(1828–68).

Adventurer, gold miner, farmer, and soldier.

A new biography of Tempsky, Gustavus Ferdinand von appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Gustavus Ferdinand von Tempsky was born in Leignitz, Silesia, in 1828, the son of a lieutenant-colonel in the Prussian Army. Destined for the army from earliest childhood, he entered the Berlin Military School at a tender age and in 1844, at the extraordinary age of 16, he received his commission in the 3rd Fusiliers of Prussia. The political and economic instability of early nineteenth-century Europe, and stories of a brave new world in another hemisphere, were at once a temptation and a challenge to the young officer whose adventurous spirit rebelled against the peacetime manoeuvrings of an army into which he was hustled by an uncompromising jack-booted parent. Unrest and insurrection were paving the way for the consolidation of the new Germany, but politics and intrigue had no appeal for young von Tempsky, and it was only natural that, at the conclusion of his military service in 1848, he should turn his attention to more exciting fields. Armed with an introduction from Lord Westmorland to the British authorities in the tiny Mosquito Kingdom in Central America, he set out with some sturdy companions with the intention of establishing a small settlement there. The colony failed due to rigours of climate and a hostile native population, and von Tempsky drifted into the filibustering that was then almost endemic in the Mexican Confederation. Commissioned as a captain, he led a guerrilla force into Nicaragua late in 1848, and then joined up with British naval units, acting as a guide in forays against up-river Nicaraguan cities.

From Central America the young soldier of fortune turned his eyes towards the Californian gold diggings, where he found plenty of action and excitement but little money. He spent the year 1850 in the maelstrom that was San Francisco, and then turned his back on the Pacific seaboard and returned to Mexico, where he attached himself to an expedition into the interior which extended over 3,000 miles of wild hostile country, including large expanses of Guatemala and Salvador. At the end of two years he returned to the coast and married Emilia, the daughter of the British Resident, James Stanislaus Bell, with whom he and his wife returned to Scotland when his tour of duty was completed. For some months he was content to concentrate on a fascinating book, Milta, which recounted his adventures in the Americas; and it was at this time that he also began to develop a talent for water-colour sketching, later used with effect to illustrate some of his engagements in the Maori Wars in New Zealand. In 1856 he and his wife emigrated to Victoria where he took up farming with some success but little enthusiasm. When the Government planned an expedition into Central Australia, he strove urgently for its command, but the authorities preferred a British national, and since he was not prepared to accept a subordinate position, he sold up his holding and crossed the Tasman to New Zealand where he engaged in gold mining at Coromandel in 1859. He found this venture not unremunerative but, when the Waikato Maori War broke out, he sought a commission in the Colonial Defence Force. His unrivalled qualifications ensured him an immediate appointment as an ensign in August 1863, and he entered upon his task with such avid impatience that he dipped deeply into his own pocket for the equipping of the company of Rangers which he soon had fighting fiercely in the Hunua Forest. From the outset his energy and daring impressed the British officers under whom he served. Within a few months, combining academy tactics with the catch-as-catch-can strategy of his Central American filibustering days, he had achieved such notable results that he was promoted to the rank of captain.

In February 1864 his dare-devil operations and personal intrepidity at the Mangapiko River and the Rangiaowhia Redoubt earned him the warm congratulations of Sir Henry Havelock and other British leaders. Then in April came the celebrated Battle of Orakau, near Te Awamutu, where the Kingites were soundly defeated, largely on account of the performances of von Tempsky's Rangers. He refused to accept reverses and in the face of Rewi's famous words, “Peace shall never be made – never, never!” he led assault after assault on the Maori positions. His losses were considerable, but his success earned him his majority and a proud position in the Colonial Defence Force.

