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The historic, Heritage Listed 1875 Hobsonville Church & Settlers' Cemetery is at 1 Scott Road, Hobsonville, Auckland.
The Church building and early European Hobsonville settlers' graveyard are on The New Zealand Heritage List / Rārangi Kōrero List Number 9796.
Our Heritage Listing and the Auckland Council Historic Heritage Overlay covers the entire Church and graveyard and covers the area to where our original Scott Road boundary fence sits.
The Hobsonville Church and Settlers' Cemetery is in the Trusteeship of The Hobsonville Church and Settlers Cemetery Preservation Society Incorporated.
The Church building and graveyard are maintained by volunteers, descendants of the early Hobsonville settler families, the grounds are lovingly cared for, and remains an active burial ground.
We are passionate about preserving, maintaining and protecting our heritage 1875 Church building and graveyard as an historic district amenity for our community.
Many of us have 5, 6 or 7 generations of family buried in the graveyard, and looked after this building and graveyard for 150 years.
Most of us are related in some way.
Committee 2024/2025Chair & Sexton Jason Midgley 021 565 111 General enquiries, Graves, Burials, Funerals, Ash Memorial Wall, Plaques, Gravediggers
Secretary & Treasurer Angela Laurenson 021 060 1411 Website, Facebook, Financials, Donations, Membership, History, Newsletters
Weddings & Bookings Co-ordinator Leanne Midgley 021 688 164 Weddings and Venue enquiries and bookings, and viewings of the Church building
Committee Members
Darren Midgley 029 234 3705
Stuart Ogilvie Kohl Midgley 021 156 4666 also Sexton role
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Left to Right: Darren Midgley, Angela Laurenson, Stuart Ogilvie, Jason Midgley, Cameron Brewer MP, Kohl Midgley. Absent: Leanne Midgley.
Darren Midgley is 4th generation Midgley family to attend Hobsonville School.
Angela Laurenson is 4th generation & Stuart Ogilvie 5th generation Ockleston family to attend Hobsonville School.
When You Visit
- Parking is available in the surrounding streets.
- Entry to the Church and graveyard is by the Red Entrance Gates located almost at the corner of Scott Road and Clark Road.
- There is a padlocked bollard at the Red Entrance Gates to stop cars from driving into the grounds.
- The two graveyard entrance gates, one on Scott Road and one on Clark Road, are padlocked, and are used by our gravediggers.
- Dogs are not permitted in the graveyard.
- There are three garden seats.
- There is a water tap and hose for refilling flower vases on the left hand side of the building, graveyard side steps.
- No outside rubbish bins, please take your rubbish away.
- Graves are east/west facing. Feet at the east, head to the west.
- The graveyard is overlooked on north and east boundaries by our Ryman Keith Park Village neighbours.
- After rain, because of the Hobsonville clay, the graveyard can be very wet underfoot and care should be taken.
- The graveyard is not staffed. We are volunteers. If you see an issue please contact us.
Weddings & Venue Bookings
You are very welcome to hire our 1875 Heritage Listed Settlers' Church for your Wedding or Civil Union (hire fee $500), Baby Naming, Baptism or other Venue booking (hire fee on enquiry).Wedding or Civil Union bookings from all, any or no denomination are welcomed and you provide your own Celebrant. There are no rules around which Celebrant, or religious or non religious Celebrant you can use.
Our lovely Church has seating from say 6 people to up to 100 guests (maximum) seated on our original pews.Wedding & Venue Bookings Info here.
Building Construction in the area
There is a lot of building construction going on around us. Best to come and have a look if you are happy with all the construction and have a drive around the area.
Distressing news about Auckland Transport (AT) and their plans to impact our Heritage Listed Church and Graveyard, Construction for the next 9 months
On 22 May 2024 we were tipped off that in the next month or so Auckland Transport (AT) are without consultation, planning to remove our Scott Road boundary fence, and move the boundary 5 metres towards the Church building on Scott Road. The plans have been made and construction is ready to go.
A 9 month construction project.
AT is also planning to construct a huge roundabout at the intersection of Scott Road/Clark Road/Ngaroma House Drive.
