St John the Divine Anglican Church, Otakeho, was built in 1893, consecrated in 1894, extended in 1954, and closed in 2015. The building was deconsecrated in 2017 and put up for sale in 2018. In 2021 it was moved 12 kilometres down the road to Pihama, where it has been carefully restored.
By agreement with the families concerned, two individual war memorial items were moved with the church: the baptismal font, dedicated in August 1917 to the memory of Sergeant Major Outram Marshall Young, who died of wounds in France on 4 October 1916; and the church gate, dedicated to the memory of Private James Robert Hastie of Manaia, who died in North Africa on 23 November 1941.
See: 'St John's Church, Otakeho: dedication of memorial font and organ', Hawera and Normanby Star, 27/8/1917, p. 4; 'Roll of honour: St John's, Otakeho' [public notice], Hawera and Normanby Star, 21/5/1919, p. 1, col. 5; Otakeho District and School Souvenir Booklet, 1884-1964; Susan Maclean, Architect of the Angels: The Churches of Frederick De Jersey Clare, 2003; Bruce Dickson Architecture, St John the Divine Historic Church, 4 Campbell Road -Otakeho, Taranaki, May 2020; 'Old church is set to move', Taranaki Daily News, 25/9/2020, p. 4; 'A new home for old church', Taranaki Daily News, 8/5/2021, p. 2; 'Another chapter begins for Otekaho church', Opunake & Coastal News, 20/3/2023, p. 21.
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