Product Code Database
Charles Heaphy Victoria Cross (1820 – 3 August 1881) was an English-born New Zealand explorer and recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest military award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that could be awarded to British and British Empire forces at the time. He was the first soldier of the New Zealand armed forces to be awarded the VC. He was also a noted artist of the colonial period who created watercolours and sketches of early settler life in New Zealand.
Born in England, Heaphy joined the New Zealand Company in 1839. He arrived in New Zealand later that year and was commissioned to make a visual record of the company's work which was used to advertise the country to potential English migrants. Much of the next years was spent travelling around New Zealand and executing paintings of the land and its inhabitants. When his contract with the company ended in 1842, he lived in Nelson for several years and explored large parts of the West Coast. He later moved north to Auckland to take up employment as a surveyor.
During the invasion of the Waikato, his militia unit was mobilised and it was his conduct at Paterangi, where he rescued British soldiers under fire, that saw him awarded the VC. As well as being the first soldier of the New Zealand armed forces to receive the VC, he was the first recipient from any militia force. After his military service ended, Heaphy served a term as Member of Parliament for Parnell. From 1870 to 1881, he held a variety of civil service positions. In his later years, his health declined and he retired from public service in May 1881. He moved to Queensland, in Australia, seeking a better climate in which to recover his health but died a few months after his arrival. He is buried at Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane.
The Heaphy family lived in St John's Wood in north-west London and enjoyed a comfortable, middle-class existence although his mother died sometime during his early childhood. Thomas died in 1835 and left the entire estate to his second wife, who he had married in 1833. Charles, who had obtained work as a draughtsman at the London & Birmingham Railway Company, moved out of the family home soon after. As a child, he had been taught to paint by his father and in December 1837, sponsored by a family friend, he entered the Royal Academy school of painting. He was the only child of the Heaphy family to receive this level of education.
In May 1839, after 18 months at the Royal Academy, Heaphy joined the New Zealand Company as a draughtsman. The company was established by Edward Wakefield as a private venture to organise colonies in New Zealand. Wakefield sought well-educated men as staff for the planning and surveying of new settlements in the country. Heaphy sailed with William Wakefield, Edward's brother, aboard the Tory on an expedition to purchase land suitable for settlement. In late 1839, the Tory arrived in what became known as Wellington.
Heaphy painted a variety of subjects including landscapes, flora and fauna and Māori people, including Te Rauparaha, the notable rangatira (chief). The success of the company depended on attracting emigrants to New Zealand so his work was almost always intended to present the land and its inhabitants in its best light. Heaphy was at times exposed to some danger; on an expedition to the Chatham Islands, his party intervened in a skirmish between two warring tribes and he was wounded in the leg. It is unlikely it was a serious wound, for a few weeks later he went on a trek back in New Zealand to the Taranaki, where he produced some of his more notable landscapes, including an exaggerated view of Mount Taranaki from the south. From October 1840, Heaphy was based in Wellington. With a friend, he built a small cottage and from there executed several views of Wellington Harbour, which were much used in advertising for the New Zealand Company. Two examples of his work, views of the fledgling Wellington settlement, were reproduced as lithographs for distribution in England. As an example of how Heaphy manipulated his work for commercial appeal, one of these views depicted several ships anchored in the harbour and deliberately overstated their number, to give an impression of a busy port. A few months later, in early 1841, he joined Arthur Wakefield on the expedition that led to the founding of Nelson, in the South Island. Heaphy was among several employees of the New Zealand Company to scout the area around what is now known as Tasman Bay, before the location for Nelson was decided upon. He executed several watercolours highlighting the quality of the land intended for settlement and these were forwarded to London.
The New Zealand Company regularly published Heaphy's work as lithographs, often having extra details added when being redrawn for printing purposes. By late 1841, his services as an artist were no longer required, given the number of works that he had produced, and Wakefield decided to send him to London to make a report to the company directors. He took six months to reach London, by which time his three-year contract had expired. The directors were impressed with his report and it was published as a book entitled Narrative of a Residence in Various Parts of New Zealand and included several lithographs prepared from Heaphy's art. Another of the Wakefield brothers, Edward Jerningham, also published a book illustrated by Heaphy; this was entitled Adventures in New Zealand.
