St Peter's Anglican Church, Onehunga

St Peter's Anglican Church is a Selwyn church in Auckland, New Zealand. The church is located in the suburb of Onehunga, on the corner of Onehunga Mall Road and Church Street. It is one of Auckland's first churches, with the site being allocated in 1847 and construction completed in 1848. Situated next to the church is a cemetery which houses the gravesites of many of the area's fencible colonial settlers including the first woman Mayor of the British Empire, Elizabeth Yates.

History


St Peter's Anglican Church and surrounding cemetery are located in Onehunga on land formerly occupied by Māori iwi Te Waiohua and Ngāti Whātua.

St Peter's Church held its first service on the 29th of June 1848, Saint Peter's Day. The original church, alongside a vicarage and school were built from wood and later replaced with stone. To accommodate the church's growing congregation an extension was made in the 1860s and 1870s. "St. Peter's, Onehunga was opened for worship in 1848, just as the isthmus was being settled by military pensioners from England, and there are still living some three or four of their descendants who, as children, saw it being built. In 1858 the building was enlarged, when the existing tower and spire were added under the supervision and according to plans prepared by Dr. Purchas, the first vicar, the consecration service being conducted by Bishop Selwyn himself. At the time St. Peter's stood isolated in the "suburbs" of Onehunga, the business area being near the beach at the foot of Norman's Hill. Since then the church has seen Onehunga growaround it, until today it stands at the heart of the town. In its grounds lie the remains of its pioneers side by side with the unfortunate sailors of H.M.S. Orpheus, wrecked on the Manukau Bar 67 years ago." Rev. A.G. Purchas was the first Minister of St Peter's Church.

Architecture
The original church structure built in 1848 was overseen by the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand, Bishop George Selwyn. The wooden Selwyn church, in his namesake, are a group of churches in New Zealand which use a neo-gothic style and were built between 1846-1867.

The wooden chancel and Selwyn-style tower were torn down in 1931 and a brick chancel and tower was put in its place, designed by Auckland architect D.B. Patterson. Due to timber degradation, the congregation chose to construct a new church which wrapped around the earlier structure. By 1980, construction was underway on the building and some surrounding gravesites. The parish celebrated its 133rd birthday in June 1981, in the newly built church.

Cemetery site
St Peter's Church is located next to an Anglican Cemetery which houses the gravesites of Onehunga's early Anglican community. It later become a burial ground for those of various Christian denominations. The graveyard also houses the remains of unknown people, people who died by suicide and unhoused people.

A notable headstone is of the first woman Mayor of the British Empire, Elizabeth Yates, who is buried next to her husband and former Mayor, Captain Michael Yates.

Sailors who perished in the 1863 H.M.S. Orpheus shipwreck are buried in a naval section in the churchyard, including the ships Chaplain, Rev Charles B Haslewood.

Current Parish
The current parish is led by Reverend Petra Zaleski.

Service times

 * Sunday 9:30am.
 * Wednesday 10am.
 * 1st Sunday 5:30pm.
 * 3rd Sunday 5:30pm.

News coverage
St Peter's Church has made the news for its current Vicar Petra Zaleski who remarks to have found healing, empowerment and community in the faith after suffering alcohol abuse. Zaleski encourages inclusivity and support within the church and wider community.

In July 2017, Keith Johnson, an unhoused man, was found dead on the bench he frequented at St Peter's Church Cemetery. A surf board has been permanently attached to the back of the bench in Johnson's memory. This incident, among others, sparked discourse on the lack of support of homelessness in Auckland.