About Us

In April 2027, we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of our opening in 1977. But the history of our charitable trust, which operates Tauhara Centre, goes back much earlier to 1912.

A group of far-sighted Founders in Havelock North, Hawkes Bay got together to meditate and explore the mystical traditions within many of the mainstream religions and spiritual traditions. They included in their enquiry a wide range of teachings from quite alternative sources and ways of seeing the world we all inhabit. They may have been conservative Anglicans as well: but they took the wider view of seeing merit in so much of the many other spiritual traditions and teachings of the world.

This all-encompassing vision of tolerance, inclusivity, community, sustainability, service and the right of every person to reach their own conclusions in matters of faith and belief, or none, led to the establishment of a charitable trust in 1938. Soon after, they purchased land in Taupo on the Mt Tauhara side of the town. They envisaged the eventual building of a Centre in Taupo, which would host activities reflecting these values. It was not until 1977, however, after the purchase of land at the present site a few years earlier, that their vision was to take visible form. Sadly, none of the Founders lived to see their dreams fulfilled. Nevertheless, the values they espoused continue to inspire the present members of the Tauhara Centre Trust Board, today.

Anyone wishing to explore these origins more deeply will find the following books useful:

Ellwood, Robert S Islands of the dawn: the story of alternative spirituality in New Zealand. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 1993

Isaac, Skye Tauhara: the growing of an educational and spiritual centre. Hastings: Cliff Press, 2002

Wright, Matthew Havelock North: the history of a village. Hastings: Hastings District Council, 1996

It is possible to enjoy the beautiful environment of Tauhara without payment, by making an application, preferably by email, to join our team of residential volunteers. Often called Wwoofing or work exchange, you will be helping out around the Centre in the kitchen, housekeeping or grounds and gardens departments. The initial period of two weeks can be extended by mutual agreement, but sometimes may not be possible due to the number of applicants who are booked in. We receive many applications online from external volunteer agencies, such as HelpEx, Do Good Jobs, Workaway and WWOOF NZ, but you do not need to belong to any of these to become a volunteer at Tauhara.

Tauhara was initially registered as a charitable trust back in 1939, and it continues to be so. The focus of the Trust Board, apart from remaining true to the values of our Founders, is to take good care of all the buildings, facilities and grounds, to ensure their maintenance, quite a challenge with 50 years old infrastructure. Essentially, our Board works hard to maintain this jewel for all who currently live in Aotearoa New Zealand, and to hand it over in good shape to the coming generations. As a non-profit organisation, it invests any surpluses in any given year in order to be ready to replace and repair any assets that need a little TLC. Every year, the Trust Board submits financial reports (compiled by our external accountants) and statements of service performance to Charities Services, Department of Internal Affairs, and our annual reports are posted each year on the Tauhara website (HYPERLINK)