By Roselyn Fauth
I have walked past this place more times than I can count. It sits on George Street, just across from Barnard Street. The property came up at a Timaru Civic Trust meeting the other night, and I realised I did not know anything about it. I did not know it had been a community centre, or that this building was Timaru’s official Centennial Memorial, opened in 1940 to mark one hundred years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. It was built specifically for women. I found a newspaper article, and that has inspired today’s blog.
On 2 April 1940, the Mayor of Timaru stood outside this very building and said he was dedicating it to the memory of the women pioneers of New Zealand. He acknowledged the women who had endured hardship, stood alongside their husbands, raised families in rough conditions, and helped shape the region from the ground up. He said they had gone wherever their men went, and more often than not, with even less recognition. The words he used were solemn: “Whither thou goest, I will go.”
The building had been proposed by the Borough Council and taken up jointly with the Levels County Council, with financial support from the Government. I did not know that its architect was Mr V. H. Panton, or that Mr A. Kennedy built it. Inside, there were rooms for antenatal care, a waiting room for Plunket, a lounge for women to rest, and a crèche. There was even a space for writing. Upstairs, a meeting hall and the caretaker’s flat made it feel more like a hub than an office. There was also a playground. It was described at the time as modern in every detail.
When I looked further, I found that the speeches on opening day were not only civic and formal. They were emotional. There was grief too. The Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage, had died just days before and was meant to attend. The war was casting a shadow over everything. But the focus here was hopeful. Speakers talked about mothers, about children, about women finally having a place to gather and rest. The Mayoress said it was a gift the women of Timaru would treasure.
This building was more than bricks and utility. It was a public statement that women’s labour mattered — a working memorial to care, placed right in the centre of town. I had thought it was just a practical space, but now I see it differently.
We needed a women’s centre in 1940 because mothers needed somewhere clean, safe, and welcoming to rest, feed a baby, or meet with others, not as a luxury but as a right. This building recognised that women’s labour, so often unpaid and overlooked, was vital to the wellbeing of our communities. It was not just functional. It was symbolic. It said that women mattered. And that still matters today.
To be honest, I have found it tricky at times to have my young girls in town with me. As soon as we hit a code brown, there was nowhere I could find that felt suitable to change a nappy or breastfeed unless I was a paying customer. Reading the article about the 1940 Women’s Community Centre really made me stop and think. It made me realise that in some ways, we were actually more progressive back then. Our town had a warm, welcoming public space that was purpose-built for mothers and young children. It was not hidden away or tied to shopping, but placed right in the heart of town. We have lost that. And I think it is time we asked why.
When I look at what the Women’s Community Centre offered in 1940, it feels like they got so much right. A central space with a rest lounge, a crèche, a writing corner, a Plunket room, and even a little playground, all built with public funding and care. It recognised that women, especially mothers, needed a place in town that was not tied to spending money. If we had something like that today, I imagine it as a calm, welcoming space where you could breastfeed or change a nappy without stress, where you might meet other mums or find support without needing an appointment. A space that offered tea, conversation, a play corner, and a sense of belonging.
The original Women’s Community Centre focused on supporting mothers with practical needs such as rest, feeding, child care, and antenatal services. It was a hands-on space for daily family life. In contrast, the South Canterbury Women’s Wellness Centre today takes a broader, more holistic approach. It provides emotional support, health information, and personal empowerment through drop-in conversations and referrals. While their services differ, both centres share the same purpose: creating a safe, welcoming place for women to be supported, heard, and valued in their community.
The Women’s Wellness Centre describes itself as a relaxed, confidential space where women of all ages can talk openly about physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. It promotes preventative healthcare, offers one-to-one and group support, and connects women with other community-based services. It is free, no referral is needed, and it serves women across Timaru, Waimate, and the Mackenzie. While it does not provide rest lounges or crèches, it carries forward the spirit of welcoming care.
I began to wonder whether Plunket has helped to pick up some of the goals from the 1940s property. Plunket, now known as Whānau Āwhina Plunket, is one of New Zealand’s oldest child health organisations. Founded in 1907 by Dr Truby King, it aimed to reduce infant mortality and support mothers. For much of the twentieth century, Plunket nurses were a trusted presence in nearly every community, offering home visits, advice, and clinics.
Today, Plunket still provides essential services such as Well Child checks, breastfeeding support, and parenting guidance. But it no longer offers the kind of open, drop-in spaces that centres like the 1940 Women’s Community Centre once provided. Its services are usually by appointment and often take place in clinical settings. While Plunket continues to support families, it does not offer the everyday, walk-in welcome that allowed mothers to rest, feed, or connect without needing a reason to be there.
We no longer offer what was created in the 1940s because public spaces like the Women’s Community Centre have gradually been replaced by commercial environments and more clinical, targeted services. The original centre recognised everyday care work as essential and provided practical, generous support for mothers. That kind of provision has largely disappeared, even though the need remains. It raises the question of whether we still value care in the same way, and what it would take to make space for it again.
