St Joseph’s Church has watched over Te Puna for more than 125 years, its white timber walls and distinctive bell tower standing as a landmark overlooking the harbour.

Now the historical church is preparing for its next chapter, with a major seismic strengthening and restoration project designed to ensure it continues serving the community.

The St Joseph’s Church Seismic Remediation Project will strengthen the building to meet current New Zealand earthquake standards while preserving the character of one of Te Puna’s most historical buildings.

A community quiz and auction night at Te Puna Hall next Saturday, August 1, is one of several fundraising events to help bring the nearly $490,000 project to life.

Tim Dunn, Mike Borell, Jocelyn Gascoigne and Father Isaac Fransen. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

For Mike Borell, whose great-grandfather Werahiko Borell built the church alongside Hone Bidois, the project is about honouring both family and community.

“I’m also a descendant of the Bidois whānau,” Borell said. “The church has been a significant pou standing strong for the community and the faith over many years. Our role now is to honour our ancestors.”

The church’s story began in the late 1800s, when the predominantly Catholic Pirirākau hapū spent two years constructing what would become Te Puna’s only church.

Werahiko Borell and Hone Bidois, both descendants of French settlers who married into Pirirākau families, led the project.

Paintings also line the timber walls of St Joseph's Catholic Church in Te Puna. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

According to church records, the building’s timber was sourced from the forests of Whakamārama, where rimu trees were felled, pit-sawn, floated down the Te Puna River and hauled by horse to the site.

The first post was blessed on November 1, 1898, before the church officially opened on January 1, 1900.

Borell said the master builders used no nails in the original construction. “They interlocked it all. That’s how skilled they were.”

Some of the tukutuku panels at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Te Puna. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Today the church still features native kauri and rewarewa panelling, carved entrances, tukutuku panels and stained-glass windows, reflecting Māori and Catholic traditions.

It remains deeply connected to Pirirākau and the four local marae – Tutereinga, Poututerangi, Paparoa and Tawhitinui – which have supported fundraising efforts. Last year, Pirirākau Tribal Authority gifted three historical interpretation panels detailing the church’s story.

Mike Borell pulling on the church bell, with Father Isaac Fransen. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

The building also houses one of the Bay of Plenty’s most significant Catholic artefacts – its historical bell.

Gifted by Bishop Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, who introduced the Catholic faith to New Zealand in the 1840s, the bell first hung at the Catholic church in Ōtūmoetai before finding its home in Te Puna.

Project committee chair Tim Dunn said the bell remains central to the church’s identity.

“It still rings every Sunday,” he said.

“When we rebuild the tower, we’ll bring the bell down, clean it up and see if we can discover more about its origins.”

Father Isaac Fransen and Mike Borell with the baptismal font at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Te Puna. Photo / Kelly O'Hara

The church’s baptismal font, also brought by Bishop Pompallier, remains another treasured link to early missionary years.

While the church has been carefully maintained over its lifetime, including major renovations before its centenary in 2000, current building standards require it to receive further work.

Following an earthquake assessment, engineers identified the bell tower needed seismic strengthening.

“The tower is the earthquake-prone part,” Dunn said. “We’re going to rebuild it, so it looks exactly the same because we don’t want to change the appearance of the church.”

The stained-glass window at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Te Puna. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

The project will also repair deteriorating weatherboards, restore a leaking stained-glass window and complete other maintenance.

Although not formally registered as a heritage building, St Joseph’s is regarded as an important part of Te Puna’s history.

The timber interior of the St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Te Puna. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Father Isaac Fransen, who has served at the church for the past year, said its significance extends beyond its architecture.

“I’ve always loved this church. It’s a privilege to be part of a place that has such strong connections to the beginnings of the Catholic faith in this region.”

He particularly likes the local story that the church once served as a landmark for ships entering Tauranga Harbour.

“I’ve heard it described as a beacon for ships coming into port. That’s how I see the church today as well. By renovating it we want to keep that beacon alive and keep the bell ringing for many years to come.”

A statue of St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment, is located at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Te Puna. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

The project committee hopes the wider Te Puna community will help achieve that goal.

Fundraising organiser Jocelyn Gascoigne said the August 1 quiz and auction night has attracted generous support from local businesses and residents.

Todd Muller will host the quiz, with Ryan Bradley from Bayleys conducting the live auction. Guests can enjoy raffles and major auction items, including an Air New Zealand mystery trip, a boat trip, and a weekend away.

Tukutuku panels and carvings that feature inside St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Te Puna.

For Borell, preserving St Joseph’s is about ensuring the vision of the original builders continues to inspire future generations.

“They built something that’s lasted 126 years,” he said. “Now it’s our turn to make sure it stands strong for another hundred.”

The St Joseph’s Church Seismic Remediation Project fundraising quiz and auction night will be held at Te Puna Hall from 7pm on August 1. Tickets cost $30 each from the Humantix website and include a light supper. All proceeds will support the church’s seismic strengthening and restoration project.