Early history
Te Kāinga Aroha lies within the Tāmaki isthmus, on the slopes above Waiatarua (‘the reflecting waters’) which later became known as Freemans Bay. The area is important to a number of iwi. The bay was a plentiful food gathering area with fishing stations and gardens alongside a number of pā including an important headland fortification at Te Tō (‘the dragging of waka’) overlooking the western end of the bay.
After the signing of Te Tiriti ō Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, Freemans Bay was part of the first land block transferred by Ngāti Whātua leader Āpihai Te Kawau (c.1780-1869) to the Crown for the creation of a new colonial capital. The area formed one of the earliest parts of Auckland settled by early European migrants, as well as a place where many Māori arrived by waka from outlying areas to barter goods. Freemans Bay became industrialised over the subsequent decades with sawmills, brickmakers, and boatbuilders, as well as a brass and iron foundry, glassworks, asphalt works and coal and lime dealers operating around the bay by 1883. On the slopes overlooking the bay working-class cottages and other houses were built, with wealthier residences especially erected higher up the ridge, including along Hepburn Street. From the 1870s to the early twentieth century reclamation of Freemans Bay gradually extended along the shoreline, disconnecting the area from the sea. During the 1870s the affluent intentions for parts of the neighbourhood led to the creation of Western Park via a design competition. The park, which ran down the slope from Ponsonby Road to Howe Street, parallel to Hepburn Street, was a prominent green space which came to be overlooked by many wealthy residences.
In 1852 Frederick Merriman purchased two large lots known as Allotments 10 and 11, Section 51, Town of Auckland, at the corner of Hepburn Road and Smith Street. By 1866 a single-story residence had been built in the centre of the lots. This was replaced by a large two-story residence by 1882, following the creation of Western Park. The new building prominently occupied the higher, south side of the lot – Allotment 11 – and appears to have been oriented to face Smith Street, from which there was direct access to the park. Allotment 10, the future site of Te Kāinga Aroha (Former), formed part of a large front garden. In 1888, the recently-erected residence and its grounds were briefly leased as the first New Zealand home for the Little Sisters of the Poor before they acquired permanent lodgings the following year. Originating in France in the 1840s, the Little Sisters of the Poor focussed on care for the destitute elderly and spread to many other countries including New Zealand in the later nineteenth century, eventually becoming one of the largest organisations of religious women in the Catholic Church.
Andrew Entrican’s residence
At the end of the century, the large double allotment was subdivided, possibly reflecting how sought-after residential property was in the more affluent parts of this suburb. Allotment 10, the front garden with corner street frontage, was purchased by prominent Auckland businessman and local politician Andrew Jack (A.J.) Entrican (1858-1936). Entrican, who had completed an apprenticeship in London under a general merchant, emigrated to Auckland in 1880 where he married Elizabeth Mackay in 1883. After travelling overseas during a period of severe economic depression in New Zealand in the late 1880s, Entrican returned to Auckland in 1887 and established A.J. Entrican and Company, a successful importing, general merchant and manufacturing agent business. Entrican was joined in his business by his younger brother by the end of the century.
Reflecting contemporary bay villa design as a symbol of the status and material achievement of New Zealand’s rising middle class, Entrican built a grand, two-storey timber corner bay villa which incorporated extensive exterior decoration and large internal rooms. Italianate design, from which the new dwelling extensively drew, was frequently adopted by wealthy merchants, who drew parallels with high status housing of the mercantile élite in the Italian Renaissance. Situated on the higher southern side of the lot, the residence was designed to be viewed from the street with prominent, symmetrical gabled wings on both sides with faceted bay windows connected by a return double verandah and had a hexagonal faux tower at the middle corner. Other details included extensive use of turned columns, fretwork, and brackets around the factory-made sash windows and verandah. The house entrance was highlighted by a substantial portico. Stained glass was prominently used in many of the upper window panes as well as on the south side overlooking a grand staircase. Internally there were five rooms downstairs and five rooms upstairs, both levels arranged around a central hallway. The grandeur of the residence reflected Entrican’s commercial success as a merchant in the growing city of Auckland.
Entrican resided at his new residence for approximately two decades. During this time his business success continued, and he served the first of his terms as deputy mayor of Auckland, a role he held for a total of seventeen years. He was also a long-serving member of the Auckland Harbour Board and was closely involved with the nearby St James’ Presbyterian Church, Wellington Street as an Elder and the superintendent of the Sunday School for 47 years.
In the early twentieth century, many wealthy Aucklanders moved to properties on the fringe of the city, leaving industrial inner suburbs such as Freemans Bay to become more distinctively working class. Entrican sold his residence in 1918 to Alex Youngson, a baker, who owned it for three years before it was acquired by the Presbyterian Church Property Trustees to be used as a new manse for St James’ Church which was celebrating its 60th year. At this time the rearmost portion of the property, which joined Western Park, was subdivided and sold. Over the next twenty years it was home to various church reverends, and fundraisers for the church were held in the grounds.
