William Gilbert Puckey

William Gilbert Puckey

William Gilbert Puckey (born 5 May 1805 in Penrhyn, Cornwall, England in - died 27 March 1878 in Kaitaia) was a British-born, New Zealand raised missionary who arrived in New Zealand at the age of 14. In his first years in New Zealand he picked up the Māori language speaking it fluently by age 16, and became widely regarded as one of the best interpreters of Maori in the fledging Mission. He was reportedly highly regarded by Maori, as the best interpreter of their meanings and metaphors. He was able to form relationships of trust with many influential Māori from a young age, and in particular, with Nopera Panakareao, (Te Rarawa), at Kaitaia.

Apparently, the night before the signing of the Treaty at Kaitaia, Panakareao called for Puckey, and spent a long time discussing and questioning the meaning, translation, and significance of the term Kawanatanga, or Sovereignty, that Henry Williams had used in the Treaty of Waitangi. In Nopera Panakareo's speech, to the assembled chiefs, (translated by WG Puckey, and recorded by Richard Taylor at the time), he endorsed the Treaty , with his famous metaphor, stating the he understood the words of the Treaty to mean that 'the shadow of the land was passing to the Queen, while the substance remained with Maori', a view he also famously repudiated and reversed a year later, in the light of increasingly bitter practical experience in subsequent dealings with pakeha authorities.

In Chapter 3 of the 'Muriwhenua Land Report' from the Waitangi Commission, the following assessment of Puckey's contribution is made:

William Puckey was an honest man, and a fluent Maori speaker, but he was more of a faithful artisan than a wordsmith. He was a layman throughout his missionary service, being neither admitted to the diaconate nor ordained as a priest. His use of the Maori language left good scope for improvement, in our view, and as for legal draftmanship his deeds were in urgent need of repair. [ [www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/scripts/reports/reports/45] accessed 5 July 2008]

This should not be interpreted as detracting from the achievement of Puckey, in his original role in being able to establish the basic trust and context in which deeper discussions as to what the increasingly significant cultural interactions between Maori and pakeha signified. He was no doubt limited in his education, and legal skills, but he was trusted and valued.

Puckey's fluency, and empathy in te Reo was an effective aid in his building effective relationships and understandings with Māori in Northland, as few other Pakeha in the early years of contact could communicate as effectively between races. Puckey often referred to himself and his wife in his Journals as a mere 'labourers in the vineyard', and though he was both modest and humble, the actual effect of his labours may have been under-rated, both in his lifetime by Bishop Selwyn, who refused to support him as a candidate for ordination, and by subsequent historians.

Beginnings

Puckey was born in Penryn, Cornwall on the 5th May, 1805, and christened there on the 5th of June. [http://www.raylong.plus.com/monique/d531.html#P9170 The Family Research of Monique Jones] ] His parents were William Puckey and his wife, Margery (nee Gilbert). He left England in 1815 with his parents, who had become lay missionaries with the Church Missionary Society (CMS), and had been to various countries such as Tahiti and Australia. William and his sister Elizabeth, (later to marry Gilbert Mair) came with their parents to New Zealand in 1819 on one of Samuel Marsden's Missions. His father had been a boatbuilder, mariner and carpenter in Cornwall, and it is likely both parents had reared their family with a strong focus on Christian religious values with a practical appreciation of other cultures. William Gilbert Puckey joined the CMS mission in his own right in 1821, and after accompanying his father back to Sydney in 1826, returned to New Zealand in 1827, and stayed for the rest of his life. This background, of growing up in his formative years in close contact with Maori communities, and witnessing the vicissitudes of the early Mission settlements, was highly significant to his later development of strong and effective bonds with Māori around the mission stations he worked in, at Kerikeri, Paihia, Te Waimate, and the station he helped found, and then stayed at, Kaitaia .

At Te Waimate on 11 October 1831 Puckey married Matilda Davis (who was then aged 17), second daughter of Rev. Richard Davis, thus becoming the first European couple to be married in New Zealand. Their first child was born in early January 1833, but only survived for 7 weeks.

Exciting experiences

As a boy of 14 in New Zealand in 1819, Puckey's life was adventurous, to put it mildly.

