Wynyard Street

Wynyard Street in Bell Block was named after soldier and colonial administrator Robert Henry Wynyard.

Born at Windsor Castle in 1802, his father was equerry to King George III. Robert followed family tradition and joined the military, serving in England, Ireland and Malta. Wynyard was sent to New Zealand in 1844 with 200 troops to fight Hōne Heke and Te Ruki Kawiti in the Bay of Islands. This was the first serious challenge to the colonial government’s increasing control over Māori affairs since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

In 1851 Wynyard was placed in command of all British forces in New Zealand: 1000 imperial troops and 500 Fencibles, retired soldiers who enlisted as a military reserve to protect Auckland settlers in return for cottages and land. He also served as Lieutenant-Governor of New Ulster, an early province encompassing most of the North Island, then as first Superintendent of Auckland.

Relations between Māori and Pākehā were deteriorating in Taranaki at this time, threatening war. Wynyard refused to take sides in the land dispute, but sent 450 troops to New Plymouth to protect British settlers in 1855, thereby imposing an uneasy truce on the region.

Wynyard was recalled to England in 1858 and as a token of gratitude for his service – during which time he persuaded local chiefs to allow gold mining in Coromandel, acted as patron of the new Auckland Museum and directed successful firefighting efforts across the city – the people of Auckland gifted the popular Colonel 300 gold sovereigns.

Handsome and charming, Robert Wynyard was described in his obituary in the Taranaki Herald as “ever a steady friend to New Zealand”. Famous for hosting lavish entertainments at his Auckland home, he loved to paint and had a road, bridge and part of the waterfront named after him in that city. Following his death in 1864, his wife Anne and their four sons returned to Auckland where their descendants still live today.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.