Von Tempsky's appetite for action was insatiable, and he managed to communicate a similar urgency to his men. Within a few weeks of the investment of Orakau, he was in the thick of the fighting on the West Coast of the North Island. He and his Rangers were generally the spearhead of attacks, and at Kakaramea, Nukumaru, and Weraroa they gained fresh laurels. After desultory operations in the Wanganui area in July 1865, the scene of action switched to the East Coast, and von Tempsky at once volunteered for service there, in the firm belief that he would be followed by his Rangers as soon as their transport could be arranged. Owing to a misunderstanding, involving pay rates in various theatres of war, his company was held in Wanganui, and von Tempsky, in high dudgeon, hastened to Wellington to protest to the military authorities and, if necessary, the Government. The Rangers were at once ordered to Wellington and returned to von Tempsky's command. But there was one serious hitch. Von Tempsky was instructed to place himself under the orders of a Major Fraser, a man of proven resource and courage, but junior in precedence to von Tempsky. With typical Prussian impatience, von Tempsky felt he had been superseded. He refused to accept Fraser's orders and tendered his resignation. When the Defence Minister (Atkinson) called him to account, he stamped out of the Minister's room in a rage, and after three further refusals to obey orders that had been given with Cabinet authority, he was placed under arrest. On 16 October the Weld Ministry resigned and Haultain replaced Atkinson as Defence Minister. An inquiry was held, without any real result, but the Governor, Sir George Grey, gave von Tempsky the chance to withdraw his resignation which the irate commander did on the understanding that he was not to be superseded by Fraser.

Once again the von Tempsky Rangers were in the thick of things in the West Coast region, and again they covered themselves with distinction under General Chute at New Plymouth, Whenuakura, and Otapawa. Von Tempsky was accorded special mention in the New Zealand Gazette of 26 January 1866. After this interlude the Rangers were disbanded and von Tempsky returned to his family at Coromandel for a well earned rest. By 1868 he was back in the field again, this time as an Inspector in the Armed Constabulary which, with Rangers and Volunteers, as well as Maori followers, was locked in a grim struggle with the Hauhaus under Te Kooti and some of his fiercest chiefs. In August the Hauhaus, led by Titokowaru, were brought to battle and von Tempsky was prominent in several bitter and costly engagements. Caught out of position with a force of Constabulary, Rangers, and Volunteers, he sought permission to attack, but his commanding officer, McDonnell, hesitated for a fatal moment, and then ordered a retreat. Von Tempsky was holding an exposed position and his force suffered heavily. He himself was shot and mortally wounded by a concealed Hauhau marksman. His body, with those of other Pakehas killed in the action, was burned on a funeral pyre with Hauhau rites.

Von Tempsky died at the zenith of his career. His defects as a soldier, such as they were, stemmed from his Prussian origins. The discipline he imposed upon himself he expected to be exercised by the authorities in the matter of his relations with others, but he could not always rely on it. Rank and precedence were obsessions with him, and his dream throughout the whole of his active service, not only in New Zealand but elsewhere, was of an independent command. If death had not cut his career so tragically short, at the age of 40 years, he must certainly have achieved his ambition, but he made such outstanding use of his opportunities that he left a notable mark in the history of the country of his adoption. His courage and daring were without question and he introduced into all his activities a self-reliance and independence of planning that were recognised as having a vital influence on the development of the colonial soldier. It was said of him after his Taranaki exploits of 1865 by the then Premier, Stafford, that he was a bulwark of the self-reliant policy of the Army and had done more than any other officer of his time to develop and direct the quality and effectiveness of the Colonial Defence Force. Von Tempsky's water colours, which may be seen in the Alexander Turnbull and Hocken Libraries, are of more than passing interest. They depict most realistically a number of incidents in the Maori Wars, and their details of uniforms and equipment are of historical value. In style and colour they have something of the quality of a “primitive”, with attractive decorative treatment.

by Ronald Jones, Journalist and Script Writer, New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, Wellington.

The New Zealand Wars, Cowan, J. (2 vols., 1955); New Zealand Examiner, 2 Nov 1869.

Te Kuiti is situated on the floor of the valley of the Mangaokewa Stream, a west-bank tributary of the Waipa River, and about 2 miles north of the entrance to the Mangaokewa Gorge. The surrounding country is undulating to hilly, and rises on the west to the Hauturu Range and on the east to the Rangitoto Range. The North Island Main Trunk railway and the Hamilton – New Plymouth highway pass through the town. By road Te Kuiti is 49 miles south of Hamilton (42 miles by rail), 106 miles north-east of New Plymouth, and 53 miles north-west from Taumarunui (48 miles by rail).

Sheep raising is the main farming activity of the district, but dairying and cattle raising are also important. There is a butter factory at Piopio (15 miles south-west). Milling of native timber is carried on in various localities in and near Pureora State Forest, including Mangapehi (17 miles southeast) and Benneydale (20 miles south-east). Coal is mined near Aria (24 miles south-west). Coal was also mined extensively until 1962 in the Mangapehi area near Benneydale. Limestone abounds throughout the district and is quarried and processed within 1 mile south-east of the town, near Waiteti (5 miles south), at Hangatiki (8 miles north), and elsewhere. There is a cement works near the southern boundary of the town. Serpentine, for the manufacture of fertilisers, is quarried near Piopio. Te Kuiti is the centre of an extensive district. Industrial activities include the manufacture of agricultural lime, concrete products, prefabricated-steel farm buildings, and joinery. Sawmilling and general engineering are also carried on. Te Kuiti has large livestock sale-yards, as well as wool and skins stores. It is an important junction for tourist traffic to Waitomo Caves (12 miles north-west).