Wakefield's replacement as resident agent in Nelson for the New Zealand Company, William Fox, was a keen advocate of expansion for settlement in the area around Nelson. Fox authorised Heaphy and a surveyor to scout south-west to the Buller River in November 1843. In a subsequent expedition undertaken the following month, Heaphy and two Māori trekked to what is now known as Golden Bay, and returned to Motueka via the coast, a journey which he regarded as the most difficult he had undertaken at the time. Both expeditions failed to locate suitable land for settlement as did an expedition back to the Buller River in March 1845. Heaphy was reasonably well compensated for his exploration efforts and for additional funds, he undertook art commissions for Nelson's more wealthy residents.
In February 1846, Heaphy, accompanied by Fox and Thomas Brunner, another employee of the New Zealand Company, as well as a Ngāti Tūmatakōkiri tohunga named Kehu, undertook another expedition to the south-west. Difficult terrain faced them; high mountain ranges topped with snow and ice, steep bush, numerous rivers and gorges. Food sources included roots and berries; birds were snared and eels caught from streams. Along the coast, shellfish and gull eggs were added to the diet. The party, each carrying a load of , trekked to the Buller River and walked its banks as far as the Maruia River. As they believed they were only from the coast, their dwindling provisions prevented them proceeding to the mouth of the Buller River. Guided by Kehu, the party traversed the Hope Saddle on their way back to Nelson, which they reached on 1 March.
Heaphy and Brunner were keen for further exploration and with Kehu, left Nelson on 17 March 1846, to scout along the West Coast to the mouth of the Buller. The expedition traced the western coast of South Island as far south as the Arahura River. Their journey began from Golden Bay and they made their way to Little Wanganui where Etau, a local Māori, was hired as a porter. The local chief barred their journey south but Heaphy and Brunner mollified him with some tobacco. They continued along the coast, climbing steep cliffs and fording rivers as they went. Their movements were held up at times due to rain and high tides. At night, they sheltered in small caves, augmented with a screen of nīkau palm leaves. They crossed the Karamea River on 20 April and reached the Buller River ten days later. This had to be crossed using an old canoe that was repaired by Kehu and Etau and after crossing, they stayed at the local pā (village). In early May, they sighted the Southern Alps and at the Arahura River, the southernmost point of the expedition, they were hosted by the local Ngāi Tahu tribe at Taramakau River Pā. Poor weather plagued their return along the coast but they reached Nelson on 18 August. The harsh conditions he had experienced during his travels left him disillusioned with the potential prospects for settlements along the West Coast region.
Life in Nelson remained difficult for Heaphy, who had by now lost his appetite for exploration. He eked out a living taking occasional jobs for the next six months. For much of 1847, he undertook survey work around Tasman Bay and later that year was a representative for the New Zealand Company, when the government investigated the amount of land set aside by the company for the local Māori. Work had dried up by early 1848 and when he was offered employment with the Auckland Survey Office in April 1848, he accepted.
When he was 30, Heaphy met and began courting Kate Churton, the 21-year-old daughter of a reverend. The couple were married on 30 October 1851, at St Paul's Church in Auckland. A year later, he was appointed "Commissioner of Gold Fields" at Coromandel, following the recent discovery of gold. His role required him to supervise claims made by miners and negotiate land sales with local Māori. The gold rush in Coromandel soon petered out and he returned to his work at the Auckland Survey Office by mid-1853.
In November 1853, George Grey ended his first term as Governor of New Zealand and sailed to the islands around New Caledonia, to indulge his interest in languages. He also wanted to investigate French claims on the islands. Heaphy accompanied him as his private secretary and took the opportunity to execute artworks of the islands he visited and their inhabitants. He gave some of his works to Grey, who took them back to England in December 1853 and donated them to the British Museum.