The Missionary J.G Butler recorded in his diary of SATURDAY, JANUARY 6th. 1821:

Looking after the stores in the morning; in the afternoon we were much alarmed by fire. One of the carpenters' sons, named Wm. Puckey, a boy of about fourteen years of age, set fire to the fern, which had like to have burned our standing wheat, the day being windy and the fern high. The fire raged with great fury, so that, with the assistance of a great many natives, we had great difficulty in saving the corn, and putting it out. Mr. F. Hall had some barley burned, but not much. [ [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-BarEarl-t1-body-d4.html Earliest New Zealand: The Journals and Correspondence of the Rev. John Butler] accessed 11 September 2007]

and again, perhaps more significantly, in this extended account of a presumably terrifying, and potentially final interaction between the vulnerable Mission community at Kerikeri, and Hongi Heke's iwi, in his diary for SATURDAY, 18th AUGUST, 1821.

—In the morning took a walk round the farm to look at the wheat and other grain, and exercise my stiffened limbs. Afternoon, reading. About six o'clock in the evening, as Mr. Puckey was buying some sweet potatoes, the same infamous woman which struck Mrs. Butler, interfered with him and entered the yard, and would take them away by force and take them to Mr. Bean. I did not see the transaction, as I was on the loft reading, but I heard the noise, and my son, who saw the whole affair, said she behaved in a most shameful manner. She was going to fall upon his wife, and he pushed her away, and she up with a billet of wood and struck him twice, and threw mud in his face. She then went away and informed Shunghee (who is her relation) and all her friends, that during Shunghee's absence about six months ago, Mr. Puckey's daughter, a little girl of eleven years of age, said to his daughter, Tyeke, that when Shunghee came back she would cut his head off and put it in the iron pot. This hussy succeeded in stirring up the natives, who are glad of any pretence in order to seize on our property.

I came down about ten o'clock, and my lad, Tyheehone, said to me, “Father, the natives are coming to steal all Mr. Puckey's things.” I told him to hold his tongue, for I did not believe him. He still persisted in the truth of what he said. I asked him why. He said for the bad langauge Mr. Puckey's daughter had used concerning Shunghee. I said, if she had said such things, she did not mean to, it was not possible; that she could not have any ill-will towards Mr. Shunghee; she was but a child, and had not seen Mr. Shunghee many times, and could not know what she was saying at the time; and Mr. Puckey, if he knew, would correct her very seriously for such things. Mr. Puckey came to me, to consult what he had best do. I told him I did not think they would do any such thing; however, he wished to put a few things up in the store loft, for fear such a thing should take place, to which I readily consented.

I also enquired of him what his girl had done, and he related the case as follows: That about six months ago, his daughter and the daughter of Shunghee, who is a grown woman, and lives with Mrs. Kemp as servant, were at play on the timber about the sawpits. They sat down on the timber and began to talk about their parents, a thing very customary with children. Shunghee's daughter said that Puckey was nothing more than a slave, and Puckey's daughter said her father was as great a man as Shunghee; the other replied: “Shunghee on his return will kill your father and eat him;” and Puckey's girl said in return: “I will cut your father's head off, and cook it in the iron pot,” and so on. This certainly could amount to nothing more than a child's prate, who often talks without any reasoning. However, the consequences (through the aforesaid infamous woman) became very alarming. The natives, as I have observed, are glad of any pretext to seize on our property; they came in the middle of the night and took away out of Puckey's small yard nine store hogs, one male, one female goat, also one goat, one hog, and three fowls from Messrs. Bean and Fairburn.

On Sunday morning about five o'clock, Puckey called me, saying in a mournful tone: “The natives have broken into my kitchen.” I jumped out of bed, and ran out of doors almost naked, and I saw the natives in Mr. Puckey's yard, and many in the kitchen, using dreadful language, and taking everything they could lay their hands on. The settlement was thrown in the greatest consternation, and indeed we did not know to what length they would go. Mr. Puckey, his wife and children, were crying out for their hoes. My place being next to theirs, and only a small fence between, I expected them into my place every instant. However, Reewah, who is as great a chief as Shunghee, and who has always stood our friend, came running down from his place naked, with his gun in his hand, and in he rushed like a lion and bundled them out of the place in a few minutes; but they nevertheless got away many articles, as planes, files, saws, hammers, stock and kits, axes, hoes, razors, shoes, wearing apparel, lamps, tea pots, one iron pot, two blankets, one rug.

Puckey's son sleeps in the kitchen, as they have only one small room besides. When the natives broke in, one of them caught hold of him by the hair of his head, and said he would cut off his head if he spoke a word. As soon as he was loosed, in he ran to his father, trembling in every limb. At length peace was restored, and we thought all was over; but my mind was so much hurt that it was with the utmost difficulty, when the time came, that I performed Divine Service; and not my mind alone, but also everyone in the settlement. We began service as usual at eleven o'clock, and Mr. Puckey and his son attended. We had not begun many minutes ere Puckey was called out; the natives were taking away his chickens out of his yard. He went and begged of them not to take them, but they paid no attention; they took them all away.

