Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1796 – 1862) could roll with the punches! Born in London, he was a politician who took a keen interest in colonisation, firstly with South Australia.Before all the drama started, Edward eloped with a very rich Eliza Pattle; his eyes not so fixed on his new bride but the £70,000 she came …
Rev. Octavius Mathias – 1805 – 1864 Reverend Octavius Mathias no doubt knew that it was him behind Bishop Harper’s comment that some of the early clergymen of Canterbury just lacked the commitment. Educated at Cambridge, Octavius became a Chaplin in the Royal Navy. Taking a keen interest in New Zealand, he was one of …
As Edward Gibbon Wakefield – the director of the New Zealand Company – was recovering from a stroke at Malvern, England, he got chatting with a new up and coming colonisation promoter who was beginning to make a name for himself. His name was John Robert Godley and this meeting was the birth of the …
