Christ Church () is

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

's oldest surviving

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

, located in the village of Russell. The

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church was built in 1835 by Gilbert Mair under the supervision of Charles Baker (later Reverend), and 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 Co ...

. It was also occasionally used as the local courthouse. The church was registered by

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; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...

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 language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...

(non-Māori) would have the same right to burial. The cost of its construction was contributed to by

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

. Although Darwin, 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 downward to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, with variants including tented roofs and others. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other vertical sides ...

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

Paihia Paihia is a 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, New Zealand, Russell and Kerikeri. Missionary Henry Wi ...

. 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

William Hobson Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Royal Navy, who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. Hobson was dispatched f ...

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

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

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. Further proceedings relating to the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

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 1845–1846. Early life Tāmati Wāka Nene was born to chiefly rank in the Ng� ...

, 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 The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

20th century

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

Kerikeri Kerikeri () is a town in the Bay of Islands, in the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It lies at the head of Kerikeri Inlet, a northwestern arm of the Bay of Islands, where fresh water of the Kerikeri River enters the Paci ...

. In 1963

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 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. ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

visited the church, and in 1986 for its 150th anniversary 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. A member of the New Zealand Labour Party, Lange was also the Minister of Education ...

and Sir

Paul Reeves Sir Paul Alfred Reeves (6 December 1932 – 14 August 2011) was a New Zealand clergyman who served as the 15th governor-general of New Zealand from 1985 to 1990 and as Archbishop and Primate of New Zealand from 1980 to 1985. He was the first ...

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 in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

of a New Zealander in an openly

gay relationship A same-sex relationship is a romantic or 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 unions may exist in countries ...

occurred at Christ Church.

References

Sources

* {{Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, state=collapsed Churches completed in 1835 Far North District Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in the Northland Region 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 in New Zealand