Divine Service being ended about one o'clock, and the friends scarcely got indoors, when down comes another party, and over the fence into Puckey's yard. I knew several of them, and begged of them with all my might to desist; but all in a moment they broke open the door and into the house they went. Puckey's dinner was just set on the table, and they took all the food, broke all the plates and dishes, took away the knives and forks, spoons, a looking-glass, two bottles, and one canister of tea, table cloth, towel, three mats, then about one bag of flour, one of wheat; took away more tools, sundry curiosities, etc., etc.

Some of my natives went and acquainted Rewah, who came quite naked, and several others with him, as soon as possible; he was dreadfully angry, and I was afraid the natives would now fight among themselves, but they were soon cleared from Puckey's place by Rewah and his friends without blows. He said to them all that Shunghee ought to be ashamed; he had been to England and was loaded with kindness, and he had returned to fight and destroy the white people. One of the natives heard that Puckey was struck, and he ran and killed a hog of Shunghee's as a recompense; and as Kehee Kehee's (Kohi Kohi) party (Shunghee's relations) and friends were plundering Puckey's place, Rewah's brother went and took away Keehee Keehee's potatoes as an utoo (payment), My son's German flute was at Mr. Puckey's, and that went with the rest of the things. We all stood looking on, but durst not speak a word. I had hard work to keep Mrs. Butler from fainting away.

These are trying scenes indeed; this is something of a missionary's life among cannibals.

Rewah and his friends now determined to stop and guard the place; he therefore loaded his musket, and told them they might look out if they came any more. We now got a mouthful of dinner with fear and trembling, and I brought the distressed family into my place, and gave them some with us. Afterwards I sent for Shunghee, and advised Mr. Puckey to go and beg of him to come and let us know what all this cruel outrage meant. I walked backwards and forwards along by my garden fence until I saw Shunghee go into Mr. Puckey's place, and several other chiefs, and I followed them. I sat down among them, and began to enquire of Mr. Shunghee why they acted thus. He replied: “My people heard that Mr. Puckey's girl said very bad language concerning me, and they have taken the matter up, and acted thus without my consent.” I told him I was extremely sorry that they should be so cruel on account of the conversation of a child, who did not know the evil, and who did not, nor could she mean any evil to him. “Moreover,” I said, “if you wanted any satisfaction on that account, had you come and made it known, we would have made you any recompense in our power; you have looked very shy at us ever since you came from England. What is the reason? If you do not like us to live at your place, we will go away.”

I could scarcely get a word from him further than he did not wish them to fight us, and he would do what he could to stop any further proceedings. I then asked him if any other of his friends were then likely to come upon us. He said he could not tell, but he would do all he could to prevent them. This will show you how little power a chief has over his people in New Zealand. I further said to him that I had been called his slave many times, and that by his relations—men and women, yet I was not angry with them. He said he knew that. I then asked why he did not, on hearing the report, come to Mr. Puckey immediately, and he would have corrected his daughter severely in order to deter her from doing the like again. He answered: “I am not angry with Mr. Puckey or his child.” I then left them, in order, by the help of the blessed Jesus, to prepare myself, as much as the agitation of my mind would permit, for evening service.

Shunghee's son, a fine youth, came to evening service, and desired to stop at my place all night. This I agreed to, and the night passed away in tranquillity; only Rewah and his friend fired off their muskets several times in the night, to let the natives know he was prepared for them. I slept pretty well, being worn down in body and mind. [ [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-BarEarl-t1-body-d4.html Earliest New Zealand: The Journals and Correspondence of the Rev. John Butler] accessed 11 September 2007]

Expedition to the Reinga

In December 1834, not long after his arrival, and settlement in Kaitaia, W G Puckey made a trip up to Cape Reinga, and wrote a very interesting account of the journey and its consequences. His guide on this journey was Paerata, an older Chief, who was an early convert to Christianity. On the way, they were questioned at Houhora as to their motives for travelling so far:

At this place we were cordially received by Witi, an old venerable chief, one of the principal heads of the Karawa tribe. This old man, on learning where we were going said "of what use is your going there, for the people of that place are very few, and they have nothing for you to eat”. We replied it was not for food that we were going, our object was to declare unto the natives of that place, the glad tidings of Salvation.

