Whakapapa

The Houchen Story

The Houchen story begins in England with Edward Houchen Snr. He was the son of an Anglican Cleric and Vicar in Cornwall, and emigrated to Auckland, New Zealand with his family in 1885.

In 1897, Edward’s oldest son, Edward Charles Houchen married Laura Margaret Vernon with whom he had eight children: Grace, Edward Jnr, Leslie, Winifred, Enid, Doris, Eric, and Maurice. Edward raised his family at their Te Mata, Raglan farm for many years. They named their farm Tirohanga – meaning perspective, or a raised place from which one can see a long way – after a neighbouring mountain.

In 1922, Edward Charles sold the farm, and with his family and 30 cows, moved to the 147 acres he initially purchased on this site on the outskirts of Hamilton. They brought with them the name Tirohanga for this new farm. At that time, there was no road and no water supply. The family worked hard to clear the land, and formed Houchens Road themselves with a scoop and a team of bullocks.

Over the years, the farm was extended – at one point going from Ohaupo Road to north of the Rukuhia railway line. Now, all that remains of the farm is the site on which Tirohanga now sits.

Houchen Retreat House

The Houchen Retreat House, which operated on this site from the mid-1980’s until 2018 was born out of Doris Houchen’s desire to have a suitable venue in Hamilton to hold residential retreats.

Due to the keen public response for such a venue, Doris, her brother Edward, and members of the Houchen family formed a private charitable trust in 1979. Through the trust they gifted the five-and-a-half acres on which the current site sits, along with the money to build the first of the buildings – the Main Centre (now known as The Lounge). This building was completed in the mid-1980’s, and ten years later, a second building was added, along with the Chapel. The Doris Houchen Memorial Chapel was dedicated in 1993, three years after her death.

In 2002 the grounds were landscaped, the last of the farm fences within the property were removed, and the Labyrinth and gazebo at the top of the site were added. The space on which the Labyrinth and the gazebo sit serve as a fitting reminder of the name the Houchen family chose for their farm – Tirohanga. In the family’s own words, they wanted this space to “be the raised place from which we can pause and with fresh vision see beyond immediate concerns to that which calls us forward.”
Over the years, Houchen Retreat House was used to host trainings, conferences, overnight stays, continuing education, and even the occasional wedding.

Tirohanga – A New Perspective

In 2019, the formal process began for the transfer of Houchen Trust and its assets – mainly Houchen Retreat – to the care of Momentum Waikato. With the vision of the Houchen family and Momentum Waikato’s aim being strongly aligned, it was a natural fit. In accordance with the intent of the Houchen family, Momentum Waikato made a firm commitment to ensure that Houchen Retreat would continue to serve and benefit the local community.

Following a board meeting in 2019, Momentum Waikato identified Wise Group as the best partner to progress Houchen Retreat, so that it can once again support and nurture the local community in meaningful and transformational ways. Wise Group entered an agreement in November 2019, demonstrating a shared commitment to the goal of creating a contemporary wellbeing destination at Houchen Retreat that is transformational, scalable and replicable.

When considering possible names, it was important that any chosen name supported the Wise Group and community’s vision for the space, while also honouring the gift of the Houchen family. It was decided that the space would adopt the original name of the farm and become Tirohanga – The Houchen Wellness Space.