Ōtākou Māori Memorial Methodist Church

Tamatea Rd, Otakou Marae, OTAKOU

Quick links:

DESCRIPTION: The Ōtākou Māori Memorial Methodist Church was erected during New Zealand's Centennial Year to commemorate the establishment of the first Christian mission in the South Island by Rev James Watkin on 16 May 1840 and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi at Ōtākou on 13 June of the same year. The church replaced a weatherboard building erected on the same site in 1865 by the chief Taiaroa who had previously given ten acres of his land on which to build a church following his baptism and acceptance of the Christian faith in 1857. The memorial church was first proposed in 1931 and the Rev T A Pybus subsequently played a major part in bringing this centennial project to fruition. In 1938 the Methodist Conference resolved to erect a brick church at Ōtākou and the foundation stones were laid two years later on 24 February 1940. The cost of the building was met by a government grant, the Methodist Church and local fundraising efforts and the church was officially opened on 22 March 1941. The nearby cemetery is the burial place of all but one of the Chiefs who signed the Treaty of Waitangi and the Otago Deed of Sale.

Otakou Maori Memorial Methodist Church | Ulrich Lange - Wikimedia Commons | 06/09/2008 | Ulrich Lange - Wikimedia Commons
Otakou Maori Memeorial Methodist Church. Image courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org | Avenue - Wikimedia Commons | 01/05/2007 | Avenue - Wikimedia Commons
Otakou Maori Memeorial Methodist Church. Image courtesy of www.flickr.com | Derek Smith - travelling-light | 24/08/2004 | Derek Smith

Location

Loading

List Entry Information

Overview

Detailed List Entry

Status

Listed

List Entry Status

Historic Place Category 1

Access

Private/No Public Access

List Number

5177

Date Entered

2nd February 1991

Date of Effect

2nd February 1991

City/District Council

Dunedin City

Region

Otago Region

Stay up to date with Heritage this month