FIRST MAORI MISSION

Feilding Star, Volume 7, Issue 2377, 2 December 1929, Page 8

FIRST MAORI MISSION

CENTENARY CELEBPATTOXS (Per Press Association) Tauranga, Dee. 2. Friday last marked the centenary of the arrival in Noav Zealand at the Bay of Islands of Alfred BroAvn, a Church of England missionary, with bis Avife. They remained tliero a few years and then founded a mission station at Mntamata in 1835, bub that had to be abandoned owing to native unrest. Then they come to Tauranga in January, 1838, to take charge of the mission station already founded by himself in the previous year. From then till the time of bis death in 1884 Mr Brown, remained her, passing through many troublous times and particularly eA’cntfii] years, culminating in the battle at Gate Pa in April 28, 1864, and the light at To six Jivpcks later. He Avas .created the first Archdeacon of Tnu.rnnga in 1844. The centenary was marked yesterday by a memorial service held here at the Elms, uoav the. home, of the M isses Maxwell, on the site of the old mission chapel. The old mission hell Avas rung again for the first time in many vears.

The services Avas conducted by Arch deacon Chatterton, of Rotorua, assisted by the ReA\ Air Hall, vicar of Tauranga, and the Roa t s. Tumatahi, Wikiriwha and Tikao.

The large number of people present included seA r eral old residents avlio bad attended the mission chapel before nnv other church existed here.