The party travelled on, met up at "Kahokawa" with about 25 people,I had service with them and talked till late at night of the things of God. After I had done speaking, one of these people observed to another sitting by him “lt will be well for us to pay attention to these things, we can keep the Sabbath if we can do nothing else".

Eventually, on 14th January, 1835, the party got back to Houhora, to quite a reception:

During the time I was absent, great rumours were spread among the tribes that I had gone to cut away the Aka of the Reinga. Many angry speeches were made, and some said they would go, and way Iay us, as we were returning. It in fact roused all the affections of those who had any for their old Dagon; while numbers who began to feel a little enlightenment would say, "and what of it, if the ladder is cut away; it is a thing of lies, and the spirits never went there". On being, asked, ‘what, are you afraid of having no place of torment to go to?’ some of the old men would touchingly say "It is very well for you to go to the Rangi (or Heaven), but leave us our old road to the Reinga , and let us have something to hold on by, as we descend, or we shall break our necks over the precipice".

Many moreover threatened to take a fight to Paerata, as they laid all the blame on him, so accordingly on Monday 14 of Jany. (1835 -ed) a body of about 40 men came the distance of 10 miles, to enquire into the truth of the matter. A notable chief also, whose name is Huhu, came the distance of 20 miles, in order to see if it were true and to stop any fight, if there were any.

When about 100 natives had assembled, speeches on the occasion of the visit to the Reinga were made ( this was done in a running posture). After two old chiefs had spoken their minds on the subject, and had declared it was "a very wicked thing to cut away their ladder to the Reinga, and nothing but right that Paerata's property should be taken as a payment"

Paerata then rose, and made an animated speech in defence of his new belief, which lasted two hours. His audience formed a circle around him, and the attention was profound.

His speech commenced with the setting out, and took in every little incident, and every conversation which passed among ourselves, and the natives with whom we met. He also gave his own ideas at large, on the absurdity of their believing in such a place as the Reinga, for their departed souls.

He moreover said with great feeling "there is another Hell which I am afraid of, the one which 'burns with fire and brimstone" ....

Paerata gave great satisfaction to his hearers, by assuring them, that their old Reinga had not been disturbed by us, and that the road still lay straight before them. The natives were so unarmed by Paerata's celebrated speech, that they all dispersed to their homes in great tranquility, not one being able to speak an angry word against him, and thus ends my short narrative.

These excerpts from the Journal of the expedition that Puckey wrote up illustrate his sensitivity to the susceptibilities and sensibilities of Maori. He records the wry humour that so often is present in Maori interactions, and his own ability to sit back and let others do the talking.

Another anecdote that illustrates something of his character, and his ability to stand up to bluster and to disarm threats with humour, comes from a Maori source. Apparently in one early encounter, a Maori Chief had welcomed Puckey, saying that they had been getting hungry, and that he looked good for the pot. Puckey responded that as it was a Friday, it was completely tapu in his culture to eat meat on such a day, and that their feast would have to wait.

Over the years, Puckey had many different experiences that helped shaped his relationships with Māori people, such as the account of Puckey saving a young Māori boy's life. The unnamed boy was to be thrown into a nearby, raging river by tribesmen. The missionary suggested he buy the boy from them, so he rushed back to the mission station to get some money, and when he returned, he was horrified to see the boy was thrown into the river. Acting bravely, Puckey dived in, fully clothed and rescued the boy who joined the Puckey household and showed immense admiration and respect for the man for the rest of his days.

As an example of his ingenuity, W.G. Puckey can be said to have built New Zealand's first land yacht, as he apparently used to rig a sail on his dray, which he then 'sailed' back down Ninety-Mile Beach after visits and explorations up that beach, letting the horse have an easy run home.

Impact on Northland

During Puckey’s lifetime, he influenced the region of Northland greatly. Puckey was a jack-of-all-trades and as well as being a gifted builder, he was also an accomplished linguist. His early 'immersion' experience as a boy of 14, arriving in New Zealand, meant that he had quickly become fluent in te Reo, and that he could correctly translate and communicate parts of the Bible into the Māori idiom and language.

A lot of Puckey’s early life's work was in translating parts of the Bible and Prayer Book into Māori, which was of great assistance not only in his own work of developing new relationships with Maori, but also for other missionaries and their relations with other Maori communities.

Māori that were “saved” in the Christian sense, due to Puckey's (and his wife's) evangelical efforts and example, often spent their life on the mission station, helping to convert other Māori. Thus Puckey contributed to a chain reaction of conversion in Nga Puhi communities.

