Our History

In 1881 the parochial boundaries were further defined and narrowed to be “all the portion of the Manawatu Highway district lying southward of the Manchester Highway district and including also the section on the other side of the main road to Ashhurst and the township of Ashhurst.” This left the primary interest of All Saints’ Parish contained in the then town of Palmerston North and out through Ashhurst into the Pohangina valley, leaving Feilding as its own parish, now known as the Parish of the Oroua.

By 1882 the demands on All Saints’ seem to have been wider than any official parish boundaries. Jesus’ words, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”, seem apt for the work of the day. Mr W Edwards Litton Carus-Wilson was ordained a deacon and appointed to All Saints in 1882 but he was also appointed to Foxton which was then part of Bulls Parish. Mr Carus-Wilson travelled extensively as he took services at All Saints and in Taonui as well as occasional mid-week services in Ashhurst and monthly services in Foxton. Records show that lay people were relied on to ensure regular weekly services continued in both Foxton and Ashhurst. That same year All Saints built a bigger church in Palmerston North to accommodate their growing congregation and St Mary’s was built in Ashhurst, reusing the belfry from the first All Saints’ church.

By 1884 the population of Palmerston North had further grown and the newly appointed Reverend H E Copinger became responsible for opening the St Peter’s Mission Church. He also continued services around the Parish, which now included Stoney Creek as well as Ashhurst and Taonui.

By the turn of the century Palmerston North had grown considerably and was now accessible by a railway, serviced by a hospital and included a growing base of industry including a freezing works at Longburn.  City Council archives record the population as being 6,000 Europeans.  Such population directly accounts for growth in All Saints’ Parish, which now offered services in multiple locations including Fitzherbert East, Linton, Longburn, Shannon, Terrace End and Bunnythorpe. The Vicar of the time, Reverend Harvey, was also required to take services in Feilding as the Feilding Parish were without any clergy at this time.

The increasing population seemingly necessitated a change to the administration of the diocesan boundaries. The Pohangina Missionary District in 1892 separated Ashhurst, Pohangina and Bunnythorpe from Palmerston North and provided them with their own curate. However, a lack of clergy meant that these areas still came under the auspices of the All Saints’ Parish.

At the beginning of the 20^th Century the All Saints’ Parish still stretched across a wide geographical area. Roads had improved somewhat but still lacked bridges in areas like the Pohangina Valley and transport was still limited to horse, bicycle or foot. Up to 14 lay-readers cycled all over the Parish to conduct services. Reverend Harper recalled a wedding in the Pohangina Valley following heavy rain where during the wedding ceremony the bride stood on one side of the river and the groom on the other side.

This period saw a continuing need to build places of worship around the Parish to accommodate the growing congregations. St Aidan’s was opened in Awahou in 1902 and Bunnythorpe built a new church in 1906. Services were held as far up the Pohangina valley as Komako where St Bartholomew’s was built in 1926. It was not until 1911 that The Pohangina Missionary District was finally separated from All Saints’ Parish in practice as well as name. Mr A W Payne was given the cure of Pohangina and the following year oversaw the building of St Cuthbert’s in Pohangina. St Aidan’s in Awahou was deconsecrated in 1962 and moved (minus its steeple) to serve as Awahou school hall.

In 1911 Reverend Rosher reported presiding over a population of 14,000 “scattered over scores of miles of road in eight separate districts…in all weathers and often against time on a “push-bike””.  The Rev. Rosher also described the work of some 60 District Visitors who were able to get to know almost every family who came into or left the district.

The Reverend Blackburne had the unenviable task of seeing the Parish through both the First World War and the Influenza epidemic. The Parish needed to adapt to very challenging situations. Faced with a lack of clergy the designated curate’s stipend was used to pay for the first woman employee of the Parish, a Miss Heni Park, as “Parish Sister”. The Reverend Blackburne also credited others in the church for coming to his assistance, especially during the horrors of the flu epidemic when 57 Parish funerals were held in one fortnight.

Sunday Schools and services reached into many more areas than just those where church buildings had been built. Between 1915 and 1924 there were church centres for both services and Sunday Schools in Kelvin Grove, Whakarongo, Linton, Aokautere, Longburn, Kairanga, West End, and Kahutarawa Valley as well as at a home for older people in Awapuni. In addition, there were additional places used only for Sunday Schools including Hokowhitu School. Reverend Blackburne recorded 1150 children attending 13 different Parish Sunday Schools as well as 90 young people in Parish Bible Classes.

Up until the early 20^th century although regular services were held in several buildings, All Saints was the only consecrated building in the Parish.