The Glorit War Memorial Hall was built after the Second World War. The roll of honour displayed inside is a framed, hand-lettered wooden tablet that lists the names of nine local servicemen from the First World War, ten from the Second World War, and one from the Korean War.
The hall was registered as a society on 18 December 2019 and officially became the Glorit War Memorial Hall Inc.
Everyone is welcome to come along to events held at the hall that are organized by the Hall Committee, there is always something going on from fortnightly Games Night, monthly Roast Dinner (held on a Sunday), annual Christmas Party and other events in between.
Anyone can be a sponsor of the hall (updated annually) – all sponsors whether individual, family or business will have their name printed on our sponsorship board which is displayed inside the hall
Local residents can also be a financial member of the hall, although anyone can attend the Annual General Meeting being a financial member enables you to vote , membership is renewed annually.
Local History
John and Margaret Gardner, who arrived in New Zealand in 1861 along with their two sons, purchased about 2000 ha of land from Hori Te Mori in 1868 and gave the area its name Glorat, after his home village in Scotland when they named their new farm. Apparently struggling to understand their broad Scottish accent the land clerk misspelt the name when registering the farm, and Glorit has stuck.
The current Mataia homestead was built in 1891 and, along with the farm, is still in the Gardner family.
The farming community has become something of a conservation enclave in more recent times including with Gillian Adshead (nee Gardner) and her husband Kevin heavily involved with a pest eradication project which saw brown kiwi returned to the wild on Mataia farm. They are also involved with the Forest Bridge Trust raising funds and encouraging farmers to fence off remnant bush in the area, particularly along the Hoteo River and school children and communities to do pest trapping locally.
The local Puatahi Marae (located on the northern side) part of Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, has been heavily involved with pest control in the 615 hectare former Department of Conservation reserve Atuanui/Mt Auckland since taking it over as part of their Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
Two marae are located south of the main settlement: Araparera Marae or Te Aroha Pā and its Kia Mahara meeting house, and Kakanui Marae and Te Kia Ora meeting house. Both are tribal meeting grounds for Ngāti Rāngo, Ngāti Whātua and Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara.
Glorit Hall 