ABOUT | ochouse

Get to Know Us

The Onehunga Community House was first built in 1901 to house the Onehunga Primary School and it served this purpose for almost 80 years.

In 1981, the building was going to be demolished when members of the local community decided to save it. These people recognized the historic value of the all-Kauri wood building and distinctive architectural style. The building was re-designated the Onehunga Community House in 1982.

Read a more about the volunteer group who manage the house y clicking on the pdf above.

The building was showing its age on its 100 year old birthday and a massive fundraising effort was launched to refurbish and restore it to its former glory. From 2004 - 2018, almost a million dollars was raised, and renovations carried out.

The wood and decor from its original build have been maintained throughout the house. And visitors can look out the high windows, in high ceilinged rooms, on the original views that many generations of Onehunga school children and teachers looked out on.

Heritage New Zealand, (Pouhere Taonga), the Crown entity that advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and buildings in Aotearoa classed The House a Category 1 Heritage building in 2016. This is the highest rating available and recognizes the importance of the Onehunga Community House as part of a notable historic and cultural landscape associated with a complex Maori footprint and significant nineteenth and twentieth century colonial township.

The House has one of New Zealand's most extensive educational memorabilia collection, and is open for tours and event bookings. Individuals and communities have the option of five different-sized rooms for their events. And with some of the best community pricing, The House regularly hosts community events like birthdays, weddings, and baptisms. As well as ongoing weekly events like yoga classes, pottery classes and Toastmasters.