Story: Pacific churches in New Zealand

The first Pacific church

The first Pacific church

Members of the Newton Pacific Islanders Congregational Church (PICC) leave the church after a service in the 1960s. At the time it was customary to wear formal ('Sunday  best') clothing to church: the men sport suits and ties and the women wear dresses and hats. The first Pacific Island church in New Zealand, the PICC was founded in 1947 in the inner-city Auckland suburb of Newton. The community took over an existing building (left), and in 1962 opened a new church next door (right). The original building was demolished in the late 1970s and replaced by the Elisi and Fisher halls complex.

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Private collection, Melani Anae

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How to cite this page:

Cluny Macpherson, 'Pacific churches in New Zealand - History of Pacific churches', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/26714/the-first-pacific-church (accessed 13 May 2024)

Story by Cluny Macpherson, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 10 Apr 2018