A Man of Honour

Puckey lived his life as an honest, humane, and truthful man with considerable integrity; he maintained strong connections with the church and with the purpose of converting the Māori into Christianity and translating the Gospel so they could understand it. Even into his later years when he was bedridden and hard of hearing, he still maintained time to give a ‘nugget’ of wisdom to a young Māori that might happen to come by. Acts like these gave him the respect of Nga Puhi chiefs, such as Paerata and Pana-kareao.

Significance of lifework

Puckey’s relationship with Māori was well documented in Journals he wrote (some with Rev Joseph Matthews) as reports and letters to the CMS. A particularly interesting Journal was one of his travel in 1834 up to the 'Reinga', the departing point of spirits in the Maori world-view.

He was the first Pakeha to travel up the 'Ninety-Mile' Beach to what is now known as Cape Reinga, the very northern-most tip of New Zealand.

That he was allowed to go to the Reinga in the first place says something about the relationship he had been able to form with local Maori. He travelled in the company of an older Chief, Paerata, who had indicated he was willing to be a guide to Puckey. On their way north, Paerata and Puckey were questioned as to their motives for wanting to travel to this most sacred place, and on their return were confronted by a large gathering of tribes who were had become stirred up with anxiety that somehow Puckey might be damaging the Aka, or ladder down to the sea, whereby spirits were understood to depart for Hawaiiki .

A large hui sat to allow all opinions to be voiced, and at the end, Paerata stood and spoke for 2-3 hours on end, explaining exactly what Puckey and he had done & said on their travels, and how the new Christian beliefs and philosophy that Puckey was espousing were not to be construed as a threat to the customary beliefs of the Maori.

Legacy

William Gilbert Puckey left a legacy that enriched Kaitaia and the Northland region. Because he was a skilled builder, carpenter, inventor and architect, many of Kaitaia’s original buildings and roads were made by the great man. Tools that he used still remain in the Far North Museum today. Some prominent relatives of William Gilbert Puckey include his son Edward Walter Puckey, who became a Māori Land Court judge, and the current Minister of Health, Pete Hodgson. William Gilbert Puckey died in 1878, age 73, and was buried at St Saviours Church, Kaitaia. His wife Matilda died on 15 July 1884 in Thames. [http://fafari.co.nz/index_files/davis/pafg03.htm#1937 The Descendants of Richard Davis] ]

William and Matilda's 11 children were [http://fafari.co.nz/index_files/davis/pafg03.htm#1937 The Descendants of Richard Davis] ] :
*Frederick James Puckey (1834-1834)Died aged 7 weeks at Waimate.
*William George Puckey (1835-1918) m. Margaret Hunt in 1872. 6 children.
*Edward Walter Puckey (1837-1924) m. Annie Russell in 1863. 2 children.
*Mary Serena Puckey (1839-1927) m. Dr Thomas Trimnell in 1864. 2 children.
*Margarita Jane Puckey (1844-1930)m. William Henry Blyth in 1866
*Caroline Elizabeth Puckey (1842-1849) died from ear infection.
*Frederick Coleman Puckey (1847-1848)
*Charles Iselton Puckey (1848-1934) m. Doris Sophia Subritzky on 14 May 1873. 9 children.
*Richard Henry Martyn Puckey (1852-1934 ) m. Alice Marion masters in 1883. 7 children
*Annie Matilda Sophia Marella Puckey (1855?-1932?) m. William Temple Williams in 1891. 4 children
*Albert Francis Puckey (1858-1936) m.Gertrude Robinson. No children

References

*Pickmere, Nancy; The Story of PaihiaCalder’s Design and Print, Whangarei, 2000Pg: 26ISBN 0-473-06767-6

*Keene, Florence; Kaitaia and its PeopleAllied Graphics, Whangarei, 1989Pg: 82-84ISBN: 0-908817-05-3

*Preece, Nancy; A Lamp Shines in KerikeriNews Limited, Kaikohe, 1969Pg: 10, 11, 12, 27, 28

*Williams, A.M.S.M; Life of W.G. Puckey1932Pg: 1, 7, 11, 23

*Journals and Letters of the Rev. W.G. Puckey – 1831 – 1868Special Collections, Auckland Public LibraryPg: 3, 98, 141, 201, 299, 385, 453

*Fitzgerald, C (Editor); Letters From the Bay of Islands: The Story of Marianne WilliamsPenguin Books, Auckland, 2004Pg: 61, 87, 251

[http://airgale.com.au/puckey/d1.htm#g1 Descendants of William Puckey]


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