History of our Church
Contact: Secretary@teawakairangi.nz
The Parish of St Michael’s, Taita was originally a Catholic Men’s Hut moved from Trentham Military Camp in 1947 and placed on 4.5 acres that Fr. Leo Daly, Parish Priest from Lower Hutt, bought in 1945; the same land that the church, school and presbytery still stands on today. Mass was first celebrated in Taita by Fr. J.J. Fletcher during April of 1948 while it was still part of the Lower Hutt parish. Taita became its own parish in March 1952 under the care of Fr. Joe Leahy.
The first Order of Presentation Sisters in New Zealand arrived in Taita during January 1951 to teach the 56 children at St Michael’s school. A Convent was built on the land near the church in November to house the original five Sisters; Mother Xavier, Sr. Philomena, Sr. Asicus, Sr. Perpetua and Sr. Pius. The Army hut was used as the church, hall and school with parishioners spending Friday and Sunday evenings moving the desks in and out of the church until a separate school was built in 1953.
Fr Joe, as he was affectionately known, took wonderful care of his flock’s spiritual needs but he was also a real organiser and leader with plenty of initiative which facilitated the parish to grow. Through the hard work of the parish, many volunteering their own time and money, by 1961 expansions on the church, school and Convent had been finished as well as completion of the Presbytery.
Tragedy stuck on 6 June 1963 when the church burned completely to the ground, mass was celebrated in the community hall until, under the same guidance of Fr. Joe, the new church opened on 29 May 1966.
During the 50 years since the church was rebuilt the community has grown with the Presentation Sisters welcoming new members and new Orders in the Wellington area. Cultural diversity became the special character of the parish, not only with the Samoan and Tokelauan move into the area but also with the international character of the Divine Word missionaries and St Vincent de Paul missionaries.
In 2008 Fr. Patrick McCullough became the Parish Priest of St. Michael’s and has lead the congregation with compassion and love. February 2015 saw the creation of Te Awakairangi Parish as the churches of St Michael’s, St Bernadette’s, St Martin de Porres and Ss Peter and Paul’s amalgamated to form one parish for the Hutt Valley.
Fr Raja Kommareddy, SVD, and Fr Uili Uvea, SVD, arrived in New Zealand in 2023 and joined Te Awakairangi Parish in September 2023. They initially ministered alongside Fr Patrick and the pastoral team, taking time to get to know the parish communities, become familiar with the life of the parish, and introduce themselves to the local community.
From February 2024, the Parish of Te Awakairangi has been entrusted to the pastoral care of the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD), working in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Wellington. Fr Raja Kommareddy, SVD, was appointed Parish Priest and was formally installed by Archbishop Paul Martin, SM, at the 5:30 pm Mass on Sunday, 11 February 2024. During 2024, Fr Raja worked closely with Fr Uili Uvea, SVD, and Barbara Rowley, who was serving as the Lay Pastoral Leader. Barbara concluded her role as Lay Pastoral Leader as part of the Archdiocese of Wellington’s restructuring and retired from the position. Her many years of service to Te Awakairangi Parish, particularly at St Bernadette’s and in the Naenae community, were gratefully acknowledged, with her final parish farewell taking place in February 2025.
The assistant priests who have served in the parish since 2024 include Fr Uili Uvea, SVD, who served for one year in 2024; Fr Sunil Nagothu, SVD, from March to October 2025; Fr Michael Knight, SVD, during October and December 2025; Fr Michael Hardie, SVD, during November 2025; Fr Noel Corcino, SVD, from January to October 2025; and Fr John Sang Le, SVD, from July to December 2025.
In October 2025, St Martin de Porres Church was closed and deconsecrated, and the Mass times were moved to St Michael’s Church in Taita to support the community and enable the people to continue gathering for worship. During this transition, the parish also brought some of the sacred symbols and items from St Martin de Porres to the other parish communities, helping to preserve the memory, history and spiritual connection of the community within the wider parish.
This period also strengthened the parish’s understanding of itself as a community of communities, where people from different churches are invited to support one another and share in the life and mission of the parish. The parish continues to reach out to the wider community through social services, practical support and pastoral care. This includes the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society, the support and involvement of the Passionist community, and the generous service of individual parishioners, families and parish groups. The parish also supports refugees, new migrants and families from different ethnic and cultural communities who are settling into the Hutt Valley. Individuals and groups within the parish respond to practical needs, offer friendship and hospitality, provide assistance where possible, and help connect people with appropriate local services and support. In this way, the parish seeks to be present to people not only through worship, but also through practical care, welcome, service and outreach.
Fr Bill Burt, SVD, began serving in the parish on 15 January 2026, and Fr Satheesh Voora, SVD, began on 18 February 2026. The current pastoral team of Te Awakairangi Parish consists of Fr Raja Kommareddy, SVD, as Parish Priest, together with the assistant priests, Fr Bill Burt, SVD, and Fr Satheesh Voora, SVD.
While continuing the existing ministries of the parish, from 2026 Fr Raja has called the parish communities to a renewed focus on ministry and leadership, inspired by the principles of Divine Renovation. The focus is on becoming intentional disciples of Christ, strengthening the formation of lay people, and encouraging them to take up ministries wherever possible. The parish is also inviting new members to become involved in ministry, renewing their commitment to Christ and their baptismal promises.
Alongside this renewal within the parish, there is also a growing focus on reaching out to the wider local community through social services, practical support and outreach. Through this renewal, the parish seeks to become a welcoming and missionary community, forming intentional disciples of Christ, strengthening lay leadership, and being a visible presence of Christ in the wider Hutt Valley community.