The fire has devastated the community, Parish chairman Collin Fromont said.

Mr Fromont said he had not seen the inside of the building, but its roof had been destroyed.

"It's a great family parish we have at Philomena so it's not just going to affect the older parishioners, it's going to affect the kids as well," Mr Fromont said.

The church was insured and while it is "early days", at the moment Mr Fromont said he assumed it would be rebuilt.

Central fire communications shift manager Mike Wanoa said at the height of the blaze about 35 firefighters, seven appliances and supporting units were battling the fire.

It took about an hour to get the fire under control and some crews were still at the site dampening down hotspots, Mr Wanoa said.

The cause was not yet known, but a fire investigator would begin an inquiry into how it started.

Nobody was injured in the blaze and no other buildings damaged, Mr Wanoa said.

Sources

• NZ Herald
• Image: Stuff