Refrence: The Press, 2 April 1940 and Timaru Herald, 3 April 1940
Highlighting the centre as a Centennial memorial to support women and detailing its amenities - https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19400403.2.23
The Temuka rest rooms preceded the Timaru rest rooms by around three years and included; Plunket Society room, Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) rest rooms and the Library and librarian’s residence
Another example of a women’s rest facility in South Canterbury is the former Temuka Library, Plunket Society and Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Rest Rooms, located at 53–57 King Street in Temuka. Completed in 1927, this civic building was a product of community collaboration and progressive social values. The project was spearheaded by the Temuka Mechanics’ Institute, with financial support from both the Temuka Borough and Geraldine County Councils, and a substantial personal donation of £500 from local Member of Parliament T. D. Burnett, who also laid the foundation stone in June 1926. Designed by the respected Timaru architectural firm Turnbull and Rule, the building’s neoclassical style conveyed civic pride and public respectability, with its symmetrical street-facing façade, pedimented entrance, rusticated pilasters, and elegant arched windows.
The inclusion of rooms for the Plunket Society, which offered vital maternal and child health services, and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which advocated for women’s rights, public morality, and temperance, gave the building a strong social focus. The rest rooms provided a clean, quiet, and respectable place where women and children could rest, nurse infants, or wait between train connections or appointments in town. During the interwar period, such facilities were part of a wider national movement that recognised the needs of women in public life and supported the evolving role of women as active participants in civic affairs. In this respect, the Temuka rest rooms echoed broader efforts throughout New Zealand to provide for the comfort and dignity of women, particularly in rural and provincial centres.
Importantly, the building also contained a residence for the librarian, a feature that points to its layered purpose as both a public amenity and a place of lived experience. It remained in community use for decades before the construction of a new library in the 1990s, after which the building passed into private ownership and was later converted into a restaurant and eventually a residence. Despite these changes, the building’s heritage value has been retained, and it is still recognised for its architectural, cultural, and social significance. As part of a civic precinct that includes the former Temuka Post Office and Courthouse, the former library and women’s rest rooms stand as a tangible reminder of the community’s commitment to public service, female welfare, and accessible education in the early twentieth century.
Interesting to note that Temuka had a womens rest as well: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/673933/Historic-Heritage-Assessment-Report-HHI111-Former-Temuka-Library,-Plunket-Society-and-WCTU-Rest-Room-Category-B.pdf
I’d Love to Learn More About...
How long did the Women’s Community Centre operate in its original form?
Was it still being used by women’s groups and mothers in the decades that followed, or did its purpose gradually shift?
Did the Plunket Society continue to use the building after 1940?
If so, for how long, and what kinds of services were offered to local families over time?
Were other groups... like the Timaru Townswomen’s Guild or the Country Women’s Institute, based there too?
Did this become a regular meeting place for women from rural communities?
Was the building ever officially recognised as a heritage site?
Is there a plaque, listing, or archival record acknowledging its history as a centennial memorial to women?
Have there been any renovations or changes to the building’s structure or purpose since it opened?
Was it ever extended, repurposed, or modernised?
What is the building used for today?
Does it still serve the community, and if so, who uses it now?
Are there any personal stories or memories from people who visited the centre as children, mothers, or volunteers?
It would be wonderful to collect oral histories or photos from families who remember it in everyday use.
Why has this history faded from view?
It was clearly a source of civic pride in 1940, what caused it to slip from public memory?
Who was Micheal Savage
Michael Joseph Savage was New Zealand’s 23rd Prime Minister and the first to lead a Labour Government. Born in Victoria, Australia, in 1872, he emigrated to New Zealand in 1907 and quickly became active in the trade union movement. He was instrumental in the formation of the New Zealand Labour Party in 1916 and served as Member of Parliament for Auckland West from 1919 until his death in 1940. Savage was elected Prime Minister in 1935 and remained in office until his passing, leading a government that fundamentally reshaped the social fabric of the country.
Savage is best remembered as the architect of New Zealand’s welfare state. His government introduced landmark legislation, including the Social Security Act 1938, which provided for free healthcare, family benefits, state housing, and old-age pensions. Deeply committed to the wellbeing of ordinary people, Savage became a beloved figure, often referred to as “Everybody’s Uncle.” His portrait hung in homes across the country, a symbol of care, humility, and progressive reform.
He also led New Zealand into the Second World War in 1939, declaring the country’s alignment with Britain in a statement that became iconic: “Where she goes, we go. Where she stands, we stand.” Savage died in office on 27 March 1940. His state funeral was followed by the construction of a national memorial at Bastion Point in Auckland, where he is buried.
