On September 30, 2024, the Woodlands Parish formally parted ways with the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) due to long-standing doctrinal disagreements. The Lord's providence placed our church in a unique position to secure our building and premises, ensuring our continued fellowship and meeting. We have joined the Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand (GPCNZ) as a "missions church" and look to see how God, in His goodness, will grow and nurture His church in Woodlands for the glory and honour of Christ and the gospel.
For more information about the GPCNZ church network, use the following link: https://www.gracepresbyterianchurch.org.nz/
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The following short history was written by the late Ian Keith Lang (1937–2025), a long-time member and faithful servant of Christ and the Woodlands Church. Edited for online publication by Rhys Lamont.
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The early Presbyterian settlers in Dunedin established a network of congregations in the south from 1848. The Rev Thomas Burns, the first minister in Otago, occasionally visited the outlying parts of his extensive parish, which reached as far south as Riverton.
Later, the Rev Bethune worked as a school teacher in Invercargill during the week and preached on Sundays. As the population grew, the people requested a minister in the Southland area, leading to the ordination and induction of Rev Andrew Stobo in 1860.
On 28 July 1864, Rev Thomas Alexander was inducted into the parish of Long Bush, Oteramika, One Tree Point, and Mabel. The district of Long Bush included what is now known as Woodlands. The name Woodlands first appeared in church records in 1883.
In these early days, services were held in the Long Bush schoolhouse and at the home of William Johnston at One Tree Point. The first recorded meeting of session was on 8 March 1865. The first communion service took place on 12 March, with fourteen people present.
In 1866, William Johnston (One Tree Point), Donald McKerchar (Long Bush), and George Dawson (Long Bush) were elected as elders, with George Dawson appointed as Session Clerk. In the same year, the first manse was built at the top of the drive, on the old church site west of the cemetery.
Before the manse's construction, the minister was accommodated in the homes of William Trotter and George Dawson. William Trotter presented the minister with a horse, allowing him to cover the parish more efficiently. This was necessary; in the beginning, the minister had oversight of Hedgehope, Winton, Wallacetown, Forest Hill, Seaward Downs, and Edendale. He also occasionally conducted services in the Wakatipu area.
Thomas married Alice Taylor in 1867, and they had nine children, of whom three died in infancy and one at age seven. Alice was an enthusiastic helper in the parish; she was the prime mover in establishing the Sunday School, which began with thirty children and soon grew to forty-five. Classes were held in the manse kitchen until the church was built. She must have been a very busy woman!
When the Meat Works opened in 1870, the population increased markedly. At a congregational meeting on 18 July 1872, it was resolved to build a church together with a stable for twelve horses. The successful tender was for £289 ($578), and the church was opened on 27 April 1873, taking just over nine months to complete. A porch and hall were added later.
To help with the costs, the people paid a yearly rent for their seats—2 shillings and sixpence for two, or £1 for a whole pew. Admission to congregational meetings cost 2 shillings and sixpence. This practice continued until 1897.
A Deacons Court was formed in 1878 with three elders and four deacons, meeting twice a year. They arranged for the erection of a fence around the church property at a cost of sixteen shillings per chain, through the bush.
It was customary for worshippers to stand for prayers and sit for hymns. The precentor was responsible for starting the singing on a suitable note. After many years of divided opinion about using an organ, agreement was finally reached in 1897, and the first organ was purchased for £5 and fifteen shillings.
In the early decades of settlement, the road to Invercargill was in very poor condition, especially in winter, when wagons often became bogged down in the mud. Margaret Trotter, in her book “Early Woodlands & Today”, quoted a report: “…sometimes with fourteen horses hitched on it takes hours for a loaded wagon to do a mile.” Travel was made much easier when the railway opened in 1873, with trains speeding along at thirty miles per hour or more.
The church at Morton Mains was built in 1933, and Gorge Road became part of the parish in 1935. The Gorge Road church closed in 1990 due to very small numbers. Morton Mains church was closed in 2002 when regular attendances had fallen to about six. The last service was held on 24 March that year.
The present Woodlands church and hall were opened in 1967. The site was donated by the Woodlands Presbyterian Development Trust, which was formed by eight church members who contributed £3,800 to buy the Waitane Sawmilling Company land. After clearing and developing the land and constructing Alexander Place, the land was surveyed into sections. All were sold except for the church site. The original members of the trust were A. J. N. Campbell, D. N. Campbell, H. J. Jukes, H. E. McKenzie, R. McKenzie, T. McKinnel, H. Milliken, and A. S. Trotter.
In my younger days, the parish had up to four services each Sunday. Preaching places included Morton Mains, Gorge Road, Woodlands, and Dacre Hall for some years. There were usually two services in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening, all conducted by the minister, making Sundays particularly busy.
There was a time when some people attended church because it was expected. The membership was up to about 130 around sixty years ago. Some members attended only a few times a year; a few came to communion once every two years to avoid losing their membership. It seems some were only nominal members, not really interested in following Jesus. However, a majority in the community valued biblical principles and respected the church, even if they were not Christians. Today, in stark contrast, few people attend church unless truly interested.
The Rev Alexander retired as minister in 1887 but remained in Woodlands until his death in 1900. He preached at a special jubilee service in 1898, recalling his first sermon in the parish in 1864: “...my sermon was from 1 Corinthians 1:23, ‘We preach Christ crucified.’ I started my ministerial work with this doctrine and I never lost sight of it.”
It is my hope that this church will never lose sight of the good news of Jesus, who died so that we may be rescued from the power of sin.
Rev Alexander also said, “The Lord has been with us in the past, may He continue to be with us in the future.” That is my prayer for this church: if the Lord does not help us, we will fall.
I have attended Woodlands church for over seventy years, and I am most thankful for all that God has done for me through this church. Over the years I have received friendship, fellowship, acceptance, teaching, correction, and encouragement from many people in this church—from ministers, Sunday school teachers, Bible Class leaders, and fellow Christians.
I owe a great debt to this church for introducing me to Jesus. It was in Sunday school here that I heard Bible stories and learnt the need for deliverance from the power of sin through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus. It was here that I made a public profession of faith. It was in this fellowship that I met and married Audrey. This was the wider family in which our children were baptised and grew up. It was here that we experienced the presence of our Lord through times of joy and times of trial. Thanks be to God.
I (Ian) have depended on information from “Early Woodlands & Today” by Margaret Trotter and from “George Dawson’s Lot” by Sinead Phelan (Jane Hertzberg).
