Pheney Road

Pheney Road has links to the Taranaki Daily News as Richard Pheney was the first editor of the "Taranaki News" the predecessor to the "Daily News".

Richard Pheney arrived in New Zealand at Wellington with his son on the Eden in 1850. He made his way to Taranaki and took up land at Ōmatā, where he also became editor of the Taranaki Herald. In 1857 there was an election for the post of Superintendent of the Province with the incumbent, Mr. Charles Brown, standing against Mr George Cutfield. Initially the "Herald" had advocated for the return of Brown, but just prior to the election changed to support Cutfield. Richard Pheney did not agree with the change and the proprietor of the "Herald" dismissed him. Cutfield was confirmed superintendent after the election.

Charles Brown and his supporters then funded the setting up of the "Taranaki News" and installed Pheney as editor. Pheney later became the proprietor and eventually sold the business in 1869. Richard Pheney died, aged 78 years, on 4 March 1881.

Meanwhile Pheney's son, Richard Francis Cliff Pheney, known as Frank, had established himself as an excellent water-colourist. Certainly the great William Hodgkins had Pheney's work in his collection. On his death in 1869, work including 76 watercolours, 200 lithographs and 38 chromolithographs were exhibited in the New Plymouth council chambers. The legacy of the Pheneys lives on in art, the newspaper and a small country road near Ōmatā.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.