The original Maori settlement was situated near the Mangaokewa Gorge portal and was called Te Kuititanga. The name is said to mean “the narrowing in or closing in”, and refers to the closing in of the hills as the locality is approached from the north. One of the first notable European visitors was the Rev. Richard Matthews who, with his family, passed through the district in 1841 during a journey from Putiki Mission (near Wanganui) to Auckland. Following the siege of Orakau in 1864, the “kingite” warriors took refuge in and about Te Kuititanga, and for some time the valley was the temporary headquarters of Tawhiao. Te Kooti fled to the Mangaokewa Valley in 1872 for sanctuary with the Ngati Maniapoto. In the late 1870s Reihana te Huatare Wahanui and other Ngati Maniapoto leaders, despite the opposition of Tawhiao, agreed to permit the central King Country (q.v) to be opened up by railway. A route was explored between Te Awamutu and Waitara in 1883 by Charles Wilson Hursthouse, but in the same year John Rochfort explored a central route and the Waitara route was abandoned.

Te Kuiti is considered to have come into existence as a railway construction camp following an extension southwards of the Te Awamutu – Otorohanga section of the line in 1887. A foundry was set up in Te Kuiti to facilitate the preparation of ironwork for the Waiteti Viaduct (about 5 miles south-east). In October 1890 Te Mahuki and other malcontents caused a disturbance at Te Kuiti when attempts were made to burn European buildings. The railway was opened for traffic as far as Taumarunui in April 1901, and in November 1908 Te Kuiti obtained through rail communication with Wellington. The outlying areas were opened up for settlement after 1890. Te Kuiti was constituted a borough on 1 April 1910.

POPULATION: 1951 census, 3,304; 1956 census, 3,781; 1961 census, 4,494.

by Brian Newton Davis, M.A., Vicar, St. Philips, Karori West, Wellington and Edward Stewart Dollimore, Research Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington.

Lake Tekapo, in Canterbury, is 65 miles by road from Timaru. It is 12 miles long from north to south, up to 4 miles wide, and has an area of about 32 square miles. The inflow from its 550 square miles of catchment, which ranges from 800 to 14,600 cusecs and averages 3,000 cusecs, is mainly from the Godley River, which is fed by the Godley, Classen, Grey, Maud, and numerous other glaciers; and from the Macaulay River. The lake water is not clear as it has much fine sediment in suspension, and is cold (46°F). The lake occupies the lower end of a glaciated valley, and is confined by a moraine 16,000–18,000 years old.

The outflow from the lake, and hence the amount of water stored in it, is controlled by a dam – the level of the lake can be varied between 2,310 and 2,330 ft above sea level – enabling more effective use to be made of the water, not only in the 25-megawatt hydro-electric station near the outlet, but also in the 105-megawatt Lake Waitaki station further downstream. The water will also be used in other stations either under construction or planned in the Waitaki catchment.

The correct Maori name is said to be Takapo. The components of the word – “taka” and “po” mean, respectively, “sleeping mat” and “night”. According to legend, an exploring party, disturbed here at night, took fright, hastily rolled up their sleeping mats, and fled.

by Leslie Eric Oborn, A.O.S.M., New Zealand Geological Survey, Christchurch.

Te Awamutu is situated on the banks of the Mangapiko River, an east-bank tributary of the Waipa River, in the south-western Waikato district. The borough occupies flat to gently rolling land and, except on the northward, the immediate surrounding country is generally undulating. There is a small lake, Ngaroto, 5 miles north-west of the town. North and east of this lake are extensive swamp areas. Within about 9 miles to the west of the town the land rises to the slopes of Pirongia Mountain (3,156 ft); within 10–12 miles to the east Maungatautari Mountain (2,639 ft); and, about 7 miles south-west, to the isolated cone of Kake-puku (1,487 ft). The Hamilton-Te Kuiti section of highway and the North Island Main Trunk railway pass through Te Awamutu. By road Te Awamutu is 18 miles south of Hamilton (16 miles by rail), 31 miles north-east of Te Kuiti (26 miles by rail), and 32 miles west of Putaruru.

