Our History

Methodism in Aotearoa/New Zealand began in 1822 when the Rev. Samual Leigh came to open the Wesleyan Methodist Mission.  The first Methodist service held in Auckland was in 1841.

The first services in our parish were held in the Kingsland area in 1853, in a small stone building built on land given by Mr J Walters.  The first Kingsland church was situated a short distance from the present Kingsland railway station site, on the Sandringham side.
(A Church Remembers, D M Heape, Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #11(4))

Pitt Street church was opened and dedicated on Sunday 14 October 1866, beginning with a prayer service at 7am.  This was the traditional time dating back to the days when the Wesleyans were strictly forbidden to meet in Established Church hours.  The building had cost around £9000 to build (including the cost of the site).
(100 years in Pitt Street, E W Hames, Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication #26(1-4)) See also, (History of Pitt Street Church - K Road Website).

Mt Eden church was built in 1900, to a design by architect Arthur Herbert White. It is constructed in a “timber gothic” style, with tall arched windows surrounded by timber hoods, timber towers and timber buttresses. The Sunday School Hall was built 10 years later in 1910. Various alterations to the buildings over the years have resulted in relatively minor changes in their appearance.
(www.mtedenvillagecentre.co.nz)