St Stephen's Church (Motunui)

The foundation stone for this Anglican church was laid by Mr.W.H. Skinner on 14 April 1927.

The church was built by Mr Ernest Wickham of Waitara and designed by the New Plymouth firm, Messenger, Griffiths and Taylor. It was built at a cost of £387. The church was opened and dedicated on 19 August 1927.

The stone sculptures just inside the front gate are entitled "Te Wairua O Motunui" (The Spirit of Motunui). They were donated to the pupils of Motunui School by Mr Ross Munro and unveiled on 3 December 1993.

Further reading: Motunui School & District Centennial 1894-1994, pages 48-49.

Related documents:

Motonui (sic) church anniversary (Times Record 10 August 1977)

Fifty Years Old (Daily News 13 August 1977)

Church care (Taranaki Herald 19 August 1977)

Of passing interest, Kelvin Day (Taranaki Daily News 8 April 2013)

Church's fate to be discussed at meeting (North Taranaki Midweek 23 March 2016)