Methodist Children's Homes in New Zealand
The Methodist Church of New Zealand established and managed three Children's Homes in New Zealand. The homes were situated in Auckland (at Mt Albert and Epsom), Masterton (also known as Homeleigh) and Christchurch in the South Island (also referred to as the Papanui home).
The information on this website is provided to support adults who may have lived either temporarily or permanently in one of these homes during childhood, as well as for anybody interested in the history of these institutions. For more information about the current Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Historical Abuse of Children in State Care, please follow the link below.
We have provided copies of the following documents that are relevant to the Methodist Church of New Zealand Children's Homes - extracts from the Minutes of Annual Conference, copies of Committee Minute Books, photographs, publications and ephemera such as newspaper cuttings and pamphlets.
Copies of the original documents are provided on this site in digital format. The original material is held by the Methodist Church of New Zealand Archives in Christchurch. If you would like more information about any of the documents, please contact us.
Methodist Church of New Zealand Minutes of Annual Conference, 1940-1980
The Methodist Church of New Zealand Minutes of the Annual Conference contain the annual reports and returns for each home as well as general information on admissions and withdrawals (statistical data), reports on the condition of the buildings and general finances for the Methodist Children's Homes.
Click here to view the Minutes of Annual Conference extracts
For more detailed information on the day to day activities of the Methodist Children's Homes, please see the digital copies of the Committee minute books below.
Methodist Children's Homes Committee Minute Books
The Committee minute books contain detailed information relating to staff, children and the day to day life at the children's homes. The surviving records are designated Restricted Access due to the personal information contained in the records, so for privacy reasons names of children have been redacted.
Click here to view the digitised Minute Books
South Island Children's Homes Admissions 1915-1924
Methodist Children's Homes Photographs
Photographs include images of the buildings, staff and children who were cared for at the homes.
Auckland Children's Home photographs
Masterton Children's Home photographs
South Island Children's Home photographs
Methodist Children's Homes Publications and Ephemera
Publications and ephemera include items such as pamphlets, invitations, programmes and newspaper cuttings.