“Honour the past. Carry it forward. That is the legacy of St Paul’s” – Maria Herbert
As the city of Christchurch embraces its new and pristine stadium, it has also been a chance to celebrate a small yet meaningful Pasifika slice on the new grounds.
Planted at the outside corner is a plaque, which marks the spot where the St Paul’s Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church once stood.
Originally built in 1876 as St Pauls Presbyterian Church, it merged with the Trinity Pacific Congregational Church in 1969 and became St Paul’s Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church.
A safe haven that became a place of worship and praise for many Pacific families in Christchurch through the years, it suffered extensive damage through a fire and the first earthquake in 2010, before being torn down after the major 2011 quake.
A few weeks after the new stadium opened in April, a small remembrance service was held by the St Pauls Presbyterian congregation, to reveal the new plaque. It was a moment for many to reflect on the many memories and stories of the past.
One of those who knew the old church building well is Maria Herbert. Being present at the plaque ceremony was very emotional for her.
“That land holds everything for me personally. I was born, baptised, and confirmed at St Paul’s. My parents were married there. My siblings were born into PIC. I watched people arrive as babies and leave as elders. I watched families grow. That rhythm of life, all of it rooted in that one place, is what I carry with me,” Maria says.
“To stand there and see that plaque — honouring the ground where so much of my life’s story began — it brought everything rushing back. The joy, the grief, the belonging. That place is not just a location. It is the foundation of who I am.”
Now working in her role as a principal for Te Aratai College, Maria says it was a full circle moment for her, as she also was able to take her high school students to perform on the grounds in the stadium’s opening.
Te Aratai Colleges polyfest group performed at the Super Rugby Super Round at the stadium, which was the first major event on the new pitch.
“I grew up as a Sunday school member, became a teacher, then a youth leader, and now I serve as an elder of St Paul’s. So to stand at that stadium as Principal of Te Aratai College, watching my students perform — rangatahi from the same community, on ground connected to everything PIC Christchurch built — it meant everything,” Maria says.
“Because I was once that young person on that land, performing, worshipping, belonging. Seeing them there was like watching the migrant dream keep walking forward on its own two feet.”
Maria says she also wants the plaque to serve as a reminder to the youth of her church to honour those who have paved the way throughout St Paul’s Pacific Trinity’s Presbyterian history.
“I hope they feel the weight of it — not just read the names, but truly feel them. Everything I’ve shared across these questions points to one thing: that plaque represents lives fully lived and sacrifices quietly made so that we could stand where we stand today” she says.
“That plaque is proof. And one day, they will be the ones whose names, whose sacrifices, whose love, matters to the generation coming up behind them. Honour the past. Carry it forward. That is the legacy of St Paul’s.”
