New Zealand’s links to North East England – a hint of home
Place names, homesteads and villas reveal the history of North East settlers in New Zealand.
Given that the British were one of the major European settler groups in New Zealand, along with Germans, French and Scandinavians, there’s no shortage of shared history and culture. So why pick out New Zealand’s links to North East England for special attention? What’s the big deal?
Well, for a start, I grew up in North East England – so self-indulgence is one reason. Even though I’ve lived in various different places during my adult life, my roots are in Tyneside. When you’re a long way from home, finding little connections with the place you’ve left behind can give you a joyful surprise. Among the British as a whole, North Easterners were a small cohort. Their historical remnants are therefore all the more exciting when I discover them.
Why they came
Why did those early settlers from the North East choose to abandon their homeland for an unknown destination 12,000 miles away? Pioneering ambition, employment opportunities and speculative investments were the main drivers, against a background of unfavourable economic conditions back home.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, New Zealand’s coal mining and heavy industries were being established. Durham collieries such as Hetton were at the forefront of mining innovations.
Durham’s miners offered skills that were in high demand, as did Tyneside’s ship-builders. Encouraged by assisted passages and recruitment campaigns from the likes of the New Zealand Company and the Canterbury Association, many tradesmen grabbed the chance to improve their prospects overseas.
Professionals, entrepreneurs and gentleman farmers were attracted by the prospects of land ownership, new business opportunities and the chance to lead on pioneering projects in the new world. Engineers, surveyors and architects could all make their mark.
The Otago gold rush of the 1860s drew many speculators who dreamed of becoming rich. Fortunes were made and lost. Some who failed to find treasure, returned to their old profession or trade and established themselves successfully in New Zealand’s growing towns and cities.
Here’s a selection of the places, buildings and people with North East links that I’ve discovered on my own journey.
Places
Warkworth, Rodney (North Island)
This attractive riverside town, about an hour’s drive north of Auckland, was founded in 1853 by Newcastle-born builder and surveyor John Anderson Brown. The Mahurangi river, alongside which John established a sawmill, reminded him of the River Coquet at Warkworth, Northumberland, where his uncle lived, hence his choosing the same name when he founded the town.
John named the major streets of Warkworth after other Northumbrian towns and villages such as Alnwick, Hexham and Morpeth. Others were named after well-known families of the region such as Percy – the family name of the Dukes of Northumberland – and Neville.
A devoted Anglican and temperance advocate, John donated three acres of land for the establishment of the town’s church. Sadly, he did not live long enough to see it completed.
Cheviot, North Canterbury (South Island)
The small rural town of Cheviot was named after the Cheviot Hills, which lie mostly in Northumberland and form the border between North East England and Scotland.
The Cheviot Hills were home to farmer John Scott Caverhill, who emigrated to New Zealand as an early settler and pastoral leaseholder in the 1840s. He set up a large sheep station on the site of Cheviot town as we know it today and named it after his homeland.
John had a colourful life in New Zealand. He was once taken prisoner by the famous Maori chief, Te Rauparaha. His skilled horsemanship enabled him to make a daring escape on the back of a stallion.
John’s wife Frances wrote extensive diaries, which have provided historians with an important source of information about what life was like for women in high country sheep stations at that time. A year at Hawkeswood: the diary of Frances Caverhill for 1865, published in 1981 by the Nag’s Head Press, can still be found in second-hand bookshops around New Zealand and Australia. It’s a fascinating read.
Tyne Precinct, Oamaru (Otago, South Island)
Oamaru is a charming town known for its elegant limestone Victorian buildings and Steampunk sub-culture. Its Harbour & Tyne Historic Precinct is home to the southern hemisphere’s most complete collection of heritage Victorian commercial buildings. In the UK, Newcastle also has many beautifully-preserved Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian buildings.
The Tyne precinct is named after the River Tyne, which passes Newcastle on its way to the North Sea. Tyne Street is one of several in Oamaru named after British rivers. This designation was the work of Otago’s provincial surveyor, John Turnbull Thomson, who worked on the layout of Oamaru in 1858.
Northumberland-born John played a significant role in the development of infrastructure in New Zealand and Singapore in the 19th century. He built bridges, hospitals, lighthouses, mosques and monuments. He has a region of Singapore named after him as well as a park, a waterfall and a mountain in New Zealand.
Homesteads and villas
The following are all listed historic homes, registered with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
Brancepeth, Wairarapa (North Island)
One of the oldest and most significant sheep stations in the Wairarapa, Brancepeth is named after a County Durham village.
Brancepeth Station was established by the Beetham family, who hailed from Yorkshire. Legend has it that when three Beetham brothers were constructing a hut on the site one day, a wild pig appeared and passed before them. This reminded them of a story they had been told about the English village being named after a wild boar that terrorised the neighbourhood (Brancepeth being derived from old English dialect for ‘boar’s path’).
The English village has a castle, which no doubt influenced the grandeur of the elegant homestead, which has its own castellated central tower.
Uniquely, the Beethams created a library for the use of their workers. It had its own lending system and was well-used. Today, the library stock is housed at Victoria University of Wellington, where it forms part of the Special Collections. The books themselves, and the stains and crumbs pressed in their pages, give a fascinating insight into the life, tastes and preferences of sheep station workers.
