There are few rural settlements remaining in the Wellington area that have had as long and interesting history as the Ohariu district. Along with the historic church just along the road, the Ohariu Valley Community Hall stands out as an important building, and is one of the oldest rural community buildings anywhere in Wellington.
Ohariu was settled by a few New Zealand Company settlers in the 1840s but it was not until the Ohariu Road was completed in 1858 that settlement began in earnest. The area benefited from further improvements in access in the mid-1860s but, despite this and its close proximity to Wellington, it has not grown beyond a modestly populated rural area.
By the early 1900s Ohariu required a new meeting and social venue and its community turned to MP William Field for support and ideas. Field, who was also a lawyer, suggested the formation of a private company to raise the capital and build the hall. It was proposed that 72 shares at £5 each be allocated to 25 shareholders. The shareholders included some of the valley’s prominent settlers as well as some well-known outsiders such as Field and Alexander Turnbull, bibliophile and founder of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
The opening capital was some way short of the anticipated figure but the Ohariu Valley Hall Company was formed on 12 October 1905. By the time the land for the hall was bought from W. Beech, most of the money had still not been raised so money had to be borrowed. Local resident, Thomas Bryant, came to the rescue with a loan of £350 and work began. The builders were Skinner and Wackrow and the hall opened on 25 April 1906. A ball was held to mark the occasion. The private company was debt free by 1918 but (deliberately) no dividend was ever paid to the shareholders.
The hall was in regular use from the beginning. Anniversary balls were significant events but there were also birthday parties, wedding receptions and dances. Scout meetings and socials were held there during the 1930s and 40s. From 1933 a social committee organised many of the activities. A new committee formed in 1946 to run the hall addressed a problem with deferred maintenance. This committee duly raised funds and obtained a grant, which was put towards extending the ‘Ladies Room’, painting the interior and overhauling the piano. Despite this temporary deferral, hall records indicate that the building has generally always been well cared for. The building was even used as a temporary classroom in the early 1970s.
Perhaps the single most significant event hosted at the hall was early in its life, when Premier Joseph Ward and other parliamentarians attended a farewell function for MP William Field in 1908. The hall remains in regular use as a community facility today.