Although the Presbyterian Church was predominantly a settler church, it became more involved in social justice issues during the Great Depression of the 1930s. It also expanded engagement with Māori communities, with Presbyterian women being particularly prominent in the denomination’s Māori Mission. Canada-born Sister Jessie Alexander (1876-1962) had for many years been an influential member of the latter, including through her healing and educational skills and fluency in te reo Māori. In the early 1940s, Alexander was instrumental in the conversion of Entrican’s former residence from a manse to a hostel for young Māori women, facilitating their transition from traditional rural communities to city environments in response to increased needs for urban labour during the Second World War (1939-45). Forming a gateway to urban life, the residence’s continued use for this purpose over the next 70 years reflected enduring demographic shifts that transformed both Māori communities and New Zealand’s cities.
Māori urbanisation
The widespread urbanisation of Māori during the twentieth century has been referred to as the ‘Second Great Migration’. This was a period of great change for Māori who moved from their traditional lifestyle to becoming an overwhelmingly urban people, a shift which had both positive and negative impacts on Māori communities.
At the beginning of the twentieth century Māori lived predominantly rurally with limited interactions with Pākehā living in towns and cities. Following the Māori population reaching its lowest recorded level in the 1896 census, the population gradually increased from the early years of the new century.
As many rural communities transitioned to predominantly farming based industry in the early 1900s, many Māori found that their remaining land holdings were unable to support their growing, young population. In response to this pressure many young Māori men and women chose to move to towns and cities to take advantage of new opportunities from the 1930s onward. With the advent of the Second World War this trend accelerated as war service-related labouring and manufacturing work in cities became available to young Māori with significant facilitation from the Māori War Effort Organisation (MWEO), a pan-iwi entity which supported recruitment of Māori for the forces and war-related service.
Reflecting the wider changes in women’s workforce participation in this period, Māori women joined the workforce in higher numbers than they had previously with the percentage of Māori women in work rising from 49.9% in 1936 to 76.5% by 1945. This influx of young workers increased pressure on accommodation in cities, including Auckland – the country’s largest urban centre and a major early destination for Māori migrants. In 1936 only 11.5% of the Māori population was urban, rising to 19% by 1945 and rapidly increasing further to 68.2% by 1971. Māori often faced discrimination in the cities including difficulties in obtaining rental accommodation and few early state houses were allocated to Māori in need. Many Māori, later joined by Polynesian immigrants, settled in low socio-economic areas including Freemans Bay and lived in crowded, run-down housing. Urban Māori came together for mutual support often based around community groups, sport and religion which fostered inter-iwi links. Many young Māori met their future spouses through these networks and settled permanently in their new community.
United Māori Mission
Many groups were concerned about the need to support young Māori, particularly Māori women in Auckland, as this pressure grew on accommodation. Multiple bodies worked to establish facilities including the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), United Māori Women’s Welfare Society, and the United Māori Mission (UMM). Created in 1936, the UMM was a pan-religious organisation that aimed to address the ‘spiritual, social and material requirements’ of young people, ultimately setting up a network of hostels in Auckland during the 1940s that have endured in amended form to the present day. The body was co-founded by Sister Jessie Alexander, who after retiring as a Presbyterian missionary took a leading role in the hostel movement.
Sister Alexander expressed particular concerns about young Māori women, desiring to provide them with a sanctuary after arrival in the city, a goal shared by many Māori elders and parents. She also saw a need to help them achieve ‘good citizenship’, often modelled on ‘wholesome’ Pākehā perspectives and extending to Māori men. The significant role of Māori women in urban migration has been noted by Bradford Haami who has observed, ‘between 1942 and 1969, the strongest response to urbanisation and integration came from Māori women who were charged by the state with guiding men into becoming ‘ideal’ Māori citizens’. Hostels – both those operated by religious organisations, and later directly by the state – promoted model behaviour as gateways to urban life.
The UMM led by Sister Alexander opened the first dedicated hostel for Māori women in Auckland in May 1941. Known as Te Kāinga Rangimarie (The House of Peace), the hostel was located on Union Street near Freemans Bay and could house up to twelve women. Within a couple of years it was clear that more space was needed and the manse on Hepburn Street was identified as the preferred residence for this expansion. The villa had multiple features in its favour including the size of the building and rooms and its proximity to an existing Māori community in Freemans Bay and Ponsonby. The grand villa design of the house, with its associations with Entrican’s commercial success, was believed to be an aspirational example for the hostel residents. The long association of the place with the church was also seen as advantageous for its use as a Christian hostel.
