Various iwi inhabited the Manawatu, primarily along the rivers, for approximately 300 years before European incursion into the area began. Of the several fortified pa of the Upper Manawatu area, which encompassed parts of the Ahuaturanga and Rangitikei-Manawatu Blocks, only Awahuri was situated inland of the rivers, amongst a heavily forested and swampy landscape. The riverside pa included places such as Raukawa and Ti Wi, near what would become Ashhurst and Palmerston North respectively. Despite the presence of these settlements the area was not heavily populated, but it was known as a wonderful hunting and gathering ground for eels, waterfowl, and other native birds and fruits. There were instances of dispute between the various Manawatu iwi and hapu, but perhaps the most significant sustained period of conflict occurred in the early nineteenth century as a result of the southward movement of some Waikato tribes and Te Rauparaha.
As a result of this movement, and the subsequent disposition of some existing iwi and hapu, when the Government was negotiating the purchase of the Ahuaturanga and Rangitikei-Manawatu Blocks, they did so with several iwi, including: Ngati Apa, Ngati Kauwhata, Ngati Raukawa, Ngati Tuwharetoa, and Rangitane. The purchase of the Ahuaturanga Block from Rangitane progressed from 1858 with intense periods of negotiation involving parties whose relationship was tumultuous. This meant that it took until 1864 to finalise the purchase of the block. Despite this, it was not until the early 1870s and the advent of Julius Vogel's (1835-1899) public works and immigration scheme that European settlement began to any extent.
It has been said that 'in the field of state-aided colonization no other had proved such an unqualified success as the settlement of the Manchester Block in the Manawatu District.' This settlement initiative had its origins in England during the 1860s when a group of influential men, imbued with a philanthropic spirit, formed the Emigrant and Colonists' Aid Corporation Limited. The corporation was founded in 1867 and its chairman, the Duke of Manchester, and other members were motivated by their shared concern for the plight and living conditions of Britain's working and lower classes. It was felt that by providing people with the opportunity to go to New Zealand and make their way in the world through farming and hard work that they would ultimately have a better life. This was not a completely selfless venture by Henry George Ashhurst (d.1882), the Hon. William Henry Adelbert Feilding (1836-1895), and the other directors of the corporation, as they also endeavoured to make a profit if at all possible.
In late 1871 Feilding travelled to Australia and New Zealand to search for possible land that the Emigrant and Colonists' Aid Corporation Limited could purchase. He found that the atmosphere in New Zealand at the time was more receptive to the aims of the company, especially because their plans coincided with a push by the government, led by Vogel, to undertake large scale public works programmes. Feilding was sufficiently impressed with what he saw on his quick tour through the Manawatu that he entered into negotiations to purchase the approximately 100,000 acres which was named the Manchester Block. In the presence of Vogel, the deed was signed between the corporation and Queen Victoria, represented by Feilding and Sir George Ferguson Bowen respectively. One clause of the agreement was that the corporation would settle at least 2,000 immigrants in the area by 1877 and that the government, once they had provided free passage from Britain for the immigrants, would then endeavour to employ them on public works projects in the proximity, such as the railway which cut through the block.
With the land deal made and the recruitment of prospective immigrants beginning in Britain, it was time for the corporation to put its settlement plans in to action. This involved employing several surveyors to layout the towns and roads within the block. When the Manchester Block was surveyed, three places were identified as natural places to establish towns based on prospective routes of the railways to Wanganui and Napier. The order that these towns were founded traced the construction progress of the respective routes, and therefore Ashhurst's settlement in 1877 followed that of Feilding in 1874, and Halcombe on the Wanganui railway route.
Ashhurst was established on the eastern boundary of the Manchester Block at the base of the Ruahine Ranges. After first being referred to as Raukawa, Ashhust was then originally misspelt as Ashurst. This inaccuracy was later corrected at the request of Henry Ashhurst's sister when she donated money towards the construction of St Mary Magdalene Church. Ashhurst's early settlers benefited from Feilding having been established first because a good proportion of the land had already been cleared and they also had a supply route over a newly metalled road. Because of these advantages the new settlers were able to focus on clearing the surrounding farmland and pushing further into the fertile Pohangina Valley. As planned the railway was also a main focus of many of the settlers, and the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company soon established its local base of operations in Ashhurst. The close proximity of the Manawatu Gorge attracted visitors to Ashhurst and supplemented the economic contributions of the major local industries; dairying and sawmilling. As such, in the early twentieth century Ashhurst was described as 'a rising township.'