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This is a very different plan from the small roundabout plan that was publicly shared in 2021.
Page 4 of the Civix Appendix B Road Layout Plans Civix 29 September 2021 link here showed the small roundabout impact on the Church and heritage grounds and our boundary fence.
In November 2021 Preservation Society Chair Jason Midgley and Preservation Society Secretary & Treasurer Angela Laurenson met with Civix to discuss the Civix Plans, in particular cutting off the corner of the Church frontage, and taking our Scott Road heritage protected land for a pedestrian walkway.
Civix advised that their Brickfields archaeologists had surveyed our heritage grounds and advised that Civix would have to leave our heritage grounds alone, and not touch our Scott Road boundary fence.
Instead a a pedestrian crossing would be put down opposite the Church on the Brickfields side of Scott Road, and an additional pedestrian crossing put across Ngaroma House Drive. So no impact on the Church and our heritage grounds.
The now planned huge roundabout will sit on our Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga heritage listed land. AT intend for cars to drive right next to the Church’s brick entrance pathway and the front door of the Church.
AT and Auckland Council have not communicated or engaged either with us or with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga about the planned huge roundabout or moving the boundary fence.No archaeological application has been made by AT to Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.It is unlawful to modify or destroy an archaeological site without an authority from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. Unlawful modification or destruction of a site could result in fines and a criminal conviction.
We cannot find any publicly available information about the planned construction works or the huge roundabout.Auckland Council Heritage team have not been involved in assessing the site. We would like to understand why not, as we believe the huge roundabout will affect the heritage values of the Church.
Our Heritage Listing and the Auckland Council Historic Heritage Overlay covers the entire Church and graveyard and covers the area to where our original Scott Road boundary fence sits.
AT is legally required to make an archaeological application to Heritage NZ before considering starting any construction impacting the archaeological and heritage value of our Church and grounds.
Auckland Council notes “Historic heritage is a matter of national importance and Council is required to recognise and provide for the protection of historic heritage from inappropriate subdivision, use and development.”
Our archaeologist has been surveying part of the Churchyard, and found previously unknown burial plots of very early Hobsonville settlers.
We are yet to survey the remaining half of the graveyard, including the Scott Road side of the Churchyard for more unknown gravesites, the land where AT are planning to start construction work.
Timeline:
22 May 2024 and 24 May 2024 Jason Midgley, Chair of the Hobsonville Church and Settler’s Cemetery Preservation Society explicitly told the AT contractor that they are absolutely not to touch the boundary fence.
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, our Upper Harbour Local Board, our local MP Cameron Brewer contacted AT with their concerns.27 May 2024 Our legal counsel wrote to AT and Auckland Council. The New Zealand Herald is following developments.
30 May 2024 The AT contractor advised that, at least for the time being, they won't be touching the Church grounds.
31 May 2024 AT have responded to us. We have requested copies of relevant engineering or construction drawings for the road improvement work intended to be carried out in the vicinity of the Church.
Potential meeting to be arranged between the Preservation Society and AT week of 4 June 2024.
5 June 2024 AT provide us with 1 document - the plan of the proposed roundabout by Brickfields designer Civix {plan dated 30 May 2024) link here.
AT advise: "the design has been approved by Auckland Council’s Regulatory Engineering as a result of the approval to grant Resource Consent by the Environmental Protection Authority and as such is fully within the road reserve as defined."
8 June 2024 We have had a constructive discussion today with AT onsite at the Church.
13 June 2024 AT have confirmed they are now redesigning its roundabout for Scott and Clark roads to ensure our 'temporary' interior Scott Road fence remains the border of the Church boundary.
13 July 2024 No news yet from AT on the redesigned roundabout.
9 August 2024 We have been advised that the design team of the Brickfields developer have now rejigged the Scott/Clark/Ngaroma House Drive intersection - because of our advocacy, anger, concern and distress. We will meet with the designers and AT to have a look at and discuss the proposed new design. The intersection construction works have now been pushed back to next year.
10 September 2024 We are likely meeting with the design team of the Lime Burners Bay (formerly called Brickfields) developer and AT in mid-October.
Summary of above in pdf doc at this link.
