St Paul’s Lutheran Community Church

Location: Upper Moutere
Denomination: Lutheran
Built: 1905

The first German immigrants to New Zealand arrived on the St Pauli in 1843. They immediately started constructing a village called St Paulidorf in the Moutere Valley, were they started constructing a church in June of the following year. Unfortunately, only four months after they started constructing the church (and only a year after establishing the village of St Paulidorf), the German immigrants were forced to leave the area due to constant flooding. The land where St Paulidorf once stood is now just farmland.

Some 20 years later, German immigrants returned to Upper Moutere and built St Paul’s Lutheran Church in 1864. This church building was replaced by the current building in 1905. 

References:

St Paul's Lutheran Church, Upper Moutere. (n.d.). Nelson Provinicial Museum. https://collection.nelsonmuseum.co.nz/persons/M2297/st-pauls-lutheran-church-upper-moutere

Mark Derby, 'Diverse Christian churches - Lutheran, Dutch Reformed and Brethren churches', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/diverse-christian-churches/page-3 (accessed 22 July 2023)

James N. Bade, 'Germans', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/germans/print (accessed 22 July 2023).