The main primary activities of the district are dairying and sheep raising. Cheese and casein are manufactured at Hairini (4 miles east). Near Kaipaki (about 12 miles north-east), in the Moana-tuatua area, experimental development work on peaty land is being carried on by the Department of Agriculture. Much of the native timber extracted near Ngaroma (35 miles south-east) is hauled to Te Awamutu. Te Awamutu serves as a market and distributing centre for a closely settled and extensive district. The industrial activities of the town include the manufacture of butter, milk powder, furniture and joinery, concrete products, agricultural chemicals, farm equipment, and clothing, general engineering, and sawmilling. There is a mental hospital near Tokanui (9 miles south-east), and near Waikeria (7 miles south-east) is a large borstal institution.

Te Awamutu was originally one of several Maori settlements in the Waipa basin. Probably the earliest notable European visitors were the Revs. A. N. Brown and J. Hamlin who arrived in 1834 during an exploration journey. They recommended the establishment of a mission station at Otawhao, Te Awamutu. The actual site was chosen in 1839 by the Rev. B. Y. Ashwell and, in July, he opened the station. Ashwell and his successor, the Rev. John Morgan (who built a new mission house), were immediately successful. Morgan was responsible for agricultural development in the district and the Rangiaowhia area became the granary of the Waikato and supplied the Auckland settlement. Early in 1864 the Waikato War had extended to the district. In February 1864 Charles Heaphy earned the first award of the V.C. to a colonial soldier near Waiari Pa, about 4 miles north-west of Te Awamatu. On 20 February troops captured Rangiaowhia and the major food supplies of the “King” Maoris came under the control of General Cameron's army. The King forces then concentrated at Hairini, but on 22 February they were overcome and routed by the troops. Towards the end of March the “kingites” were observed to be making an entrenched fortification at Orakau, about 3 miles south-east, and the British and colonial troops marched from their redoubts at Rangiaowhia, Te Awamutu, and Kihikihi to engage them. The Siege of Orakau followed. Te Awamutu and nearby posts were garrisoned by Imperial troops until the end of 1864. Later the military personnel of the regiments of Waikato Militia were granted town lots and suburban sections for permanent settlement. On 1 July 1880 the railway from Auckland reached Te Awamutu and settlement accelerated. On 27 September 1884 Te Awamutu became a town district, and on 1 April 1915 it was constituted a borough. The name is said to mean “the river cut short”. This is believed to signify that above this point the stream was blocked by snags or other obstructions and was unsuitable for canoe traffic.

POPULATION: 1951 census, 3,878; 1956 census, 4,614; 1961 census, 5,423.

by Brian Newton Davis, M.A., Vicar, St. Philips, Karori West, Wellington and Edward Stewart Dollimore, Research Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington.

Te Aroha, a dark, bush-clad mountain, 3,126 ft high, is the highest peak at the southern end of the Coromandel Ranges. It was early recognised by Hochstetter (q.v) as an andesitic volcano that has been extinct for many, many thousands of years. It rises steeply from the eastern edge of the Hauraki Lowlands and thus from its western side forms a striking landmark that is often shrouded in mist. Perhaps its peculiar beauty led the Maori to call it Te Aroha, a name that could be interpreted as “the loved one”. There are, however, more romantic legends that explain how the mountain was named.

Subsequent to the volcanic activity, hot mineral waters deposited the quartz of the prominent Buck Reef, which has been traced through the centre of the mountain for 3 miles north of Waiorongomai and which in places stands as a 200-ft-high wall. Although the Buck Reef itself was usually barren, the associated cross reefs have yielded more than 57,000 oz of gold. Precious metals are no longer mined, but there is still some prospecting for the base metals, principally lead.

Hot carbonate and other mineral waters still continue to rise and are used for bathing and drinking at the Te Aroha Spa at the western foot of the mountain.

by J.G.S.

Te Aroha is situated on the banks of the Waihou River at the western base of Mt. Te Aroha (3,126 ft) in the central Waihou-Piako basin. West of the town the country is comparatively flat, but immediately east the land rises steeply to bush-clad mountains continuous with the Kaimai Range. The Hamilton-Paeroa section of railway passes through the town. By road Te Aroha is 33 miles north-east of Hamilton (29 miles by rail), and 24 miles north-west of Matamata (32 miles by rail). By road or rail Morrinsville is 13 miles south-west and Paeroa is 13 miles north-west. The nearest main port is Mt. Maunganui, 67 miles south-east.

