Reader Gillson Wood (1821 – 20 August 1895) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician. An architect by trade, he designed the 1854

General Assembly House The General Assembly House, colloquially called "Shedifice" by the members of Parliament, was the first building to house the New Zealand Parliament in Auckland. It was in use by Parliament from 1854 until 1864 during the time that Auckland was t ...

built as New Zealand's first meeting house for the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Early life

Wood, the son of Thomas and Sarah Wood, was baptised at the Church of St Mary de Castro, Leicester, Leicestershire, England, on 5 January 1821. He was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, London. He was brought up as an architect, and shortly after his articles had expired left England for New Zealand, arriving in Auckland in 1844.

Life in Auckland

The

Battle of Kororāreka The Battle of Kororāreka, or the Burning of Kororāreka, on 11 March 1845, was an engagement of the Flagstaff War in New Zealand. Following the establishment of British control of the islands, war broke out with a small group of the native popul ...

happened in the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for it ...

in March 1845 and there were fears that the fighting would spread to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, which at the time was the

capital of New Zealand Wellington has been the capital of New Zealand since 1865. New Zealand's first capital city was Old Russell ( Okiato) in 1840–41. Auckland was the second capital from 1841 until 1865, when Parliament was permanently moved to Wellington after a ...

. Wood was made lieutenant of Volunteer Artillery, and was present at the attempted storming of

Hōne Heke Hōne Wiremu Heke Pōkai ( 1807/1808 – 7 August 1850), born Heke Pōkai and later often referred to as Hōne Heke, was a highly influential Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) and a war leader in northern New Zealand; he w ...

's pā at Ohaeawai on 1 July 1845. He was mentioned in Colonel Henry Despard's despatch describing that affair. After the war Wood returned to Auckland, where he practised his profession of architect and surveyor. About 1848 he was employed by the Government as Inspector of Roads, afterwards he was appointed Deputy Surveyor-General, which office he retained until 1856. He was tasked with the design of the

, which was built in 1854 in Auckland as New Zealand's first meeting house for the

Political career

Wood was elected to the

Auckland Provincial Council The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Area The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the six initial provinces, both ...

in the Suburbs of Auckland electorate on 7 October 1857. He served for the duration of the third council until the end of the term on 12 September 1861. Wood was the Member of Parliament for Parnell from January

1861 Statistically, this year is considered the end of the whale oil industry and (in replacement) the beginning of the petroleum oil industry. Events January–March * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico City. ** The first stea ...

to 1865 (resigned), then to 1878 (resigned); then for Waitemata from to 1881, when he retired. He also had a second term on the provincial council, where he represented the Parnell electorate on the seventh council from 29 November 1873 until the abolition of the provincial government system on 31 October 1876. From May to October 1875, he was part of the Auckland Executive Council (equivalent to a cabinet). In the House of Representatives, he was a cabinet minister, including the positions of

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

(then called Colonial Treasurer) twice, and

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

(then called Minister of Colonial Defence). He was part of the Auckland wing of the Liberal Party, sometimes called the "Auckland Rats". He stood in the in the electorate and was defeated by Richard Monk.

Private life and death

On 20 May 1850, he married Mary Jane Holland at St Paul's Church, Auckland's oldest Anglican church. He died at his home in Parnell, Auckland, on 20 August 1895, leaving his widow and one son, and was buried at St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell. He was survived by one son and his wife, who died in 1898 and is buried in the same grave.

Notes

References

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Reader 1821 births 1895 deaths People from Leicester English emigrants to New Zealand Members of the Auckland Provincial Council Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand defence ministers New Zealand finance ministers New Zealand Liberal Party MPs New Zealand public servants New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election Burials at St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell 19th-century New Zealand architects Members of Auckland provincial executive councils 19th-century New Zealand politicians People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood