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Story: Bay of Plenty places

Catholic mission

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Catholic mission

A Catholic mission to Māori was established by the Mill Hill fathers from London at Matatā in 1886. Some years later they built this church, as well as a school and convent at Matatā. Mill Hill fathers continued to serve the settlement’s Catholic congregation until the amalgamation of the parish with Whakatāne in the 1990s.

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Whakatane District Museum and Gallery

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How to cite this page

Malcolm McKinnon, Bay of Plenty places – Towns of the Rangitāiki Plains, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5714/catholic-mission (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Malcolm McKinnon, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 July 2015.