Charles Wilson Hursthouse (26 June 1841 – 25 February 1911), also known by his

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

name Wirihana, was an English-born New Zealand surveyor, public servant, politician, and soldier. He laid out part of the

North Island Main Trunk The North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) is the main railway line in the North Island of New Zealand, connecting the capital city Wellington with the country's largest city, Auckland. The line is long, built to the New Zealand rail gauge of and ser ...

railway through the

King Country The King Country (Māori: ''Te Rohe Pōtae'' or ''Rohe Pōtae o Maniapoto'') is a region of the western North Island of New Zealand. It extends approximately from the Kawhia Harbour and the town of Otorohanga in the north to the upper reaches of ...

Early life

Hursthouse was born in 1841 in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, England. His parents were John Hursthouse (1811–1860) and Helen, née Wilson (1803–1895). His parents and other family members (his father's brother, Charles Hursthouse, and a cousin, Thomas Newsham, and their families) came to New Zealand on the ''Thomas Sparks''; they arrived in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

on 31 January 1843. John Hursthouse and family proceeded to

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

, where Charles Hursthouse received his education.

Professional life and militia

In 1855, Hursthouse joined the survey department as a cadet, being promoted to assistant surveyor in 1857. He was sent to undertake the Waitara survey after land there got confiscated, but the situation escalated into the

First Taranaki War The First Taranaki War (also known as the North Taranaki War) was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori people, Māori and the New Zealand government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand's North ...

. Hursthouse participated in the First and

Second Taranaki War The Second Taranaki War is a term used by some historians for the period of hostilities between Māori and the New Zealand Government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand between 1863 and 1866. The term is avoided by some historians, who eit ...

until 1864, and was present at the

Battle of Waireka The First Taranaki War (also known as the North Taranaki War) was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori and the New Zealand government in the Taranaki district of New Zealand's North Island from Mar ...

and at Mahoetahi. In 1866, he was made an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

of the Military Settlers; in 1869, he was promoted to lieutenant of the Taranaki militia; and in 1881, he was promoted to captain of the New Zealand militia. He retired from the militia in 1905.

Political career

Hursthouse represented the Grey and Bell electorate on the fourth and fifth

Taranaki Provincial Council ''For the current top-level subdivision of Taranaki in New Zealand, see Taranaki region'' The Taranaki Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Initially known as New Plymouth Province, ...

from 25 September 1868 to 10 February 1870.

Life after the Taranaki Wars

In 1871, Hursthouse was appointed by Taranaki Province as a surveyor in their public works department. In 1875, he was promoted to resident engineer, based in New Plymouth. In 1880, he was surveying roads to

Parihaka Parihaka is a community in the Taranaki region of New Zealand, located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. In the 1870s and 1880s the settlement, then reputed to be the largest Māori village in New Zealand, became the centre of a major camp ...

and in November 1880, he was present at the invasion of Parihaka. In late 1882 and early 1883, he accompanied the

Minister of Native Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

John Bryce John Bryce (14 September 1833 – 17 January 1913) was a New Zealand politician from 1871 to 1891 and Minister of Native Affairs from 1879 to 1884. In his attitudes to Māori land questions, he favoured strict legal actions against Māori oppo ...

, to

Kawhia Kawhia Harbour (Maori: ''Kāwhia'') is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located to the south of Raglan Harbour, Ruapuke and Aotea Harbour, 40 kilometres southwe ...

and the

, and was present at Mangaorongo when

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 ...

was pardoned. In March 1883, Hursthouse and his cousin, Thomas Newsham, were imprisoned by Te Mahuki of the

Ngāti Maniapoto Ngāti Maniapoto is an iwi (tribe) based in the Waikato-Waitomo region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Tainui confederation, the members of which trace their whakapapa (genealogy) back to people who arrived in New Zealand on the ...

tribe. After 41 hours of ill-treatment, their rescue was facilitated by Wetere Te Rerenga. From the end of 1884, Hursthouse worked on the survey for the

railway between

Te Awamutu Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilto ...

and Otorohanga through the King Country, and later to Mokau (since renamed to Puketutu). Hursthouse supervised the construction of the tunnel near Poro-o-Tarao. In 1891, Hursthouse transferred to the Lands and Survey department, and he was in charge of road construction in the King Country. The

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

road district was later came under his responsibility, too. In 1899, he was transferred to Wellington. In 1901, a separate department for road works was established, and Hursthouse was appointed its chief engineer. He retired from public service on 30 March 1909.

Family and death

His mother, Helen Hursthouse (née Wilson), was the aunt of a number of Richmond siblings: Henry Richmond, William Richmond,

Jane Maria Atkinson Jane Maria Atkinson (née Richmond; 15 September 1824 – 29 September 1914) was a New Zealand pioneer, writer, and the first Pākehā woman to climb Mount Taranaki. Early life Maria grew up in a Unitarian household. The early death of her father ...

, and

James Crowe Richmond James Crowe Richmond (22 September 1822 – 19 January 1898) was a New Zealand politician, engineer, and an early painter in watercolours of the New Zealand landscape. Early life Richmond was born in London, England, the son of Christopher Ric ...

Richmond Hursthouse Richmond Hursthouse (5 May 1845 – 11 November 1902) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in Nelson, New Zealand, and a cabinet minister. Family life Hursthouse was born in New Plymouth in 1845, soon after his family's emigration from Engla ...

, born in 1845, was his younger brother. Charles Wilson Hursthouse married Ellen Humphries. She was the daughter of Dr. Edward Larwill Humphries, who was a surgeon and speaker of the Taranaki Provincial Council for four years. They had at least seven children. Hursthouse had a daughter with Mere Te Rongopamamao Aubrey; Rangimarie Hetet was born in 1892. Hetet's biography states that both her parents had previous relationships. Hetet's daughter was

Diggeress Te Kanawa Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa (9 March 1920 – 30 July 2009) was a New Zealand Māori tohunga raranga (master weaver) of Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Kinohaku descent. At the time of her death she was regarded as New Zealand's most renowned ...

, with her first name honouring her father, who was a digger with the

New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion The New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion, or Native Contingent and Pioneer Battalion, was a battalion of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force that served during World War I. The battalion was first raised in 1915 and served at Gallipoli and the ...

in World War I. Hursthouse's daughter and granddaughter were both regarded as master weavers, and his daughter was appointed

Dame Commander Commander ( it, Commendatore; french: Commandeur; german: Komtur; es, Comendador; pt, Comendador), or Knight Commander, is a title of honor prevalent in chivalric orders and fraternal orders. The title of Commander occurred in the medieval mil ...

of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. After a long illness, he died on 25 February 1911 at his residence in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

. He was survived by his wife, three daughters, and four sons. He is buried at Taita Cemetery in Lower Hutt. Ellen Hursthouse died in 1925 and is buried next to him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hursthouse, Charles Wilson 1841 births 1911 deaths Politicians from Norwich People from New Plymouth Members of the Taranaki Provincial Council New Zealand surveyors People of the New Zealand Wars Atkinson–Hursthouse–Richmond family Burials at Taitā Lawn Cemetery English emigrants to New Zealand Military personnel from Norwich