THOMAS WILMOR McKENZIE (1827-1911)

Thomas was born on 6 March 1827 in London, and went with his parents to Newfoundland, but owing to the death of his father returned to England. His mother became interested in New Zealand, and embarked on the Adelaide (Sep1839). The youth was apprenticed in the first days of the settlement at Pitoone to the printing press of Samuel Revans, and helped to produce the first issues of the “New Zealand Gazette” which were published in the colony.

McKenzie completed his five years' articles, and carried on for another two years as a journeyman. Work being slack, the men agreed to work alternate weeks, and during his off weeks McKenzie occupied himself on a piece of land at Makara. When the paper changed hands, four of the compositors (W. E. Vincent, George Fellingham , James Muir and Thomas McKenzie) started the “Independent”, which they ran successfully for many years. As his partners left one by one, McKenzie became sole proprietor and carried on The Independent on consistent and reputable lines until its demise in 1874. The New Zealand Times Co., formed in 1873, took over the property, the Independent changing its name to the New Zealand Times (June 1874). McKenzie remained on as secretary and manager to the company until his retirement.

He was a strong swimmer, and he formed a boating club in connection with one of his later newspapers which won the cup offered for rowing competition. This club became the Wellington rowing club.

Thomas married Leah Buck on 22 June 1853. They had fourteen children. Three died in infancy in January 1865 and another in 1869. He was very instrumental in the development of Wellington City. He invested in property and built several houses. He owned land on the Terrace, Cuba Street, Abel Smith Street, McKenzie Terrace, Karori and Makara. The Karori land was sold to the Wellington City Council for the Karori Cemetery.

He was a member of the Settlers 'Constitutional Association working for representative government, and of the Town and Country Land Association (the predecessor of the building society) , and later helped materially the Small Farms Association in the Wairarapa. He made no attempt to get into the Provincial Council or into Parliament , but was a member of the Wellington City Council(1881- 87) and contested the mayoralty unsuccessfully. As first corresponding secretary of Odd Fellows in New Zealand, he obtained six charters from the Manchester Unity, two of which went to lodges in Wellington (Antipodean and Britannia), and two others to the first lodges in Auckland and Dunedin.

From 1848 almost to the time of his death he was secretary of the widows' and Orphans' Society of the order. As a Freemason he was a past master, and for some time District Warden, and first Grand Principal of the Royal Arch Chapter. Through him the Provincial Council granted both to Oddfellows and Freemasons sections of land for their lodge rooms. He was one of the founders of the Mechanics Institute (which had a strong educational influence for many years); a trustee of the home for the aged needy, a member of the Wellington Licensing committee and an elder of St John's Church.

His wife predeceased him on 14 January 1898.

Thomas died on 2 March 1911.

N.Z - Cycl.N.Z., Ward;EveningPost,

When the settler ship Adelaide arrived in Wellington in February 1840, the Provisional Committee had just decided to move the new city to the harbour's southern shores, after a heavy flood had again drowned the first settlement at Petone.

Adelaide passengers Edwin Ticehurst and 13-year-old Thomas McKenzie were to be the first settlers to sleep ashore, in a half-built house on the new site.

In his later reminiscences, McKenzie vividly recalled what happened after they laid native grass in a corner to sleep: "... In trooped a Maori Chief and about twenty followers, his two wives bringing up the rear ... The chief threw off his mat; and, in a nude state, commenced the war dance. His posteriors were beautifully tattooed, and he had a mere in his right hand, fastened to his rist [sic] with a thong of leather, which he flourished ominously. His two wives moved towards us, and sat down at our feet crying.

"The chief then ran up and down the room in the most excited state, jumping at times three or four feet from the ground and smacking his posterior. The various contortions of his body, his tongue protruding, and eyes fiercely rolling, was one of the most diabolical scenes that could be witnessed.

"Just as he had wound himself up to the pitch of frenzy sufficient to let us have the mere, one of his wives dexterously took off her mat, and threw it over us, and then submitted her own head to receive the blow. By this act she had saved our lives, for we were tabooed, and he dare not touch us."

The chief was Te Rira Porutu and McKenzie's life-saver was in fact Porutu's daughter-in-law, Ruhia. The incident began a lifelong friendship between McKenzie, who became a prominent Wellingtonian, and the Porutu family. Ruhia's cloak, which is now housed in Te Papa, was draped over the coffin at his funeral.

- Source: Thomas McKenzie's reminiscences, 1901, Alexander Turnbull Library

Family Tree: James and Margaret Wilmor (Stewart) McKenzie