Dunedin and the surrounding Otago region is celebrating its 175th birthday this weekend.
But with no big plans for the occasion, the First Church of Otago stepped up to fill the void.
First Church was instrumental in Dunedin's European settlement and the congregation would itself mark its 175th birthday this year, while the current church building was also turning 150 this year.
The church will on Saturday (18 March) host an event to mark the arrival of Scottish settlers on board the ships, John Wickliffe and Philip Laing.
When construction of the current First Church building was completed in 1873, it was the tallest building in the South Island at over 56 metres.
But its history dated back another quarter century to the arrival of members of the Free Church of Scotland, who had split with the Church of Scotland in 1843 over a disagreement about who should choose clerics.
The current First Church building is the third one in Dunedin. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
First Church associate minister the Rev Dr Malcolm Gordon said the settlers brought the first First Church with them.
"The story is that they got on the two ships - the John Wickliffe and the Philip Laing - and they brought with them a pre-fabricated building that they erected once they got here and that was the school house during the week and the church on Sunday."
First Church senior minister the Rev Ed Masters said that wooden building was only the first of several to take the name First Church.
"This is the third First Church building so the initial flat-pack church that they brought was not big enough for their needs, so after a few years they built a stone church over on Dowling Street," Masters said.
"While they were in that, they planned to build on this location."
Included in the church's history were figures such as its first minister Thomas Burns - the nephew of poet Robert Burns, and Rutherford Waddell - a social reformer who campaigned against sweat shops.
"Our worship hasn't just been about us - it's been about learning and working out how we can contribute to the life of the city," Masters said.
"We're proud of that history and we're looking to continue that heritage and that commitment to seeking the good of the people of Dunedin and the whole world."
The church itself sat atop what remained of Bell Hill - a rocky outcrop which was flattened by explosives.
Dr Gordon said he recognised that while the church and its worshippers had a 175 year association with the area, there was a far older human history as well and one which the church also needed to acknowledge.
First Church has a 175 year association with the Otago region. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
"It's a live issue for us and one that we are not going to introduce some te reo into our service and think 'job done'. To our shame, we don't know what this hill was called before we called it Bell Hill and blew it sky high to put our church on - to our shame," he said.
The church had not yet started a conversation with tangata whenua, but it was one he hoped to drive.
"There is pride in our story but there are also things that we are rightfully ashamed of and need to work out how do we make those things right," he said.
"I would say here at First Church we are at the beginnings of that journey in terms of waking up to the ways we have benefited from some of those harms and hurts that have been done. But it is a journey we are willing to go on."
As the establishment church of Dunedin city, it was an important journey to take if it wanted to continue to occupy that position into the future, Dr Gordon said.
But the church, like many, also faced an uncertain future.
First Church's first minister was Thomas Burns - the nephew of poet Robert Burns. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The congregation had shrunk considerably even in the 25 years since it marked its 150th anniversary.
"There is a certain sadness in me that we are on the cusp of not being here," Dr Gordon said.
"We've got the building, but we don't really have the people. It'll probably be in my lifetime that it'll be harder and harder for these historical churches to keep doing what we've done for generations.
"Just yesterday I was going around the neighbourhood letting the workplaces in our community know about the celebration on Saturday and one of the ladies in one the shops said 'Oh my mum got married in First Church, I'll bring her along on Saturday'. You realise that even for people who weren't coming Sunday by Sunday, these places have held significant moments in their lives - the burying of a parent or a family wedding, something like that.
"There is a piece of me that despite holding hope for the future and being curious about the place of Christianity in this new Aotearoa ... at times I'm worried that I might be the guy who has to turn off the lights - like last one out."
The church's history and its place in the history of Dunedin and Otago (Ōtākou) would be acknowledged during a 175th Birthday Bash at its grounds from 11am Saturday 18 March.
