The Kaiwaka Community Centre War Memorial was opened on 14 October 1952. It was built as a memorial to the men and women from the Kaiwaka Riding of Otamatea County who had served during the Second World War. As well as the main hall, there were a Plunket room, rest rooms, a supper room and a library.
Rolls of honour for both world wars were installed on either side of the stage. The existing First World War roll of honour for Kaiwaka School and District was transferred to the new hall. It listed 26 names as ‘ex-pupils’, 24 as ‘residents’, and 10 as ‘born in district’. The Second World War roll of honour listed 58 names.
The two other settlements of the riding, Hakaru and Mangawhai, compiled their own rolls of honour. The Hakaru roll of honour is in the local RSA Hall in Settlement Road and the Mangawhai roll of honour is in a former interdenominational church building, now known as the CauseWay Church, on the corner of Moir and Leslie Streets, Mangawhai.
Sources: Centennial of Kaiwaka: Rautau O Kaiwaka, 2nd ed., Kaiwaka, 1959, pp. 74-9, 91-3; Roger T.W. Smith, Stories Tall, Stories Short: Kaiwaka, 1959-2009, Kaiwaka, 2009, pp. 64-6 (includes photos of both Kaiwaka rolls of honour).
Community contributions