A CENTURY OF COMMUNITY

Marking 100 years, the Pakiri Church remains at the heart of this small but enduring rural community.

On 17 April 1926, the Pakiri Church was consecrated – a modest timber building constructed by the local Methodist congregation using timber supplied by George Harris from his Pakiri farm. Before its doors opened, the community had gathered for services in the old Pakiri Hall alongside local Anglicans, a shared arrangement that spoke to the cooperative spirit of the area. The Anglicans were invited to use the church but continued holding services in the old hall until it was pulled down.

The land on which the church stands was transferred to a trust in 1925 from John Rennie, with Rennie himself, John Harris, John Witten, George Harris, Robert Wyatt and Daniel Kempt serving as the original trustees. George Harris died two months prior to the church being consecrated, his photo and a plaque of acknowledgement still hang in the church.

The church remained in community hands until 1981, when it was gifted to the Methodist Church of New Zealand. By 2003 the building had fallen into considerable disrepair, prompting the formation of a new trust. In 2008 the Methodist Church gifted it back to the people of Pakiri, and the community responded. The church has since been repiled, reclad, and fitted with new paths and fencing – funded largely through generous donations and local fundraising.

The building carries a century of memories. In the late 1950s it served temporarily as a school while Pakiri's new school was being built. Dorothy Bradnam recalled attending Sunday School as a child, arriving by horse-drawn buggy, with Jennie Rennie teaching the youngest class and Cilla Wyatt the seniors – around fifteen to eighteen children gathered each week.

Today the church hosts its annual carol service prior to Christmas, enriched in recent years by a ukulele group of local women and a brass band of local men. Otherwise use is confined to weddings, christenings, and funerals. After 100 years, the spirit of Pakiri Church remains very much alive.

For bookings, Stephen Ruck currently handles use of the church: 09 422 6955