The major primary industry is dairying, but there is some sheep farming on rising open country to the east. Butter, cheese, milk powder, and casein are manufactured in the district and the main factories are at Te Aroha West (4 miles south-east), Manawaru (6 miles south-east), and Waitoa (6 miles south-west). There are meat-meal and organic-fertiliser works at Waitoa and honey is produced in the area. Sawmilling is carried on at Waihou (3 miles south-west) which also has large saleyards, grain, seed, and produce stores. Te Aroha is the principal business centre of an extensive district. It is also a popular tourist and health resort with hot and cold springs developed on spa lines. Industrial activities include the manufacture of butter, milk powder, joinery, furniture, concrete products, and women's garments; general engineering, fellmongering, and sawmilling. There are grain, seed, and produce stores, and a large milk-treatment station supplies Paeroa, Waihi, and Matamata, as well as Te Aroha. The municipal abattoirs supply meat to the whole of Piako County.

There appears to have been no permanent Maori settlement in the vicinity of the present Te Aroha in pre-European times. After 1830, when the Ngati Haua under Te Waharoa built Matamata Pa near Waharoa (10 miles south-east), the area became a no-man's land between that tribe and the Ngati Maru of the Thames district. A missionary exploring party – Henry Williams, A. N. Brown, J. Morgan, and W. T. Fairburn – visited the district in 1833 and later established mission stations near the present town of Thames and near Matamata Pa. Intertribal wars made progress difficult. It is believed that the chief, Mokena Hou (Morgan), an early Christian convert, and his people were the first Maoris to settle permanently on the land that became Te Aroha town. In the early 1880s Mokena donated the nucleus of Te Aroha Hot Springs Domain (administered and further developed by the Department of Tourist and Publicity since the early 1900s) and, with his daughter, provided other areas for church and public sites. The earliest regular European settler was Frederick Strange, who took up land near the future town in the 1870s. Gold was discovered by Hone Werahiko at Waiorongomai (3 miles south-east) in 1880 and miners were attracted to the area. Mining continued with many changes of ownership in plant and claims until 1921, but except for moderate returns between 1899 and 1904 results were relatively poor.

The main settlement which sprang up in 1880, variously called Aroha Gold Field Town, Morgan-town, and Aroha, eventually became known as Te Aroha, the name Morgantown surviving as a suburb. Road communication with Hamilton was possible for wheeled traffic by the late 1870s, but the route from Thames was not practicable until about 1881–82. The railway from Hamilton to Te Aroha was opened for traffic on 1 March 1886. On 20 December 1895 it was extended to Paeroa, and to Thames on 19 December 1898. By 1880 J. C. Firth had cleared the Waihou River of snags and other obstructions and Te Aroha became a river port. All shipping on the river had ceased by 1947. Te Aroha was created a town district in 1886 and in 1898 it was constituted a borough. The legend relating to the name-giving tells of Te Mamoe, son of a Bay of Plenty chief, who became lost in the Waihou-Piako Valley. He climbed Whakapipi (Bald Spur) to the mountain top above and saw Maketu, his home. In a prayer he expressed deep affection for his land and people and named the mountain Te Aroha, meaning, poetically, “the mountain of love” or “the loved one”.

POPULATION: 1951 census, 2,667; 1956 census, 2,854; 1961 census, 3,058.

by Brian Newton Davis, M.A., Vicar, St. Philips, Karori West, Wellington and Edward Stewart Dollimore, Research Officer, Department of Lands and Survey, Wellington.

The largest of the southern glacial lakes, Lake Te Anau is 38 miles long, 6 miles across at its widest point, and covers an area of 136 sq. miles. Three large fiords extend westward into the glaciated mountains of Central Fiordland; both the north and south fiords comprise a single channel but the middle fiord has two branches. The total drainage area of the tributary stream system is 1,275 sq. miles, and the average discharge into the Waiau River at the south end of the lake is 9,730 cusecs. The largest river draining into the lake is the Eglinton River.

The lake is bordered on the east by sparsely forested, partly developed farmlands, and on the west by the heavily forested mountains of Fiordland. The rainfall, although unknown, is probably very much greater on the west side than on the east. Lake Te Anau offers a wide variety of attractions to tourists such as fishing, hunting (deer and wapiti), water sports, and sightseeing. The world-famous walk on the Milford Track commences at the head of the lake. A number of tracks permit access into the country to the west, which is administered by the Fiordland National Park Board.