While the Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan parochial districts were established soon after European settlement in the Manawatu began earnestly in the 1870s, it was generally not until the 1880s or later that purpose-built churches began to be constructed. Therefore, two of the earliest examples of Anglican churches in the Manawatu district were St James Church in Halcombe (1881) and St John's Church in Feilding completed in 1882, both of which were designed by Frederick de Jersey Clere (1856-1952). A simple and small Anglican church in Ashhurst was also constructed around this time. Prior to the 1880s Anglican services in Ashhurst were generally held in school buildings or in private residences.
By early 1897 the Vestry in Ashhurst decided that they wished to construct a larger, Clere designed, church on a site immediately next to their existing one. As indicated earlier, Clere had experience designing some of the earliest churches in the Manawatu, but had also been active within the Anglican community as a lay reader during his residence in Feilding, and he became the Diocesan architect in 1883. The Vestry hoped that the new church would be able to seat 150 people and they anticipated being able to raise £300. Upon an enquiry by Clere as to whether they could stretch the budget further, the Secretary of the Vestry, F.W. Whibley, replied that this was not possible and Clere was asked to design the building along the lines of the one he had recently completed in Campbelltown making 'the sitting for as many as you can for that money.'
The church in Campbelltown, which soon became known as Rongotea, that the committee was referring to was St Simon and St Jude Church constructed in 1895-96. This building became the model for St Mary Magdalene Church in Ashhurst, as well as also being replicated with some individualising details at St Alban's Church at Pauatahanui, and St Mary's Church in Levin within two years of Rongotea church's completion. Indeed, St Mary Magdalene Church is virtually identical to its Rongotea counterpart with the exception of some distinguishing aspects, such as the form and arrangement of the windows, its distinctive steeple, and the positioning of the porch and vestry on the opposite sides to those at St Simon and St Jude Church.
Construction work began on St Mary Magdalene Church in late 1897. By this time the church building fund had been boosted by the generous donation of £100 by Miss Ashhurst, which supplemented a further £150 raised in England. The piles for the vestry were being laid by September 1897 and Clere was asked to alter the plans because the proposed position of the vestry, with its close proximity to the old church, meant that it would be difficult to access and the door on its west side would be obscured by the nave buttresses. Therefore, they proposed that the door to the vestry be changed to opposite wall, or that the whole vestry be repositioned slightly closer to the intersection with the apse. Rather than having to make major alterations to the plan the simple option of changing the door to the east side was decided upon. This also highlights that the Vestry was not planning to demolish or move their original church in the near future. However, the early church was eventually relocated to Bunnythorpe and then to a marae near Rata.
Despite, a considerable sum having already been raised to pay for the new Ashhurst church and the plans being completed by the end of 1897, St Mary Magdalene Church was not consecrated until the end of March 1900. As well as contributing to the building fund, Lucy Ashhurst also donated the font for the nearly completed church in 1899 in memory of her brother. Clere, who designed many of the interior features of St Mary Magdalene Church such as, the pews and altar furniture, was also asked by Alfred Neild, who was Ashhurst's vicar at the time, to design a pedestal and lid for the font.
Subsequently, other features in the church were donated as a means of commemorating people. This included one of the sanctuary chairs which was presented by the family of the builder of the church, J. Maunder, upon the centenary of his arrival in New Zealand in 1879. Beautification of the building has continued over the years with women and children of the community completing a series of quilted hangings over the last 25 years, with the most recent dating from the early 2000s, and the vestry was also refurbished in 1995 in memory of a congregant.
After the consecration celebrations the church not only hosted regular services and other Anglican rites of passage such as christenings, weddings, and funerals, but also hosted important figures, such as Anglican bishops. As the local community grew facilities at St Mary Magdalene Church were added to and this lead to the construction of a church hall close to the main building in the mid twentieth century, and then the relocation of another building for use as the church's Sunday School. The continued use of the church by the local community meant that additions to the building were also undertaken in the 1990s. The original porch of St Mary Magdalene Church was still in use as the main entrance to the building up until this time. However, this was a problematic access point because when open it became a wind trap and the steps were also not ideal for many older congregants. Therefore the building was extended to the north and west with the addition of a larger porch accessible by ramps. These changes were completed by 1997 and provided a sheltered space for people to gather before and after church services and events.
