William Sefton Moorhouse ( 1825 – 15 September 1881) was a British-born New Zealand politician. He was the second Superintendent of

Canterbury Province The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential En ...

Early life

Moorhouse was born in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, England, and baptised on 18 December 1825; the oldest son of William Moorhouse, a magistrate, and his wife, Ann Carter. He trained as a lawyer, entering as a student at the Middle Temple in November 1847, and was called to the Bar in November 1860. After working for a time 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 ...

, he moved to Lyttelton, New Zealand, with his two brothers (Benjamin and Thomas) in 1851. Soon afterwards, he moved to

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 ...

, where he resumed his law practice. He married Jane Ann(e) Collins on 15 December 1853 in

Old St. Paul's, Wellington Old St Paul's (formerly St Paul's Pro-Cathedral) is a historic site, a city landmark (tourist attraction) and a wedding and event venue in the heart of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. The building served a dual role as the parish c ...

. He then briefly travelled to Australia, leaving with his wife on the barque ''Tory'' on 16 December for Melbourne. He subsequently returned to Lyttelton, and then moved to

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, where he acted as a lawyer, magistrate, newspaper editor, and ship owner. One of his sisters, Sarah Ann Moorhouse, married William Barnard Rhodes. Another, Lucy Ellen Sykes Moorhouse, married

John Studholme John Studholme (1829–1903) was a 19th-century British pioneer of New Zealand, farmer and politician in the Canterbury region of New Zealand.Mosley, vol.3 p. 2803 Early life John Studholme was born in 1829 the son of John Studholme, a landowner ...

. Another, Mary Moorhouse, married Thomas Henry Wigley.

Political career

Moorhouse was active both in national and provincial politics, and later was a

Mayor of Wellington The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of the City of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional representati ...

House of Representatives

Moorhouse was elected to represent

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for "Long Harbour", which would be spelled in standard ...

in the

1st New Zealand Parliament The 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's first general election (held the previous year). It was dissolved on 15 September 1855 in preparation for that year's ...

, and remained an MP until his death. In his parliamentary career, he represented the Akaroa,

Heathcote Heathcote may refer to: Places in Australia *Heathcote, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney **Electoral district of Heathcote, a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly **Heathcote National Park ** Parish of Heathcote a parish of Cumberla ...

(a notice of election was gazetted on 12 July 1862, and the member sworn in on 14 July),

Westland Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila ...

Westland Boroughs Westland Boroughs was a parliamentary electorate in the West Coast of New Zealand from 1866 to 1870. Population centres Westland Boroughs was made up of the areas covered by the boroughs of Greymouth and Hokitika. The enabling legislation allow ...

and

Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

(elected 1879) electorates. In the 1866 election, he had won both the Mount Herbert and Westland electorates, and chose to represent the latter. At the 21 December 1875 election, he stood in the City of Christchurch electorate for the

6th New Zealand Parliament The 6th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Elections for this term were held in 69 European electorates between 20 December 1875 and 29 January 1876. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 4 and 1 ...

. He was returned in third position in this three-member electorate; the other members returned in the election were

Edward Richardson Edward Richardson (7 November 1831 – 26 February 1915) was a New Zealand civil and mechanical engineer, and Member of Parliament. Born in England, he emigrated to Australia and continued there as a railway engineer. Having become a partner ...

and

Edward Cephas John Stevens Edward Cephas John Stevens (18 October 1837 – 6 June 1915) was a New Zealand politician in provincial government in Canterbury, and a member of both the lower and upper houses of parliament. A businessman, he controlled the Christchurch ...

. The Westland Representation Act 1867 introduced changes to the Waimea and

electorates. Their areas were reassigned and four electorates formed. As a result, Westland was abolished in 1867, a new electorate (

) was established, and the Act stipulated that the sitting member (Moorhouse) was transferred to it. Other new electorates, for which by-elections were to be held, were

Westland North Westland North was a parliamentary electorate on the West Coast of New Zealand from 1868 to 1870. History The Westland Representation Act 1867 introduced changes to the Waimea and Westland electorates. Their areas were reassigned and four elec ...

and

Westland South Westland South was a parliamentary electorate on the West Coast of New Zealand from 1868 to 1870. History The Westland Representation Act 1867 introduced changes to the Waimea and Westland electorates. Their areas were reassigned and four elec ...