Various sites around the shores were formerly occupied by Maoris at different times, and the first recorded visit by Europeans is that by C. J. Nairn and W. J. Stephen on 26 January 1852. The lake was surveyed in 1863 by James McKerrow whose work has required little alteration up to the present day. The lake is 679 ft above sea level and, although not completely surveyed, was found to be 906 ft deep at one point.

The meaning of this name is much disputed. It is supposed by many that the name is a personal one, possibly that of a Waitaha chieftainess. It is also suggested that Te Anau is a shortened form of “Te Ana-au” which means “the cave of the swirling water current”. (There are caves so named on the western shore.)

A small valley which lies between the Middle and South Fiords of Lake Te Anau is the home of the takahe, commonly called notornis. This bird was thought to be extinct but in November 1948 a colony was discovered there by G. B. Orbell, of Invercargill.

by Bryce Leslie Wood, M.SC., New Zealand Geological Survey, Dunedin.

(1862–1911).

Prohibition leader and reformer.

A new biography of Taylor, Thomas Edward appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Thomas Edward Taylor was born in Lincolnshire, England, of working-class parents, and emigrated with them and three sisters to New Zealand in 1873. In Chelsea, London, Tom had been a Band of Hope worker, and in Addington, Christchurch, where the Taylors settled, the prevalence of drunkenness led him to undertake further temperance and personal welfare work. He left school in 1874 and his subsequent wide reading included the biographies of the dissenting and evangelical Christian reformers who in England led the nineteenth-century crusades against slavery, child labour, and illiteracy. Himself a Methodist adherent, he was inspired by those great puritans. In 1889 he was associated with Rev. Leonard Isitt in founding the Sydenham Prohibition League. Out of this came the first agitation for local option, which became law in 1893. Through powerful propaganda and the fervid eloquence of “Tommy” Taylor and other forceful speakers, the prohibition vote increased until in 1911 there were majorities in 67 out of 76 electorates. Taylor at all times objected to State Control.

Elected junior member for Christchurch in 1896 as a radical independent, Taylor fearlessly attacked the Seddon administration and secured the appointment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Police Department. He was unseated in 1899 through his opposition to New Zealand's participation in the South African War. In 1902, with his wife, he visited England and Europe where he inspected electric-power stations, including the hydro-electric installations of Switzerland. To his enthusiasm Canterbury owes its possession of New Zealand's first hydro-electric station.

Re-elected to Parliament in 1902 he became leader of the New Liberals, a left-wing group pledged to expedite social reform and to expose Seddon's alleged maladministration. They included some talented speakers, including G. Laurenson, F. M. B. Fisher, and H. D. Bedford, later Professor of Economics at the University of Otago. But Taylor's unwise precipitation of the Seddon-Taylor slander case, with the ensuing voucher case, wrecked his party and caused his second defeat. He was returned for Christchurch North in 1908 with a majority of nearly 2,000 but refused a portfolio from the Premier, Sir Joseph Ward, and in 1909 he raised a storm of protest against the unconstitutional nature of the Premier's presentation of a dreadnought (HMS New Zealand) to Great Britain in the naval crisis. On 27 April 1911 he was elected Mayor of Christchurch, but died on 27 July of that year. His funeral was the largest ever known in Christchurch.

Taylor was a brilliant political evangelist; by his powerful speaking he could sway an audience, but his zeal led him into indiscretions which on occasion marred his work.

Taylor foretold the adoption by all enlightened states of most of the reforms and welfare services we know today. Onwards from 1894 he was advocating the admission of women to all public offices, free secondary education, technical colleges, the reform of mental and penal institutions, cottage homes for orphans, and vocational guidance. In Parliament his special causes were land reform and better conditions for old-age pensioners and workers.

T. E. Taylor's publications include The Shadow of Tammany (1897), An Impeachment of the Seddon Administration (1905), and Two Common Men (1907).

Married in 1892 to Elizabeth Best Ellison, he was survived by her, five daughters, and one son. Mrs Taylor, who was awarded the O.B.E. in 1937, died in 1941. Their son, E. B. E. Taylor, was appointed New Zealand Ambassador to Japan in 1961.

by Nellie Frances Hayman Macleod, Authoress, Christchurch.

• Temperance and Prohibition in New Zealand, Cocker, J. (1930)
• Press (Christchurch), 28 Jul 1911 (Obit).
• The Fighting Man, A Study of the Life and Times of T. E. Taylor, Macleod, N. F. H. (1965).

