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On October 4, 1958, Governor-General Viscount Cobham formally opened the Pukekohe
War Memorial Town Hall. This imposing building on the corner of Edinburgh Street and
Massey Avenue incorporated a lobby, a large auditorium and a concert chamber. RSA
clubrooms at the rear of the building and a detached building housing Plunket rooms also
formed part of the complex.
According to NZ History, Viscount Cobham placed a wreath on the stone of remembrance at
the main entrance. This polished marble memorial stone bears the words, “1939 – 1945: We Will Remember Them”, along with a bronze wreath and bronze crusader’s sword.
Unlike other such public halls in the vicinity, the hall was built solely as a First World War
memorial. However, in 1980, the central pillar of the Pukekohe World War 1 memorial gates
was relocated from Roulston Park to a new site beside the town hall’s main entrance so that
Pukekohe’s civic Anzac Day service could be held on the one site.
On October 11, 1992, a memorial stone commemorating the presence of New Zealand and
American forces at military camps in Franklin during the Second World War was unveiled
outside the hall. The inscription on the bronze plaque attached to the stone read: “50th
Anniversary: Recognising the Presence of New Zealand and United States Forces in the
Pukekohe Military Camps and the Contribution of Citizens of the District During World War
II. Franklin Remembers. October 11 1992”.
The hall has been closed since October 2024 to allow for major revamp and strengthening
works. The $7.2 million project includes new foundations, a roof upgrade, and a full interior
refurbishment. The hall is expected to open this winter, with the exception of the annex,
which houses RSA Franklin.
The seismic upgrade includes extensive roof support works, sub-floor bracing, replacing
sections of brick walls with reinforced concrete, piling work to seven metres, steel
reinforcement to the front façade, additional steel frame support in the RSA storage area,
relining RSA bathrooms, office and lobby spaces, and gutters, rainwater heads and
downpipes.
Renewal work includes new roofing, converting the external west porch to internal lobby
space, refurbishing existing wooden, steel and aluminium window and door joinery, asbestos removal, lighting upgrades and fire protection.
