The Taupiri Soldiers and Settlers Hall was opened in Te Putu Street, Taupiri, on 16 March 1922. It was described at the time as an imposing structure and a credit to its designers, Messrs Daniel and Lusk of Hamilton. Today it presents a somewhat altered appearance, with a façade of concrete blocks and Hinuera stone.
Whether it was actually dedicated as a memorial hall is unclear. It was referred to as the 'Soldiers’ Memorial Hall’ during fundraising, but the phrase ‘soldiers and settlers’ may simply refer to the ex-serviceman who were granted land in the area after the First World War. However, there is no record of any other First World War memorial in the township, apart from the Taupiri School roll of honour, unveiled at the local school in August 1920 (the original tablet is still held by the school but what appears to be a framed duplicate is on display in the Ngāruawāhia RSA Memorial Club.)
See: ‘The Boys Who Fought: Taupiri’s Great Record: Memorial Tablet Unveiled’, Waikato Times, 7/8/1920, p. 7; ‘District News: Taupiri’, Waikato Times, 24/12/1919, p. 10; ‘District News: Taupiri’, Waikato Times, 6/12/1921, p. 6; ‘District News: Taupiri’, Waikato Times, 21/3/1922, p. 2; Taupiri School Centenary, 1878-1978, Taupiri, 1978, p. 21.
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