There are two churches in Matawai, St Mary's Anglican Church and St Bede’s Catholic Church.

The Matawai Anglican Church was opened on 21 March 1917 by Archdeacon Williams and on 25 November 1917 the Bishop of Waiapu consecrated the church in the name of St Mary the Virgin. The organ was donated by Mr T Williams of Tuparoa. The architect was F de J Clere of Wellington and the building contractor Mr E W Emmerson of Matawai. The rimu furniture was made by the building contractor from local timber.

St Mary's is a small scale Gothic revival timber church, an example of a typical Clere country church having many standard features of his work, including vertical board and batten cladding and lancet windows with shallow trefoil head in rectangular frames. It is the twin church of the nearby St Paul's Motu, also designed by Clere.

Before the churches were built in Matawai, church services were held at Matawai in settlers homes, the hall or the school. Anglican, Presbyterian and Catholic services were held, with the minister or priest travelling to Matawai for the service.

The Anglican Parochial District of Matawai was formed on 30 June 1916, including Matawai, Rakauroa, Otoko, and Motu. The Rev. John Pigott was the first vicar of Matawai Parish from 27 January 1916 until 1918. Subsequent vicars based in Matawai were: Rev. Doug Bloomfield Malcolm 1918-19, Rev A. E. Hunt 1920-21, Rev E. C. R. Beale 1922-24 and Rev C. E. G. Salt 1924-28. A 25 foot by 11 foot cottage was built as vicarage in 1916 on the section next to the planned church by Mr Emmerson and was enlarged in 1920. In May 1928, owing to an unsatisfactory financial position, it was decided that the Matawai parish would became part of the Te Karaka parish again and the vicar from Te Karaka would hold services in Matawai.

Jim Langer, who attended Matawai School with me, provided the following history of the Catholic Church. The Matawai Catholic Church of St Bede was built in about 1890 and was originally located at Ormond. It was moved in 1923 to the Waipaoa Flats, where a large flood in 1948 swept through the church. The church was dismantled after the flood and brought up to Matawai. Built from locally-milled rimu, the building still securely shelters parishioners on a rainy Sunday morning.

Matawai Anglican Church.

Matawai Catholic Church on the main street (State Highway 2).