The Graveyard
Rice Owen Clark (1816-1896), one of the first European settlers in Hobsonville, and all five of the original trustees of the land in 1877 are buried in the graveyard, Joshua Carder (1816-1895), R O Clark Jnr (1854-1905), Joshua Ockleston (1836-1896), Thomas Scott (1827-1892) and William Sinton (1837-1880), along with members of other Hobsonville settler families, including Anderson, Boyd, Bridgford, Midgley, Williams and Wiseley.
A walk through the graveyard reflects the strong connection Hobsonville had to the brick and pottery making industry, with the graveyard monuments commemorating significant ceramic manufacturers, including Clark, Carder and Vazey, and other Hobsonville potters including Cater, Holland and Ockleston.
150th Sesquicentennial 1875-2025
In 2025 the Hobsonville Church and Settlers' Cemetery will be 150 years old.
Next year we will do something to celebrate, details to follow.
Hobsonville School moved in 1895 from the combined Church & School building at 1 Scott Road to its current location at 104 Hobsonville Road.
Hobsonville School is celebrating their 150 years on Friday 4 April and Saturday 5 April 2025.
Some early settler families have many generations of family who have attended Hobsonville School including:
Ockleston/Laurenson/Ogilvie (5 generations)
Midgley (5 generations)
Williams/Strawbridge/Moylan (4 generations)
Boyd/Gunn/North (4 generations)
Hobsonville District School Diamond Jubilee Booklet
1875-1935 link hereHobsonvlle Primary School Centennial Booklet
1875-1975 link here
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Photo: Hobsonville Church & School in the early 1890s
We are looking for our oldest pupils who might like to attend the 150th Hobsonville School celebration 4 & 5 April 2025. They will be aged in their late 80’s or their 90’s.If you would like to suggest some names please email:hobsonvillesettlerschurch@gmail.com & office @hobsonville.school.nz
A mural on the wall of the Hobsonville Primary School Hall, at 104 Hobsonville Road, recognises Hobsonville Pioneer Families.
Newsletters
Every so often we email an update about what's been happening at the Church and graveyard.May 2024 Newsletter link here.
December 2022 Newsletter link here.
July 2022 Newsletter link here.
December 2021 Newsletter link here.
Our Facebook link here.
https://www.facebook.com/HobsonvilleChurchandSettlersCemetery/
We provide updates on what is going on at the Church, graveyard and surrounding construction development, family histories, a mix of what we think people might find interesting to read.
Any contributions please Get In Touch.
Note: 'Clarks Chapel' at 7 Clarks Lane, Hobsonville is the former Brighams Creek Church at 1 Brighams Creek Road, Whenuapai relocated circa 2009 to the Clarks Lane Historic Heritage Area (HHA) to avoid demolition, and has a limited association with Hobsonville heritage.
Church Services
We hire the building to two Church groups of different denominations for their weekly services:
Geneva Free Reformed Church of New Zealand. Services held on Sundays 10.00am - 12.00pm, & 4.00pm - 6.00pm
Contact: Richard Burdon 021 046 8650
Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI). Services held on Sundays 7.00pm Catholic Mass in Latin
Contact: Brendan Legg 020 4081 5966
Temporary Walkway on our Scott Road fenceline and Auckland Transport (AT)
We agreed with Auckland Transport (AT) in late 2020 that AT could use the inside of our Scott Road boundary fence for a temporary walkway for pedestrian access down Scott Road.
The Church boundary fence on Scott Road has been there since 1875.
Without consultation or notifying us, AT put up a temporary orange construction net fence on our heritage protected grounds which is what we specifically asked them not to do.
In April 2022 we replaced the AT temporary orange net fencing with a temporary white painted wooden fence which is far more in keeping with preserving, maintaining and protecting our Historic Heritage Listed property.
The Brickfields development of some 425 residential units, going ahead at 4 Scott Road, is responsible for upgrading Scott Road, upgrade of the Scott Road/Clark Road/Ngaroma House Drive intersection to a roundabout, provision of a pedestrian crossing and footpaths, with a new footpath to be built on the other side of Scott Road.
Below: Before March 2022 ...................... After April 2022
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Below: March 2024