Te Kāinga Aroha
Despite initially planning to sell Te Kāinga Rangimarie to purchase the new property, this proved unnecessary as, reflecting increasing levels of direct state involvement in Māori urbanisation policy from the 1940s, the Māori Affairs Department Māori Trustee, H.G.R. Mason, stepped in to purchase the manse in late 1943 which was then leased to the UMM for £4 a week. In the following months some alterations were made to outfit the building as a hostel including creating dormitory spaces in the bedrooms. In April 1944 the hostel, frequently called Heppy before becoming known as Te Kāinga Aroha later in the century, was formally opened by Mrs Allum, the mayoress, at a well-attended ceremony. Speakers at the event included Mr J.O. Sanders, the chairman of the UMM; Reverend Kahi Takimoana Harawira (c.1892-1963), a vocational guidance officer who had served overseas as chaplain to the 28th Māori Battalion between 1939 and 1942; and Lieutenant Paikea Henare Toka, president of the Aotearoa Māori Club who had also served in the 28th Battalion, and who attended on behalf of the United Māori Women’s Society. The new hostel could house up to 26 young Māori women at a time.
Life at the hostel was guided by the Christian faith of the UMM. Residents were supported in their transition to living in Auckland with organised sport, social activities, and bible study as well as assisted to find employment and apprenticeships. Te Kāinga Aroha was one of three UMM hostels by 1957 when they were featured in Te Ao Hou as being good Christian homes that Māori parents could feel confident sending their children to live in, with curfews, conduct requirements, and a strong community focus. The location of Te Kāinga Aroha, in close proximity to the Māori Community Centre, which operated in Freemans Bay from between about 1948 and 2002, enabled connection with the wider Māori community in Auckland. In 1947 Sister Alexander was awarded an MBE for her services to young Māori, including as a leader in the hostel movement.
Further physical changes were made to the hostel over subsequent decades, including in 1950 when the Union Street hostel was sold and money was invested in Te Kāinga Aroha (Former). Changes included the addition of a large kitchen in a rear extension, fire escape stairs built down from the upper verandah, and portions of the verandah were enclosed to create new rooms and the verandah balustrades were replaced during the later twentieth century. During the 1950s, Auckland Council undertook a clearance project in Freemans Bay to remove ‘slum’ dwellings, and many Māori and Pacific Island residents moved out to new housing areas in Ōtara and Manukau City. Auckland’s inner suburbs nevertheless continued to house substantial numbers of Māori and Pasifika residents until more widespread gentrification in the later twentieth century.
Te Kāinga Aroha continued as a UMM-run hostel through the rest of the century. Although increasing numbers of Māori families moved to the cities in the post-war period, young Māori women aged 15 to 24 remained the largest Māori migrant group until 1966. By this time, there were 180 hostel beds for Māori in Auckland – the city holding a position as the main focus for Māori urban migration. More generally some 20,000 young Māori enjoyed hostel life in the wider network of hostels in New Zealand cities between the late 1950s and early 1980s as part of attending trade-training schools. In the 1990s, Te Kāinga Aroha was catering for both women in employment and university students, and being managed by an earlier boarder at the residence.
Throughout this period, the hostel continued to bring together Māori from many different iwi as a place where they could acclimatise to the city and provide a strong community connection for its current and previous residents as a social hub. Thirteen residents of the hostel signed Te Petihana Reo Māori (the Māori language petition, 1972) in support of active recognition of Te Reo Māori.
Transition back to a private residence
By the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries the needs for hostels for young Māori had generally changed towards a focus on providing accommodation for secondary school students although Te Kāinga Aroha (Former) remained in use as a hostel until after 2013. The UMM began operating hostels closer to prominent Auckland schools, and from 2011 ran their hostels as part of the InZone Project (later InZone Foundation). In 2014 the hostel was being managed by community housing provider Te Tumu Kāinga, formerly Auckland and Onehunga Hostels' Endowment Trust, who then sold Te Kāinga Aroha (Former) to a private owner as it was deemed not suitable for their needs. Around this time the place was used as a filming location in ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’.
In 2017 the owner subdivided the large property to create a new site suitable for additional housing. The building was relocated within its original lot by 15m north toward the boundary with Smith Street which maintained the prominent visual connection of Te Kāinga Aroha (Former) to the corner of Hepburn and Smith Streets. Renovation work retained most of the building’s grand external design, including cladding and decorative timbers as well as stained glass windows, and structural framing, although chimneys and the hostel kitchen were removed. A basement level, including internal garage, rear extension and external swimming pool were added. Internal changes involved creating large open plan living areas, although some earlier rooms were generally retained. Some of the upstairs rooms were returned to their earlier proportions prior to the formation of dormitories.
In 2022, the place remains a prominent visual landmark along Hepburn Street and is a private residence. Several publications in the early twenty-first century have noted the place’s significant connections with urban Māori history and the Māori hostel movement.
