Arthur Wakefield Carkeek (1843 – 24 May 1897) was a member of the Armed Constabulary in the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the ...

, and was one of only 23 recipients of the New Zealand Cross for gallantry. Later he was a civil engineer and land surveyor.

Early life

He was born in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

in 1843, a son of Stephen Carkeek, and brother of Frances Ann Stewart (née Carkeek).

Military career

He was a Sergeant in the Armed Constabulary at

Ohinemutu Ohinemutu or Ōhinemutu is a suburb in Rotorua, New Zealand. It includes a living Māori village and the original settlement of Rotorua. Demographics The statistical area of Kuirau, which corresponds to Ohinemutu, covers and had an estimated ...

during the

Te Kooti's War Te Kooti's War was among the last of the New Zealand Wars, the series of 19th century conflicts in New Zealand between the Māori and the colonising European settlers. It was fought in the East Coast region and across the heavily forested centra ...

episode of the

. On 7 February 1870 the force of Arawas under Captain Mair at Ohinemutu was attacked by Te Kooti and his force. Thomas McDonnell needed to be told of the location of

Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (c. 1832–1893) was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatū religion and guerrilla fighter. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Cha ...

and his force, but Carkeek could not find a Māori willing to go thirty miles through the bush to McDonnell at Tapapa. He decided to go himself, and a Māori agreed to accompany him. They started at daylight on the 8th, and arrived at Tapapa about 3 pm, after traversing dense bush where they were likely to be surprised by the enemy.

Later life and death

He was an engineer and land surveyor based in Ōtaki. He married Eydthe Muller, the second daughter of Stephen Lunn Muller, at Blenheim on 2 December 1873; they had a son and daughter. He died on 24 May 1897 in Wairau Hospital, Blenheim, aged 54 years. He was buried at Omaka Cemetery, Blenheim, with military and Masonic ceremony.

References

*Obituary in ''Marlborough Express'' of 25 May 1897, p. 2 *''The Colonial New Zealand Wars'' by Tim Ryan and Bill Parham p. 214 (1986, Wellington, Grantham House)
Paragraph in ''Cyclopedia of New Zealand'', 1897Digitised collection items related to Arthur Carkeek including medals and photographsDigitised notebook of Survey of Part of the Rangitumau Block for Scandinavian Immigrants, 1872 (and other sketches) by A.W. Carkeek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carkeek, Arthur New Zealand military personnel People of the New Zealand Wars People from Nelson, New Zealand New Zealand surveyors New Zealand engineers Recipients of the New Zealand Cross (1869) People from Ōtaki, New Zealand 1843 births 1897 deaths Burials at Omaka Cemetery 19th-century New Zealand engineers 19th-century New Zealand military personnel