(1805–73).

C.M.S. missionary.

A new biography of Taylor, Richard appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Richard Taylor was born on 21 May 1805 at Cetwell, Yorkshire, the second son of Richard Taylor and Catherine, née Spencer. He was educated at Dr Inchbold's school at Doncaster, but in 1818, when his father died, Taylor decided to enter the ministry. He studied under the Rev. Snowden of Horbury for several years and, in 1825, entered Queen's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. three years later and M.A. in 1835. As he did not enjoy very good health he spent much of his spare time abroad, where he studied natural history. Taylor was ordained deacon in 1828 and received the curacy of St. Botolph's, a living which lay in his College's gift. In November of the following year he was admitted to the priesthood and, in 1830, became Vicar of Coveney and Manea in the Island of Ely. Taylor remained there until 1835, when he was accepted by the Church Missionary Society. On 18 February 1836 he sailed for New Zealand in the Prince Regent, arriving at Sydney on 12 June. About this time the death of the incumbent had left Liverpool, one of the most populous parishes in Australia, without clergy. Marsden therefore retained Taylor in this parish until a successor could be sent from England. There were many delays before the successor arrived and Taylor remained in Australia until March 1839.

Taylor landed at Paihia, Bay of Islands, on 10 March 1839 and, on the 19th, set out with William Williams (q.v) (later, first Bishop of Waiapu) to select a site for a new mission in the East Coast area. Later in the year he was put in charge of the mission school at Waimate, thus freeing Hadfield for mission work at Otaki. Shortly after this Taylor claimed to have bought for himself 50,000 acres of Motupao Island (near Cape Maria Van Diemen): this claim was subsequently reduced to 1,704 acres and, on being surveyed, to 852. Taylor was present at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi and engrossed the text on parchment for the official copy the night before the ceremony. He remained at Waimate until 1843, when he was appointed to succeed Rev. John Mason at Wanganui.

The mission station was at Putiki-wharanui, across the river from Wanganui, and Taylor threw himself into the task of organising the affairs of his charge. He worked to a rota system and paid regular visits to all the villages in the district, often travelling far afield. In 1843 he walked to Rotorua where he met Selwyn, whom he escorted overland to Wanganui. A few months later he visited all the pas between Wanganui and New Plymouth and returned home via the headwaters of the Waitara. He built a mission school and a small hospital at Putiki and these greatly impressed Governor Grey when he visited Wanganui in March 1846. On this occasion Taylor was able to use his good offices to arrange a meeting between the Governor and the Wanganui chiefs, when the controversial Wanganui land sale was arranged. When the surveys began a month later the Maoris objected to the reserves allocated to them; and Taylor, much to the European settlers' annoyance, upheld the Maoris' view that they had no right to divide lands that the Maoris had not been paid for. He was, however, able to arrange for the settlers to occupy their lands pending settlement of the dispute. A little earlier, in January 1845, he had been partly instrumental in persuading a Ngati Tuwharetoa taua under Te Heuheu Mananui and Iwikau from attacking the Ngati Ruanui pas at Waitotara. A month later, in the company of Donald McLean, he visited Taupo and preached on Te Heuheu's marae. In February 1847, in response to the Tuwharetoa request for a missionary, Taylor dispatched two Ngati Ruanui converts, Mawhera and Kereopa, to Taupo. They went to Taupo, despite Te Rangihaeata's warning that the Ngati Ruanui – Tuwharetoa feud was not forgotten, and were killed near Tokaanu.

Besides his mission work Taylor also attended to the spiritual needs of the Europeans in the district. In this connection he founded a small boys' school in the town, and this afterwards became the nucleus of Wanganui Collegiate School. Telford, another clergyman, took over the European side of Taylor's duties in 1850, which left the latter free to concentrate on the Maori mission. In 1855 he visited England, taking with him Hoani Wiremu Hipango, a leading Wanganui chief and one of Taylor's earliest converts. He returned to Putiki in the following year where, in 1860, he was joined by his son, the Rev. B. K. Taylor. Thereafter he was able to devote more of his time to his scientific interests. During the Hauhau wars Taylor served as Chaplain with General Chute's forces. He retired from the mission in 1866, visited England in 1867, and returned to Wanganui in 1870. He remained there until his death on 10 October 1873.

