A fire that destroyed the inside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Te Hauke is now being treated as suspicious.

Police confirmed today that a scene examination had now been carried out by its officers and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and inquiries into the cause and who was responsible continued.

Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber said he had a feeling from the outset that the fire on October 12, which left only a portrait of Jesus untouched by flames or water damage, was suspicious.

“In terms of how fast the chapel went up and how big the fire was, it doesn’t surprise me at all that they are treating it as suspicious.”

Barber said there was still a lot of sadness and disappointment within the community that the chapel had been destroyed.

“The loss of the chapel has left a lot of hurt feelings at Te Hauke and in the wider Kahungunu community.

“We hope the police get to the bottom of it and find out who the perpetrator was.

“For a small community like Te Hauke, I can’t think why someone would want to do that, but hopefully the police have got leads.”

At the time of the fire, Fire and Emergency NZ said crews were able to contain it to the chapel area, but the church was destroyed.

The administration wing was affected only by smoke damage.

Barber said the congregation continued to worship in Waipukurau in the meantime, and there was no estimation of the cost of the damage or decisions made on a rebuild.

“As for the immediate community in Te Hauke, it is a very hard thing for them to drive past their chapel in its current state.”

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.