders for St Joseph's Church's construction in July 1869. The church building project seems to have been mostly driven by Garin's curate, Rev. P. Chareyre. Chareyre's role in establishing the church was not forgotten and at the building's fiftieth anniversary celebrations in 1930, Archbishop Francis Redwood paid tribute to him. The foundation stone and time capsule was laid by Garin at a ceremony he officiated at on Sunday 10 October, 1869. The attendance at the events celebrating the building of the church is evidence of the importance of the church to local people. At the laying of St Joseph's foundation stone it was reported that 'Wakefield, usually so quiet, presented a lively scene on this occasion' with visitors from as far as Nelson coming to support the event.
St Joseph's Church was completed in mid 1870. The Gothic Revival influenced church was designed by Robert Stewart and built by W. Good, their final product being described as 'the most substantial and the best finished building of that kind in province.' Again Garin presided over the dedication ceremony and celebrations which spanned an entire weekend. Like the foundation stone ceremony the attendance was impressive, especially as Saturday was a business day and Sunday's weather was inclement. Garin and Chareyne dressed in full formal regalia for the ceremonies and the choir from St Mary's Church in Nelson also lent their voices to the series of masses which were performed as part of the dedication.
Country churches 'made a statement that religious belief was important to country folk. Moreover, Geoffrey Thornton notes that the country church often became the focus for community activity well before the advent of the community hall.' Despite steady population growth many of the rural settlers still lived in relative isolation. Therefore occasions such as church openings and services were important social gatherings, particularly for women and children who did not have the same opportunities as many of the men to mingle. Therefore, St Joseph's Church was a source of community pride because their combined donations meant it could be built. This generosity reflected favourably on the village and its Catholic community. It is unclear when the porch was added to the church, but it was a feature of the building by 1902 and again would have been the result of the congregation's needs and efforts, as would the addition of the vestry on the south side of the chancel.
The next major changes to the church came in the 1960s. During this period Father M. Bradford was the priest for Richmond Parish, which included Richmond, Stoke, Wakefield and Tapawera from 1960, and he drove a notable period of active church building and repair projects. His first task after finding a suitable presbytery was to overhaul the church hall in Richmond, and then he saw that the congregation in Stoke, which had been worshiping in a public hall, had their own hall which was finished in 1963. Building seems to have been a passion as Bradford usually laboured as part of the construction teams. It was then the turn of St Joseph's Church to receive his attention. The church during that time was described as possessing 'a fine spire and combined with its elevated position was a fine sight.' However, in the interest of safety the aging spire was removed under Bradford's direction. The 1880 bell from the campanile was sold, but in later years it was reacquired by the parish and hung on the exterior of the church. Bradford's work at Wakefield did not stop at this though as in 1967 he began a project of tidying the cemeteries at Wakefield and West Waimea. The changes he instigated included the laying of 'metal' chip paths at both of these places.
The work at the church by Bradford and his band of volunteers meant that St Joseph's Church was in a good condition to see in its centenary in 1970. While the religious ceremonies were held at the church, the social functions took place at the Brightwater Hall whose greater capacity was better suited to cater for the large number of people in attendance. A committee is reported to have worked for a long time to prepare for the event which was attended by Cardinal McKeefry, among many others. The church continues to be used, cared for, and appreciated by the local Catholic community, and in 2000 a lych gate was erected as an entrance to the cemetery as part of millennium celebrations.