John 'Jacky' Guard (ca. 1791/92 – 1857) was an English convict sent to Australia who was one of the first European settlers in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand, working as a

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

and trader.

Early life

Guard was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1791 or 1792. On 17 March 1813 at age 21, the stonecutter was convicted of stealing a quilt"Jack Guard and his Family"
, Te Papa and sentenced to transportation and five years hard labour. At the end of his sentence, he worked as a sealer, and after five or six years had his own boat and crew.

New Zealand

Guard can lay credit to a number of European firsts in New Zealand's

. His whaling station, established at Te AwaitiWises New Zealand Guide, 7th Edition, 1979. p. 427 on the Arapaoa IslandWises New Zealand Guide, 7th Edition, 1979. p. 10. shore of

Tory Channel Tory Channel / Kura Te Au is one of the drowned valleys that form the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand. Inter-island ferries normally use it as the principal channel between Cook Strait and the Marlborough Sounds. Tory Channel / Kura Te Au lies ...

in 1827, was the first permanent settlement in the South Island. (previous whaling stations having been seasonal) Guard's wife Elizabeth or Betty (née Parker, 1814–1870) whom he married in Sydney in 1830, was the first European woman to settle in the South Island. Guard's son, John junior (born 1 October 1831) was the first European child born in the South Island and his daughter Louisa (born late 1833) the first female child. A year after starting the Te Awaiti station, in 1828, he started a branch whaling station at

Port Underwood Te Whanganui / Port Underwood is a sheltered harbour which forms the north-east extension of Te Koko-o-Kupe / Cloudy Bay at the northeast of New Zealand's South Island, on the east coast of the Marlborough Sounds.Wises New Zealand Guide, 7th Edi ...

using the ship Waterloo. He used the ship to transport flax, whale oil and seal skins to Sydney three times per year, returning with supplies and trade goods. Later he had to abandon the Te Awaiti station. In 1834 he was wrecked off the Taranaki coast in the ''Harriet'' with his wife and family and crew. The survivors were attacked by two different groups of local Maori. The wreck was plundered and 14 crew killed and two eaten. Betty Guard was tomahawked in the head, only her comb saving her life. Mrs Guard and her daughter were taken by the chief but the young boy of two 1/2, was taken away from his mother and not seen for two months.

Sir Richard Bourke General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB (4 May 1777 – 12 August 1855), was an Irish-born British Army officer who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837. As a lifelong Whig (Liberal), he encouraged the emancipation of convicts and ...

, the governor of New South Wales, dispatched HMS ''Alligator to

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

with a group of 60 British soldiers from the 50th Regiment of Foot onboard. They landed a small party on the coast and attempted negotiations with the Maori captors to recover the eight remaining crew (along with Guard's wife and two children, John and Louisa) but were chased away. The ''Alligator'' was then forced out to sea by bad weather. Together with the merchant schooner ''Isabella'', the warship eventually returned to the Taranaki coast and landed a detachment of sailors and marines. An arrangement was made to ransom the prisoners; the captain suspected the prisoner were being held at Te Namu Pa and landed a party there. They made contact with the Maori captors, and chief Oaoiti was

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

ed and taken back to the ''Alligator''. His wounds were then treated by the surgeon. The next day large numbers of Maori gathered on the beach but negotiations stalled until Oaoiti was brought ashore. He made a speech to the Maori captors and immediately Mrs Guard and her baby daughter were taken to the ''Alligator'' by

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

but the boy was still held prisoner. While negotiations continued for his release, a shot from the pa was fired towards the ''Alligator'', narrowly missing a sailor. The captain of the ''Alligator'' then ordered a bombardment of the pa that lasted three hours, during which the Maori hostage takers raised and then lowered a

white flag White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...

several times. Near the end of the bombardment, a Maori man held up the captive boy to indicate he had not been killed. The ''Alligators surgeon landed with hundred men. The boy was handed over, and the infuriated crew of the ''Harriet'' opened fire on the Maori gathered on the beach. The Maori fled and the pa was burnt down. Fighting continued for several days as rough seas delayed the re-embarkation of the troops. The surgeon was horrified at the troop's action. The rescue expedition sent by Governor Bourke from Sydney was subsequently criticised by a House of Commons report in 1835. Bourke used the kidnappings, murders and cannibalism to argue for a naval warship to be permanently stationed in New Zealand.The Harriet Affair- a Frontier of Chaos?- NZ History Net. Guard settled permanently at

in 1836, and was still whaling off the Kaikoura coast in the 1840s. About this time onshore whaling ceased to be economically viable in New Zealand. His later life is unknown, but he probably farmed at Kakapo Bay. Guard died on the 9 November 1857 and was buried at Kakapo Bay. His gravesite was restored in 2021 by descendants.

References

Reports on the Parliamentary Select committee on Aboriginal Tribes 1935

Early life

New Zealand

References

Further reading