In Timaru, his death was keenly felt. He had been invited to open the new Women’s Community Centre as part of New Zealand’s Centennial celebrations, but his declining health made that impossible. During the opening on 2 April 1940, speakers paid tribute to his leadership and the values he stood for — public service, social responsibility, and dignity for all — values that the new Centre was designed to uphold.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Joseph_Savage
When I read that Michael Joseph Savage is best remembered as the architect of New Zealand’s welfare state, I find myself thinking not just about policy, but about people. The idea that everyone deserves dignity, care, rest, and security was radical at the time and still feels urgent today. It is not just about benefits or housing. It is about creating spaces where people, especially women and children, are supported in their daily lives. That is exactly what the Women’s Community Centre in Timaru was built for in 1940. It is easy to forget that a modest brick building can carry the weight of a social vision. Savage’s legacy reminds me that public buildings can be more than functional. They can reflect who we are and what we value. And in a time where community services are under pressure and inequality is growing again, stories like this call us back to a more generous way of thinking.
Reading about the Centre and what it was built for also took me on a bit of a side quest. I wanted to know more about the Prime Minister who had been invited to open it, and that led me to Michael Joseph Savage. I had heard his name, but I had not realised the scale of what he stood for. He was the one who believed that care, health, housing, and dignity should be part of our collective responsibility. Learning that this building was connected to him made me see it differently. It was not just about convenience for mothers. It was part of a bigger vision... a belief that society should make space for care, not just commerce.
Who was in his life that may have inspired him
Rose Savage
Rose was Michael Joseph Savage’s older sister and played a formative role in his early life. After the death of their mother when Michael was only five, Rose became his primary caregiver. Her death in childbirth in 1891, followed closely by the death of their brother Joe, had a profound impact on him. In their memory, he adopted the name Michael Joseph. Rose’s early nurturing and tragic loss likely contributed to Savage’s later empathy for mothers and working families.
Elizabeth French
Elizabeth French was the wife of Alf French, with whom Savage boarded after moving to Auckland in 1908. He lived with the French family for over thirty years, and Elizabeth provided a stable home environment throughout his political career. Though there is no suggestion of a romantic relationship, she was a steady and supportive presence in his life. Elizabeth managed the household and offered the kind of domestic grounding that enabled Savage to focus on his public service. Their long-standing arrangement was a source of companionship and comfort for a man who never married and remained deeply committed to his political mission.
Dr Florence Keller
Dr Florence Keller was a medical doctor and political colleague of Savage during the early years of the Labour movement in Auckland. In the 1915 local body elections, she was the only successful candidate backed by the Labour Representation Committee, of which Savage was secretary. Her success and work in public health aligned with the values that Savage would later champion at a national level. Keller’s involvement as a woman professional in Labour politics helped shape the policy environment that supported healthcare reforms. Though she operated in Auckland, her influence was part of the broader network of reformers who helped lay the groundwork for Savage’s welfare state.
Did he have connections to Timaru?
As Savage’s body returned to Auckland in late March 1940, it passed through many towns across the North and South Islands. The Timaru Herald noted that "unseen hundreds of thousands in all parts of New Zealand" mourned his passing. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD19400401.2.68
In 1936, Prime Minister Savage hosted Olympic champion Jack Lovelock, who then toured New Zealand as a government guest. Lovelock visited his hometown of Timaru during that tour, and while Savage wasn’t with him there, the event tied Savage indirectly to a celebrated figure from Timaru. https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/41711/jack-lovelock-and-michael-joseph-savage-1936?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Timeline: Timaru Women’s Community Centre (George Street)
1939
Proposal Initiated, The Timaru Borough Council proposes a centennial memorial project to mark 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The idea is to create a Women’s Community Centre rather than a traditional statue or monument.
Joint Funding Agreement. The Levels County Council agrees to partner in the project. Funding is sourced from both councils and supplemented by a Government subsidy.
Design and Construction. Local architect Mr V. H. Panton is commissioned to design the building. Builder Mr A. Kennedy is appointed for construction. The design includes:
- A women’s rest lounge
- A crèche and children’s playground
- Antenatal and Plunket rooms
- A women’s meeting hall with kitchenette
- Caretaker’s accommodation upstairs
Early 1940. Completion of the Building. Construction is finalised. The total cost is £4,600, with an additional £350 for furnishings. Located in King George Place, facing Barnard Street, it is praised as a modern facility for its time.
2 April 1940
Official Opening Ceremony A large public ceremony is held as part of Timaru’s Centennial Celebrations. Mayor W. G. Tweedy formally opens the centre, dedicating it to the memory of New Zealand’s pioneering women. Floral tributes, band music, and decorated buildings create a festive atmosphere.
Public Speeches Emphasise Women’s Roles
Speakers include Rev. Clyde Carr, M.P., Mr R. B. Garrick (Chair, Levels County), and the Mayoress.
All highlight the symbolic importance of the centre as a living memorial to women’s contribution to South Canterbury.
The Plunket Society and Timaru Townswomen’s Guild are acknowledged for their involvement.
1940s Onwards
The Centre functions as a practical facility for mothers and children. It also serves as a meeting place for women’s groups, including Plunket, antenatal services, and community organisations. It becomes part of the daily life of women in town and country.