Rawene Courthouse

In Rawene is this little courthouse that was built in 1876 by Henry Kavanagh and designed by government architect William Clayton. Before the 1860s the area was mainly under Maori judicial control but following a large hui in 1861 the government established a magistrate.  Not only was it used for legal administration purposes for almost 100 years but also for hearings for the Native Land Court, later the Maori Land Court, the Magistrates and Licensing Courts but was also part of historical events such as the Dog Tax Rebellion. Funnily enough it was also used as part of the police station before the courthouse closed in the 1970s.

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