William Wilson McCardle
JP (1 April 1844 – 4 January 1922) was a member of the
New Zealand Legislative Council
The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...
. Born in Scotland, he came to New Zealand as a young man and lived in a variety of places. He was a nurseryman and advocated for land reform. He established the town of
Pahiatua
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and it was in the
Wairarapa
The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...
district that his local government involvement was most influential. He stood in a number of general elections for Parliament, but was never successful. A committed liberal politician, he was appointed to the Legislative Council by the first
Ward Ministry in 1907 and served for one term until 1914.
Biography
He was born in
Kirkcudbrightshire
Kirkcudbrightshire ( ), or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative county ...
, Scotland, in 1844, and was educated at the local grammar school. He lost his father early, and due to other misfortunes, he decided to emigrate to New Zealand.
He arrived in
Lyttelton on 28 January 1863 on the ''Chariot of Fame'', with his occupation given as shepherd on the shipping list. He found employment as a shepherd on a station at
Ashburton, where he stayed for two years. He was then for two years employed by John Greenaway, a
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 / ...
nurseryman, from whom he acquired gardening and orcharding skills.
In 1866 at Christchurch,
McCardle married Janet Catherine Martin,
daughter of Captain James Martin, master of the unfortunate coaster ''Margaret''—a vessel built at
Kaiwarra in the
Wellington Harbour in 1845, and so completely lost on the way to Lyttelton in the following year that no trace of either ship or cargo was ever seen again. McCardle moved to Dunedin in 1869 and founded his own nursery, and some six years later sold out and established himself in the same line in
Masterton
Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...
. McCardle's apple orchard, stocked with its hundred fruit-bearing varieties, was soon the talk of the
Wairarapa
The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...
.
In 1881, he founded Pahiatua.
There are conflicting accounts how the township came to its name, though. According to
The Cyclopedia of New Zealand
''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: industrial, descriptive, historical, biographical facts, figures, illustrations'' was an encyclopaedia published in New Zealand between 1897 and 1908 by the Cyclopedia Company Ltd. Arthur McKee was one of the orig ...
, it is
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 ...
and means "The Home of the Gods".
A different version is that McCardle named the township after his friend, the Māori chief Koneke Pahiatua.
A third version is that another translation from Māori means "god's resting place", with the accompanying explanation that a chief fleeing from his enemies was led by his war god to this hill to seek refuge.
In 1884, McCardle moved to
Pahiatua
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himself, and though he discontinued the nursery business, he had, at his homestead on the banks of the
Mangahao River
The Mangahao River is located in the North Island of New Zealand. The headwaters are in the Tararua Ranges. The river flows northeast feeds into the Manawatu River south of Woodville.
There are two dams on the river which tunnel water, via ...
, an orchard of some twelve acres and a flower garden containing an extensive collection of ''
Rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
s''. He also had about 40 dairy cattle on his 180-acre farm, and the main portion of it was set apart as a stud sheep farm. His stud flock consisted of 300 Lincoln ewes.
He campaigned for land reforms, and is credited with having powerfully influenced the passing of the Land Act of 1877, and its amendment of 1879. As a member of the first Council of the borough of Masterton he did good work, and as a member of the Masterton Trust Lands Trust, he introduced the principle of full compensation for all permanent improvements effected by lessees of the trust property. As a trustee of the Masterton Park Trust he introduced the scheme for the laying out of the park, and himself carried it out.
The park was renamed Queen Elizabeth Park in 1954.
For seven years, McCardle was a member of the Masterton School Committee, during which time he fought hard and successfully for the large new school which was at that time erected. As a member of the Wairarapa North County Council, McCardle, in company with
George Beetham, represented the Alfredton riding, and got the county of Pahiatua formed into a separate riding of the Wairarapa North County, christening it 'Pahiatua'—a name which, correctly pronounced, is decidedly musical, and which in its meaning (it is
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 ...
for 'The Home of the Gods') is also most poetic and classic. McCardle's next move in the founding of Pahiatua was to get the riding placed under the control of a Road Board, his efforts being acknowledged by his election to the position of first chairman. The next step was to form the county, when McCardle had the satisfaction of seeing fairly launched the scheme of special settlements which he had so consistently advocated and so successfully helped forward. As early as May 1876, McCardle explored the area of what became the county of Pahiatua; previously covered by dense bush, it was soon converted to farmland. Even then, as a member of the Wellington Waste Lands Board, he did all in his power to bring about the immediate settlement of the country he had explored. He introduced an association of some two hundred members, prepared to join in a special settlement scheme "on all fours" with the Acts subsequently passed in 1877 and 1879. In company with
Alfred Renall of Masterton, McCardle waited on the Waste Lands Board, recommending the block as especially suitable for small farms settlements, and urging that it be set apart for these purposes. The Board, however, was deaf to all arguments at that time, stating that if the settlers wanted land they should be satisfied with second-class land instead of picking the best block in the province. But these settlers, led by McCardle, were not disposed to accept any but the best; they kept up the agitation until the Land Acts already mentioned were passed, and Pahiatua was the first block settled thereunder.
Though a leader in all this work of settlement, McCardle did not actually settle himself in Pahiatua until 1884, when he took up land and laid out the township. When the township of Pahiatua was laid out, there were many who thought the township would not develop. In response to a numerously signed petition he was appointed the first Justice of the Peace in the district. He continued work in land matters with the Masterton Special Settlements Association until the block known as Ballance was secured and disposed of.
Later, he moved 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 ...
. He was involved with the inaugural Kawhia County Council and was a member of the local Harbour Board. He then moved to
Walton Walton may refer to:
People
* Walton (given name)
* Walton (surname)
* Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer
Places
Canada
* Walton, Nova Scotia, a community
** Walton River (Nova Scotia)
*Walton, Ontario, a hamlet
United Kingdo ...
, where he lived for the rest of his live.
Political career
Beyond his local political involvement, McCardle also stood for Parliament on several occasions. In the , he contested the
Wairarapa North against George Beetham, with Beetham winning by 542 to 517 votes. He contested the electorate in the against
William Cowper Smith and JH Baker and came third. Woodville, Baker and McCardle received 922, 761, and 452 votes, respectively. He did not contest the , but stood again in , when he came a distant last in the electorate against
Alexander Hogg
Alexander Wilson Hogg (9 February 1841 – 17 November 1920) was a member of parliament for Masterton, in the North Island of New Zealand.
Member of Parliament
Hogg contested the Masterton electorate in the , but was beaten by Ge ...
and
Joseph Harkness
Joseph George Harkness JP (21 July 1850 – 9 January 1930) was a 19th-century independent conservative Member of Parliament from Nelson, New Zealand.
Early life
Harkness, the son of William Harkness, was born and educated at Nelson, attendin ...
. In the , he was one of five candidates in the newly formed electorate. He came third, beaten by
John O'Meara, who also stood for the Liberal Party.
In the , he contested the electorate against
William Massey
William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...
. On 22 January 1907, McCardle was appointed to the
Legislative Council. His seven-year term ended on 21 January 1914 and he was not reappointed.
Family and death
His son, also called William Wilson McCardle, was Mayor of Pahiatua. He died in office on 23 October 1914. McCardle died on 4 January 1922 at Walton.
He was survived by his wife, six sons and two daughters. McCardle was buried at Pahiatua.
McCardle Road in Pahiatua is named after him.
References
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McCardle, William Wilson
1841 births
1922 deaths
Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council
New Zealand Liberal Party MLCs
People from Dumfries and Galloway
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1893 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1896 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election
Scottish emigrants to New Zealand
New Zealand horticulturists
19th-century New Zealand politicians
New Zealand justices of the peace