The Pro Cathedral of St Mary, New Plymouth, is the oldest stone church in New Zealand. The first part of the Church was begun in March 1845, and completed and opened for worship on St Michael's Day, September 29th 1846. The land on which it was built had been secured from the Plymouth Company of New Zealand by Bishop Selwyn in October 1842, during his epic journey around his Diocese on foot, ministering to new settlement communities.


Selwyn and his newly appointed first Vicar, William Bolland determined that the building, designed by Frederick Thatcher, should be built in stone. Local settlers contributed their labour where they could not give money, while Selwyn and his relatives contributed 400 pounds towards the cost of 1095 pounds.

The fledgling Parish, which consisted of much of what is now the Taranaki Archdeaconry, suffered its first set-back with the death of Bolland , just a year later, at the age of twenty seven. Bishop Selwyn appointed Bolland's cousin, the Reverend Henry Govett to succeed him. Govett's ministry to the church continued for fifty years, while his family's generous support of the Parish and community continued in one form or another, until this day.

The Land Wars of the 1860's strongly affected the Parish and the town. Tombstones in the Churchyard; memorials in the Church in the form of Hatchments of the various Regiments and the "Friendly Maori", and a Memorial to the Maori whose conflict with the settlers we have come to recognise had a need to be understood and recognised justly, all bear witness to this troubled time.

As the community grew, the Church was extended to accommodate greater numbers; in 1862, 1866, 1893, 1902, 1915/16 1959/60, all almost seamlessly. The final addition in 1992/93 created a "Gathering Space", the Hatherly Hall, to the west and south of the Church, and supplied offices, meeting rooms and kitchens on two levels, built in stone veneer in a fitting echo of the early Gothic architecture of this fine Church building.