Why is this place significant?

Why is this place Category 1 / Category 2?

The small Anglican Church of St Peter's, Te Kopuru, dates back to an important period in the settlement's history. Te Kopuru developed into a significant town following the establishment of the kauri timber mill there in 1871. It was one of a number of towns which developed in the area, whose economy derived from the cutting of the kauri forests, the use of the Wairoa River to transport logs to the mill, the Kaipara Harbour to the South into which the river flows as the route for sailing vessels to export the processed timber. The peak years of the timber mill's production were 1901 and 1902. St Peter's Church was built debt free at the peak of this period of wealth. The residents of Te Kopuru sought to establish all the facilities that they believed a modern town should have. Besides the substantial mill itself, and its ancillary wharves, water supply reservoir and cottages for the mill-workers, the 1870s saw the erection of a police lock-up, public hall, school and Post Office. These were followed by a Customs office, grocery, drapery, butchery, tailors' and dressmakers', stables, theatre, hairdressers, billiards saloon, boarding house and bakery. Street lamps were installed in 1903. Against this background of urban development, the Anglican community sought to erect a place of worship. Anglican services had been held in area since the visit of Bishop Selwyn in 1863, with later clergyman holding services in the local hall. A church committee was formed in May 1884. In October 1896 the vicar Rev A.J. Beck (1869-1939; vicar at Northern Wairoa 1896- 1904) established a building fund, with the proviso that no actual attempt would be made to build a church until all the necessary funds were in hand. The foundation stone was laid in May 1902 by Mrs Lucie Beck. The church was opened in September 1902, and dedicated by Ven. Archdeacon Calder (1848-1923) of Auckland. The church was indeed built debt-free, at a cost of ₤247/12/- [$495.20]. St Peter's is one of a group of churches designed by the architect Rev. Henry Barnard Wingfield, then of Pokeno. Its simple wooden Gothic Revival style was an obvious choice for a kauri timber milling town. The kauri used for the interior lining was specially selected to show the beauty of the timber to advantage. The church building became the focus for Anglican and community events in Te Kopuru and the wider Kaipara. As the originally larger neighbouring mill town of Aratapu declined, St Peter's took on a role as the principal Anglican church south of Dargaville. At one stage St Peter's provided financial assistance to the church congregation in Aratapu to enable it to remain solvent. Eventually, the church building at Aratapu was closed and moved across the river to Mititai (NZHPT Register 425, All Saints Church, Mititai). A Sunday School was established at St Peter's in 1902. Mr and Mrs CE Smith served almost continuously as Sunday School Superintendents for 48 years - their service was celebrated by the community with a social gathering in tribute in 1950. St Peter's Mother's Union was formed in 1907, and many of the foundation members were still involved in the union in 1950. Between 1947 and 1980, there was a separate St Peter's Ladies Guild, which was formed to improve the grounds and raise funds for improvements for the church. The Ladies Guild contributed funds for the carpet, the font, the organ ($150 was raised at a single bring and buy event), the Communion cruets, as well as for the general upkeep of the grounds and church interior. In 1952 the Church Committee organised a Golden Jubilee celebration, and a commemorative booklet was published. In 1969, funds to reblock the church were raised by asking parishioners to 'stake a claim' at $1 per block. In 1971, the Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian churches of Te Kopuru, with the support of the Roman Catholic Church resolved to work closely together, with services being shared between St Peter's and the Te Kopuru Methodist Church (NZHPT Register 426). In 1972, to mark the 70th birthday of the church, the exterior and the ceiling of the interior was repainted. A special celebratory service was held on 2 July 1972 attended by over 100 people. The 80th anniversary was celebrated with a service and luncheon on 4 July 1982, when the Primate of New Zealand Archbishop Paul Reeves officiated. On 5 November 1976, the main wall of the Sanctuary was damaged by fire, necessitating the replacement of interior linings and the carpet. As one example of longstanding community involvement with the church, in 1996 Mrs Elsie Guy celebrated her 100th birthday with a special communion service in the church. She and her late husband Jim had been married at St Peter's on 6 July 1920, and their four children were all baptised there. Mrs Guy was an active member of the Mother's union, Ladies Guild and Women's Fellowship, as well as supporting the Church Committee. In 1997, the Kaipara District Plan became operative. St Peter's Church Te Kopuru was scheduled by Kaipara District Council in its Register of Buildings, Monuments and Places of Heritage Value as a place of 'District', rather than simply 'local', significance. To commemorate the centenary of the church, substantial conservation work was undertaken in 2001-2 with financial support from the ASB Trusts. Making permanent structural repairs to the fire damaged sanctuary was an important part of this work, as was the removal of the pain t from the ceiling to reveal the original kauri finish. A special celebratory service was held on 30 June 2002 followed by a luncheon. The Anglican Primate of New Zealand Bishop John Paterson, together with the Bishop of Te Tai Tokerau, Te Kitohi Pikaahu and Pihopa Kaumātua Ben Te Haara officiated.

St Peter's Church is situated on the eastern side of the main street of the village of Te Kopuru, 11 km south of Dargaville on the North Kaipara Peninsula. To the southeast its neighbour is the 1880s Te Kopuru School (NZHPT Register 3870). St Peter's is a simple rectangular wooden building, with a square entrance porch facing the road (southwest), and a three sided sanctuary at the north-eastern end. It has a square belfry tower with pyramidal roof surmounted by a wooden cross on its northern side. Exterior The church has timber piles and timber framed walls with painted horizontal weatherboards. The gabled roof is clad in corrugated iron. The square tower on the north-western side supports a splay footed square pyramid clad in sheet iron that rises to a peak surmounted by a plain wooden cross. The windows have timber joinery with opaque glazing and double hung sashes. The upper sash has a triangular apex, echoing the roof line of the church. There are two windows in the southwest end, either side of the entrance porch, four on the southeast side, three on the northwest side and two in the angled walls of the sanctuary. There is one window in the northwest side of the belfry tower. The entrance porch has double doors, with a single door in the belfry tower. The doors, which have vertical boards, have a central apex, again echoing the roofline of the church. There is a plain wooden cross at each gable end, on the summit of the belfry and on the apex of the porch. A concrete ramp with galvanised pipe handrails leads to the entrance porch, while two concrete steps sit outside the tower door. Interior The walls are horizontal match-lining, painted cream. Below the line of the window sills the match-lining is vertical, above a deep wainscot. The ceiling consists of diagonal tongue and groove sarking. This has been oiled. Double kauri doors with leadlight glazing lead from the entrance porch into the body of the church. The kauri floor boards are polyurethaned, with blue carpet with gold fleur-de-lys in the sanctuary and aisles. The roof is supported by A-frame gable trusses. The altar is a rectangular kauri table with four turned legs, placed so the celebrant faces the congregation. The reredos from the original altar was retrieved as part of the conservation work in 2002, and is mounted on the end wall of the sanctuary. On the right of the altar (viewed from the congregation) is an octagonal white painted stone baptismal font There is electric power connected, with incandescent lights and infrared wall heaters.

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A fully referenced registration report is available from the NZHPT Northland Area Office. Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.