. Moorhouse resigned from Westland Boroughs on 20 February 1868, and

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

won the resulting

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

Moorhouse represented from the to the . He stood unsuccessfully for in the , then successfully for from the to 1881.

Canterbury Provincial Council

In the provincial elections of August 1853, Moorhouse stood in the Akaroa electorate for one of two positions on the

Canterbury Provincial Council The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential Eng ...

. There was a draw for second place and the returning officer gave his casting vote to the other candidate, Rev. William Aylmer. A week earlier, Moorhouse had stood in the same electorate for the House of Representatives and had been successful. In 1855, Moorhouse was first elected to the Canterbury Provincial Council. From March to July 1855, he represented the Akaroa electorate on the first Council. He later served as the Province's

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

after James FitzGerald resigned from the superintendency in October 1857 due to illness. Moorhouse and

Joseph Brittan Joseph Brittan (12 January 1806 – 27 October 1867), a surgeon, newspaper editor, and provincial councillor, was one of the dominant figures in early Christchurch, New Zealand. Born into a middle-class family in southern England, he followed ...

contested the vacancy, and obtained 727 and 352 votes, respectively. During the 1857 election he supported construction of the

Lyttelton Rail Tunnel The Lyttelton Rail Tunnel, initially called the Moorhouse Tunnel, links the city of Christchurch with the port of Lyttelton in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is the country's oldest operational rail tunnel, and is on t ...

although both Brittan and FitzGerald thought such a long expensive tunnel too risky for a small colony and favoured a longer rail connection via Sumner with a short tunnel or a horse tramway over Gollans Pass. He served as Superintendent until February 1863, and another term from May 1866 to May 1868. After his first superintendency, he represented the Kaiapoi electorate as a provincial councillor from March to October 1863, and then represented the Heathcote electorate from February 1864 to May 1866. From 27 October to 17 November 1863, he was a member of the Canterbury Executive Council.

Later years

He was

in 1875, and died in Wellington on 15 September 1881. He had diabetes, and had had an operation for an abscess. After a funeral in Wellington his body was returned to Christchurch for a funeral and then burial at Riccarton. The Legislative Council adjourned as a mark of respect. A statue to him in Christchurch was proposed. He was survived by his wife Jane and five children. The children (born from 1859 to 1867) were a son William Harold Sefton, three daughters Alice Jane, Hilda and Jessie, and a child born in 1865 whose name was not recorded on the birth entry.

Commemoration

In 1904, the South Belt or South Town Belt in Christchurch was renamed

Moorhouse Avenue Moorhouse may refer to: * Moorhouse (surname) * Moorhouse (band), a New Zealand boy band * Moor House a building in the City of London * Moorhouse, Allerdale, a hamlet in Allerton District, Cumbria, England * Moorhouse, Cumbria Moorhouse is ...

in honour of the former Superintendent. Each Christchurch Avenue around the central city is named for one of the former Superintendents, and it was thought appropriate to rename the South Belt for Moorhouse, as it was parallel to the railway line and continued via Ferry Road towards the railway tunnel, two projects that were closely linked to Moorhouse. The eastern continuation of the South Belt was called Junction Street or Junction Road, until its intersection with Ferry Road. In 1909, this section was incorporated into Moorhouse Avenue.

Julius von Haast Sir Johann Franz Julius von Haast (1 May 1822 – 16 August 1887) was a German-born New Zealand explorer, geologist, and founder of the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch. Early life Johann Franz Julius Haast was born on 1 May 1822 in Bo ...

named the Moorhouse Range and Sefton Peak in the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...

after Moorhouse. Moorhouse and Sefton Streets in the Wellington suburb of Wadestown are also named for him. A statue of Moorhouse, made by

George Anderson Lawson George Anderson Lawson (Edinburgh 1832 – 23 September 1904) was a British Victorian era sculptor who was associated with the New Sculpture movement. Life He was born at Edinburgh in 1832, the son of David Lawson and Anne Campbell. He wa ...

in London in 1885, is located in the

Christchurch Botanic Gardens The Christchurch Botanic Gardens, located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand, were founded in 1863 when an English oak was planted to commemorate the solemnisation of the marriage of Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra of Denmar ...

Notes

References

* * , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Moorhouse, William Sefton 1825 births 1881 deaths Mayors of Wellington Wellington City Councillors Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council Members of Canterbury provincial executive councils Superintendents of New Zealand provincial councils 19th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand people in rail transport People from Knottingley English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1860–1861 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians Moorhouse–Rhodes family