80th Anniversary of our Mapua Community Hall

Name: 80th Anniversary of our Mapua Community Hall
Start: 2025-10-17T08:00:00+13:00
Location: 72 Aranui Road, Mapua, New Zealand 7005

Schedule

Fri, 17 Oct, 2025 at 08:00 am

UTC+13:00

Location

72 Aranui Road, Mapua, New Zealand 7005 | Nelson, NE

Past and future hall users are cordially invited to join us on Friday 17 th October to celebrate 80 years of the Mapua Hall 6 - 9pm.
In 1919 the Māpua Packing Shed was built by the Nelson Fruitgrowers Coop next door to the Māpua Coolstore at Port Māpua. The shed also served as a community hall .
In 1944 a disused Kina packing shed was obtained and moved to its current location in 72 Aranui Road to be used as a new Mapua Hall.
On 9 March 1945, the new Māpua Hall was formally opened.
Fruit Packing Contest at Mapua
Apple packing competitions would be held every year in the hall and were always well attended both by contributing packers and audiences. They were enthusiastic and very noisy affairs. Packers would be lined up on the stage of the Māpua Hall.
Some would misjudge their apple throw from the bin to the paper in the other hand.
Many apples escaped and career over the heads of the audience below and roll to the back of the hall.
Ruby Aberhart notes in her memoir “one year I won the women’s apple packing championships at Māpua Hall. The hall used to be crowded …..