Personal note: I was privileged to have the Brancepeth library and the special collections under my direction, when I was Head of Reference and Research at Victoria University of Wellington Library from 2002 to 2008.
Westoe, Rangitikei (North Island)
Westoe was built in 1874 for Sir William Fox (see ‘people’ below), who named it after Westoe Village in South Shields, where he was born. The house’s architecture and design are said to have been inspired by Queen Victoria’s home, Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight. Westoe has a similar Italianate tower, though it was never completely finished and remains unsealed today.
Westoe enjoyed gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside – the Ruahine Ranges, the Manawatu and the Rangitikei River. On a clear day, Mount Ruapehu – New Zealand’s most active volcano – could be seen.
Sir William was a keen horticulturalist. He planted the garden on three levels and even imported vines from Australia in an attempt to start a vineyard – despite being a teetotaller himself. Many of the hedges and trees he planted are still in the garden today.
Personal note: Fox’s boyhood home in Westoe Village, South Shields, was purchased in the 1970s by members of the LeBlond family, who were friends of my mother’s. They converted it into a boutique hotel. South Tyneside Council’s history website has an old photo of them outside the house.
Sennen House, Picton (South Island)
This magnificent Italianate villa, located on an elevated site above the town of Picton, was built in the late 1880s for Newcastle-born businessman George Alexander Smith. George ran a successful building company and was also a sawmill owner. His company built several fine and noteworthy buildings in Picton including the council chambers, the hospital and the Anglican church.
George and his wife Naomi raised their 14 children in the house! As they grew up, he portioned off sections of land for them as gifts for their future homes.
Personal note: my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful stay at Sennen House a couple of years ago, before a trip on the Coastal Pacific train. This was when I first discovered the Newcastle connection. I was delighted to think that I was staying in the home of an eminent Geordie settler who had such an impact on the town of Picton.
People
Sir William Fox (1812-1893)
The most eminent of all Geordies in New Zealand must surely be Sir William Fox, political leader and four-times Prime Minister of New Zealand.
William was called to the bar while still in the UK, but never practised as a barrister in New Zealand. A keen explorer, he was also a talented watercolour painter. Several of his works survive and can be seen in the Alexander Turnbull Library and the National Library of New Zealand in Wellington and the Christchurch Art Gallery. The Hocken Library of the University of Otago has also digitised some of the artworks in its collection and made them available online.
The Fox Glacier in the south island is named after William, as is the town of Foxton which is about 50 kilometres from Westoe.
Dr Isaac Featherston (1813-1876)
Isaac was a Newcastle-born medical doctor who became an influential political leader in Wellington. He was the first Superintendent of the Wellington province – a role he held for 18 years – and later became Colonial Secretary. The Wairarapa town of Featherston is named after him, as are streets in Wellington and Palmerston North.
Nathaniel Young Armstrong Wales (1832-1903)
Northumberland-born Nathaniel first headed to New Zealand during the heady days of the Otago gold rush. A trained architect, he eventually settled in Dunedin, where he designed various noteworthy structures including the New Zealand Insurance Company building. He served as MP for Dunedin from 1874 to 1875, then became the city’s Mayor from 1895 to 1896.
James Bragge (1833-1908)
Born in South Shields, James became one of New Zealand’s premier pioneer landscape photographers. He opened a studio in Wellington and famously travelled in a horse and cart that doubled as his darkroom. His early glass-plate photographs of settlements, railways and Wellington streets are regarded as historically-important national treasures. They are held in the collections of Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, in Wellington.
Experience New Zealand’s links with North-East England
You can, of course, visit any of the towns and cities mentioned in this post to see for yourself where some of these early pioneers lived, worked and raised their families. To get even more up close and personal, try the following experiences.
Brancepeth Station
Brancepeth is still a family home, but the Beethams offer guided tours of the beautiful homestead and the estate. The cost is $38 per person. Tea and coffee with scones or biscuits are available for an extra $7 per person. Pre-booking is essential.
Sennen House
Today, Sennen House is a bed-and-breakfast offering a welcoming stay in Picton. The current owners have maintained the house tastefully, respecting its history. The gardens around the house are beautifully-kept and full of native plants and trees. Note – the booking link below is an affiliate link.
They’re still arriving
So what about today? Are New Zealand’s links with North East England still extending, and are there any eminent contemporary Geordie immigrants? The answer is yes, but they are rather different! One example is Bev Priestman, a professional football manager who is head coach for the Wellington Phoenix women’s team.
Born in Consett, County Durham, Bev is a leading light in New Zealand women’s football, in a country obsessed by rugby. In her first two years at the club, she turned the Phoenix from no-hopers (finishing last in their first two seasons) into Grand Finalists of the A-League by the time they reached their hundredth game in 2026. In fact, the Phoenix were the first-ever New Zealand football team to reach an Australian Grand Final. Although they were defeated by Melbourne City, the turnaround was nothing short of remarkable.
Final thoughts
The history of early settlers is always fascinating. It tells remarkable tales of hardship, determination and inspiration. But when you’re intimately acquainted with the places these pioneers came from, there’s an extra element of interest to the stories – and a deep emotional connection.
When I think of all the times I visited Westoe Village as a girl, it’s incredible to imagine a young boy from there ending up as a four-time Prime Minister of New Zealand. What an amazing journey.
For more posts on New Zealand, see our Oceania page. For posts on North East England, see our Europe page.
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