Sir Henry Brett (25 February 1843 – 29 January 1927) was a New Zealand journalist, newspaper proprietor, publisher, writer and politician who issued many standard works on colonial subjects.

Biography

Brett was born in St Mary Magdalen,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, England, on 25 February 1843. and brought up to the printing trade in the office of his uncle, the proprietor of the ''Hastings and St. Leonards Gazette''. Brett left for New Zealand with the non-conformist special settlers in 1862, intending to settle upon the land, but on arrival at

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

the vessel was boarded by a representative of the ''

Daily Southern Cross ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'' in search of compositors, and Brett was persuaded to accept an engagement on that paper. Shortly afterwards he joined the reporting staff of ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'' and maintained his connection with that journal till 1870, when for the sum of £90 he acquired a third interest in the '' Auckland Evening Star'', which had been recently started by G. M. Reid, and was then in a struggling condition. By the infusion of additional energy, and the employment of

carrier pigeon The homing pigeon, also called the mail pigeon or messenger pigeon, is a variety of domestic pigeons (''Columba livia domestica'') derived from the wild rock dove, selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over extremely long distan ...

s to supply the want of telegraphs in those days—this being one of the most successful innovations in journalism introduced by Brett—the ''

Auckland Star The ''Auckland Star'' was an evening daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, from 24 March 1870 to 16 August 1991. Survived by its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Star'', part of its name endures in ''The Sunday Star-Times'', created in ...

'' forged ahead and extinguished its evening rival. In February 1876, Reid disposed of his interest to Brett—the share of the third partner having previously been acquired by the firm—and the latter thus became sole proprietor. He later disposed of a partnership interest to Thomson Leys, who succeeded Reid in the editorship of the paper, which reportedly had the largest circulation in New Zealand. The second publishing venture of the firm was the '' Auckland Almanack and Provincial Handbook'', started in 1872; and they also established the ''New Zealand Farmer and Bee and Poultry Journal'', a monthly agricultural magazine, and the ''New Zealand Graphic''. Brett was a director of the

New Zealand Press Association The New Zealand Press Association (NZPA) was a news agency that existed from 1879 to 2011 and provided national and international news to the media of New Zealand. The largest news agency in the country, it was founded as the United Press Associa ...

and president of the

Auckland Choral Society Auckland Choral (formally the Auckland Choral Society) is a choir based in Auckland, New Zealand. It is New Zealand's oldest surviving arts organisation and Auckland's only symphonic-scale choir. Founded in 1855, Auckland Choral celebrated its 15 ...

, and occupied a seat on the

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...

from 1874 to 1878. In 1878, without a contest, he was chosen

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. In the 1926 New Year Honours, Brett was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

, in recognition of his public services. He died in

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 ...

the following year while there on holiday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Henry 1843 births 1927 deaths People from Hastings English emigrants to New Zealand Mayors of Auckland New Zealand journalists New Zealand publishers (people) New Zealand Knights Bachelor Auckland City Councillors Auckland Harbour Board members