Although much of Taylor's life was devoted to his missionary work, he was an acute observer of, and a prolific writer upon, natural and ethnological phenomena. He was a fellow of the Geological Society, and contributed papers to the New Zealand Institute. His first pamphlet, A Leaf from the Natural History of New Zealand (1848), contains much of interest to the student of today. The ethnological portions of this were later expanded into his Maori and English Dictionary (1870). In 1855 he published Te Ika-a-Maui, which is a mine of information on Maori culture and folklore, and in it Taylor dissents from many of the absurd popular opinions of his day about the Maoris. The Age of New Zealand (1866), a small geological pamphlet, and Past and Present of New Zealand (1868) complete his more important published works. In addition to these, however, he left several unpublished manuscripts. There is an Essay on the Zoology of New Zealand and a brief account of the steps leading up to the Waitara purchase. In the latter incident Taylor knew personally most of the principals, Maori and European, and was thus in a position to hear both sides of the dispute at first hand. His conclusion about this was that “it seems to have been rather an extraordinary misunderstanding arising out of associations between incapable sub-ordinates and a thoroughly dishonest Maori”, and he believed that the Governor had erred in not having the whole question examined by a Court of Justice. From 1825 until almost the day of his death Taylor kept a Journal. This record of his “daily life” is illustrated with pen sketches of persons, places, and other features that caught his eye. As well as notes on his routine work as a missionary, Taylor includes descriptions of Maori life and customs, flora, fauna, natural formations, and comments on political affairs.

Taylor was one of the most able men to serve the C.M.S. in New Zealand; he quickly won the Maoris' trust and exerted a tremendous influence among them. As he was one of the very few Europeans who believed the Maoris to be capable of assimilating western civilisation, Taylor stood high in the estimation of Grey and Gore Browne, who often consulted him on their native policy. During his lifetime Taylor corresponded with many of the scientific leaders of the day and collected New Zealand specimens for them. He was one of the first to realise the significance of New Zealand's moa remains; and he also built up a fine collection of recent Maori artefacts.

In 1829 Taylor married Mary Catherine Fox, who later accompanied him to New Zealand, and by her he had three sons and three daughters. Their eldest son, Arthur Spencer (1830–40), was killed in an accident at Waimate. Basil Kirke (1831–?), the second son, entered the church and succeeded his father at Putiki, where he was stationed until 1876. Taylor's name is perpetuated in Taylorville, a suburb of Wanganui.

by Bernard John Foster, M.A., Research Officer, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington.

• Journal 1833–73, Taylor, R. (MSS), Turnbull Library
• Tuwharetoa, Grace, J. te H. (1959)
• Wanganui, Chappel, L. J. B., and Veitch, H. C. (1939).

(1900–).

Soil scientist.

A new biography of Taylor, Norman Hargrave appears in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography on this site.

Norman Hargrave Taylor was born at Auckland, New Zealand, on 9 June 1900 and educated at Richmond Road School and Auckland Teachers' Training College. From 1917 to 1927 he taught primary schools in the Auckland district, attended lectures in geology at Auckland University, and did field work for the Geological Survey during his holidays. In 1928 he joined Geological Survey as an assistant geologist, but transferred to Soil Survey two years later. He was pedologist at Soil Bureau from 1931 to 1941, Assistant Director (1942–51), and Director from 1952 until his retirement in 1963. In his earlier years with Soil Bureau, Taylor played an important part in developing a new type of classification for New Zealand soils based on genetic principles. He attended the Pacific Science Congress held in New Zealand in 1948–49, where his system of classification attracted the interest of visiting scientists. In 1950 he visited America where he was made a consultant to the United States Department of Agriculture World Soils Project. In the same year he attended the Fourth Congress of the International Society of Soil Science, and was on its Council from 1950 to 1960. He attended a further congress in 1956, and was elected President of Commission V (Soil Classification, Genetics and Cartography) – a position he retained until 1960. After the 1956 Conference he visited the Soviet Union. In addition he acted as a consultant on soil classification to the Government of Eire and has served on an FAO mission to Egypt. His publications include: Water Supplies of Farms and Dairy Factories in Hamilton Basin and Hauraki Lowland (1935); Land Deterioration in the Heavier Rainfall Districts of New Zealand (1938); The Soil Pattern of New Zealand (1956) (with J. E. Cox); Soil Survey Method – a Handbook for the Field Study of Soils (1962) (with I. J. Pohlen) and Soils and Mankind – the Cawthron Lecture for 1962. Shortly before his retirement Taylor presided at the International Soil Conference held in New Zealand in November 1962.