Service to the district
Pain and Kershaw have served Waihenga, Martinborough and the Pirinoa district for one hundred and forty years. Through good times and bad, storms, floods and fire – a great record.
In 1865 a nineteen year old George Pain junior walked across the hills from Wellington to find work in the Wharekaka district. Two years later he joined the gold rush to Coromandel. This wasn’t a success so he worked his passage back to Wellington on a ship.
Back at Wharekaka his friends talked him into returning to Wellington to look up a merchant who would set him up in business. A Mr. Krull introduced George to a Mr Whitten who agreed to supply goods. These were pack horsed to arrive in time to trade for Christmas.
Using pack horses George established a regular route around the run holders providing them with a reliable supply of basic requirements. In 1870 he bought land at Waihenga where he built a house, and in 1873, a small ‘General Store’ on the road side. He continued his rural rounds, which went as far as the coast, with his wife looking after the store.
Late in 1879 John Martin began selling sections in his planned town of Martinborough and George purchased what he considered the best site – off the Square in line with the Martinborough Hotel. A store, which included a Post office, was built with John Gallie taken on as a partner. In 1892 the store was sold to John Gallie, however in 1896 George re-bought the store taking on Thomas Haycock as a partner.
In October 1898 John William Kershaw, who had worked for the Wairarapa Farmers Co-op Assn. which had stores in Masterton, Carterton and Pahiatua, took employment with Pain and Haycock. A year later he became a one third partner in the firm, two years on George Pain decided to go farming and sold his share to the other two men.
The Martinborough Town Board was established in 1905 with both George Pain and John Kershaw as Board Commissioners.
By 1908 a larger premises was required and building started on a large store fronting the Square and Otaraia Road (now Jellicoe street), however before this was completed the old store was destroyed by fire – a considerable blow.
The new shop was quickly completed with the newspaper of the day describing: ‘ The new shop comprises, showroom, office, bulk store, packing shed, covered in cart way at rear of building, acetylene lighting. The shop part divided into Departments, Boots and Shoes, Drapery, Grocery, Iron Mongery, Fencing material, Heavy iron goods, Furniture, Grain and produce, plus stabling accommodation in a separate part of town.
This business has traded through the long 1920s -30s depression, and survived the 1942 7.2 Wairarapa earthquake which destroyed much of the frontage. This was temporarily repaired with an extensive revamp of the building in 1953 including a new frontage.
In the 1970s the stabling was moved from its site on what is now Centennial Park to New York Street where it was converted into a residence.
May the good and goodwill of P&Ks live on for many more years Mate Higginson
