From a shaky start – the Rev'd Thatcher's annual stipend was supplemented by 88 pounds from his military and prison chaplaincies – the parish became self-supporting within 10 years.

[citation needed] The building includes a 1300-year-old stone from the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey, England, and is listed as a Category I Historic Place by Heritage New Zealand.

The church's size, location, style and musical tradition have made it a natural place for civic services to be held.

[citation needed] In recent years, St Matthew's has held civic memorial services for the victims of AIDS and the Air New Zealand Flight 901 disaster on Mount Erebus.

[7][8] Because its location frequently brought it into contact with the poor, even in its early days, St Matthew's developed a strong social justice ministry.

A leader in the protests against apartheid in South Africa during the 1981 Springbok Tour and sponsorship in 1974 of the Auckland Community Church, a congregation ministering to gays and lesbians established it as a strong voice for human rights.

In 1996 Nelson Mandela recognised that voice by coming to St Matthew's to thank New Zealand for its important role in ending apartheid.