Christ Church ( mi, Te Whare Karakia o Kororareka) is

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

's oldest surviving

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

. Built in 1835 by Gilbert Mair under the supervision of Charles Baker (later Reverend) in the village of

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia *Russell, Australian Capital Territory *Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **Ru ...

, the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church originally held services in both English and

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

. It was also occasionally used as the local courthouse. On 30 January 1840, it was the site of Captain

William Hobson Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1 ...

's proclamation that New Zealand would be ruled through

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and that he would serve as

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of New Zealand. The cost of its construction was contributed to by

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

. The church was visited by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

in 1963. The New Zealand Prime Minister

David Lange David Russell Lange ( ; 4 August 1942 – 13 August 2005) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 32nd prime minister of New Zealand from 1984 to 1989. Lange was born and brought up in Otahuhu, the son of a medical doctor. He became ...

and the country's

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Sir

Paul Reeves Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

visited the church on its 150th anniversary in 1986. After a restoration in 2000, it was made into a tourist attraction. The church was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now called

Heritage New Zealand Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...

) on 24 November 1983 as registration number 1, with a category I listing.

19th century

In the early 19th century, Russell, then known as Kororareka, was used as a safe harbour by whalers. The land for the church was purchased in 1834 from local chiefs on the condition that

and

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non-Māori New Ze ...

(non-Māori) would have the same right to burial. Although

on his 1835 visit described the town as a "stronghold of vice", he was impressed by the then near-completed church, which he saw as "a bold experiment". Darwin, Captain Fitzroy, and other officers of HMS ''Beagle'' are recorded as contributing to the church's construction. The church was built in 1835 with a simple design and

hipped roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

. Initially, services were performed by missionaries who had to row across the harbour from

Paihia Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 60 kilometres north of Whangārei, located close to the historic towns of Russell and Kerikeri. Missionary Henry William ...

. The first service was performed on 3 January 1836 by William Williams. During this time, services were conducted in English and

. The church also was occasionally used as the local courthouse. Captain

, in a meeting on 30 January 1840 with both Māori and Pākehā, used the church to proclaim that New Zealand would be ruled through

and that he would serve as

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. Further proceedings relating to the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...

occurred across the harbour at Waitangi one week later. The church was damaged in the Battle of Kororareka in 1845 by musket and cannonballs.

Tāmati Wāka Nene Tāmati Wāka Nene (1780s – 4 August 1871) was a Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) who fought as an ally of the British in the Flagstaff War of 1845–46. Origin and mana Tāmati Wāka Nene from the ''Dictionary of New Zeala ...

, a Māori chief who fought for the British in that conflict, is buried in the church graveyard. In the early 1870s, the church was given its current name and extended with a belfry.

20th century

In the early 20th century, Christ Church was served by vicars based at Kawakawa and from 1953 onwards,

Kerikeri Kerikeri () is the largest town in Northland, New Zealand. It is a tourist destination north of Auckland and north of the northern region's largest city, Whangarei. It is sometimes called the Cradle of the Nation, as it was the site of th ...

. In 1963

and

visited the church, and in 1986 for its 150th anniversary Prime Minister

and Sir

attended. The church was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now called

) on 24 November 1983 as registration number 1, with a category I listing.

21st century

In 2000 the church was restored and is now also a tourist attraction. The church continues to be in weekly use for Anglican worship, with services each Sunday at 10.30am, and some services in Te Reo Maori, and is a venue for weddings, funerals and other special services. It has been speculated that the church is the oldest building in New Zealand that is still being used for its original intended purpose. In 2018 the first Anglican

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

of a New Zealander in an openly

gay relationship A same-sex relationship is a Romance (love), romantic or Human sexuality, sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil ...

occurred at Christ Church.

References

Sources

* {{cite book, title=Port in the North, year=1949, last=King, first=Marie M., publisher=Russell Centennial Historical Committee, page=204, oclc=154651594 Churches completed in 1835 Far North District Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Northland Region Anglican churches in New Zealand History of the Northland Region Bay of Islands Listed churches in New Zealand 1830s architecture in New Zealand Religious buildings and structures in the Northland Region 19th-century Anglican church buildings