Interfaith Event at Old Selwyn Church in Howick
“Howick was not always a desirable place to live”… This introduction to the book “Grey’s Folly” by the Howick historian Alan La Roche might sound incredible when you visit this beautiful part of Auckland today.
One of the places where we can feel the ups and downs of Howick’s history is Old Selwyn Church. Not only is it one of the oldest church buildings in the country, but before you enter it, you walk through the cemetery with gravestones that can tell stories of Scarlet Fever and other diseases, family tragedies and grief of 180 years.
Even before the European settlers, before Christianity reached the shores, the area had been full of history. The Māori Ngāi Tai are the oldest extant tribal identity of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
In the mid 19th century, the so-called fencibles settled in the area. It was the time of the Land Wars, and these semi-retired soldiers from Britain had the task to keep the settlers safe. On Sundays, these fencibles had to attend a service at the Anglican or Catholic church or else go on a route march while the others were at church. Hence the reason why the first churches were built immediately with the arrival of the fencibles. For a long time, it would have been rare to even enter a church that was not of your own denomination.
Considering this history, it was very encouraging to see that people of different Christian denominations and even other faiths could come together as friends in the small Old Selwyn Church. The Anglican and the Catholic representatives on the Auckland Inter-Faith Council (AIFC) organised one of their 2026 events in the series Exploring Sacred Spaces in this historic church that served as the main Anglican church in Howick from 1847-1970.
In presence of descendants of the first Māori Anglican priest, Rev Rota Waitoa, who was ordained as deacon in 1853, the Howick historian Alan La Roche and the Howick town crier James Donald, more than 30 people of many different faiths followed the AIFC’s invitation and immersed into Howick history for a couple of hours.
Rev Ivica Gregurec and Beate Matthies, the Anglican and Catholic representatives on the AIFC Executive were then ready to answer many questions about the differences and commonalities of their faith traditions.
It was wonderful to experience this afternoon with the sharing of history and faith in an atmosphere of friendship and harmony. The Howick motto “Serve with Good Will” was certainly in action.
One attendee from Britain who witnessed separation and hatred between Christians in his younger days, commented after the event: “It was wonderful to see an Anglican and a Catholic side by side answering questions on their faith traditions. It gave me so much joy and hope for the future.”
BM