Heaphy and his wife moved north of Auckland to what is now known as Warkworth in early 1854, following his appointment as district surveyor for the Mahurangi Peninsula, which was being opened for settlement. For two years, Heaphy surveyed the plots of land that were to be sold to people moving to the area. In 1856 he became Auckland's provincial surveyor following the retirement of his predecessor. He moved back to Auckland and took up residence in Parnell. Surveying kept him busy for the next few years but in early 1859, he accompanied Ferdinand von Hochstetter on an expedition south of Auckland; Hochstetter had been invited by the government to make a report on a recent coalfield discovery in the area. The two became friendly and Hochstetter was impressed with Heaphy's bush skills, although privately did not accord him much respect for his scientific knowledge. When Hochstetter left for Europe later in the year, he took with him many examples of Heaphy's artwork. The two later fell out, when Heaphy had an article published in a geological journal. Hochstetter felt usurped by someone he considered an inferior scholar and publicly questioned Heaphy's credentials. He also made allegations that Heaphy had plagiarised portions of his work on the coalfield. Heaphy mounted a spirited defence and generally had the sympathy of the public. The dispute did not stop Hochstetter from using Heaphy's artwork in a book he published on New Zealand's geology.
The Waikato Māori had withdrawn to fortified positions at Pikopiko and Paterangi by early 1864. While their positions were under siege, war parties would mount raids on small groups of British soldiers. On 11 February, soldiers of the 40th Regiment of Foot were swimming in the Mangapiko Stream near Paterangi and were attacked by a raiding party. Men of the 50th Regiment of Foot came to the aid of the defenders. Among them was Heaphy, who was in command of a group of 12 soldiers and came across the Māori reserve. After putting them to flight, he then led his men to the Mangapiko Stream to assist the British soldiers helping the besieged party. Despite being outnumbered, the British repulsed the Māori and began to pursue them into the bush. A soldier was wounded and Heaphy and three others went to his aid. In doing so, Heaphy and one of the other soldiers were wounded while another was killed. Unable to extricate themselves, Heaphy and the remaining fit soldier provided cover to prevent the wounded men from being killed by the Māori. They were eventually relieved by reinforcements, but the two wounded men that Heaphy and the soldier were trying to protect died of their injuries. Despite wounds to his arm, hip and ribs, Heaphy remained in the field for much of the remainder of the day, until the ambushed party was relieved. Following the action at Mangapiko Stream, Heaphy was promoted to major; a month later, with the end of the war in the Waikato, he ceased active duty and returned to civilian life.
The recommendation was supported by Grey, who was serving a second term as the Governor of New Zealand, despite knowing that neither Heaphy or another man also recommended for the VC for an action earlier in the campaign, were in the British Army or Royal Navy. At the time, only personnel from the regular British military could be awarded the VC and thus Heaphy, as a militiaman, was not eligible. Grey argued that as Heaphy was under the effective command of British officers he should be made an exception. In London, the authorities disagreed and the recommendation was turned down. Heaphy refused to accept this and began to agitate with the British government, with support from Grey, Havelock, and General Duncan Cameron, commander of the British forces in New Zealand. He was eventually successful and on 8 February 1867, Queen Victoria made a declaration that the local forces of New Zealand would be eligible for the VC. That day, the award of a VC to Heaphy, the first to a New Zealander and also to a non-regular soldier, was gazetted. The citation read:
Heaphy was presented with his VC at a parade at Albert Barracks in Auckland on 11 May 1867. The medal is now on display at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
In April 1867, Frederick Whitaker resigned his posts as Superintendent of the Auckland Province and Member of Parliament for the electorate in Auckland. Whitaker's resignation became known soon after Heaphy's award of the VC was announced and Heaphy declared his candidacy for the vacant seat, declaring that he would be an independent representative for Parnell. The publicity around his award of the VC helped raise his profile and when the nomination meeting for the was held at the Parnell Hall on 6 June, he was returned unopposed as the electorate's representative in the New Zealand Parliament. Heaphy's time in parliament was undistinguished but he was a hard working representative for the people of the Parnell electorate. He met with constituents to discuss matters of concern ranging from taxes to publicly funded travel. A parliamentary colleague was Fox, his old acquaintance from Nelson. When Fox became Premier of New Zealand in June 1869, Heaphy was a supporter. Offered a well paid position as "Commissioner of Native Reserves" by the Fox administration, he resigned from parliament on 13 April 1870.
As commissioner, Heaphy's role was to administer Māori land set aside by the government and to determine areas of land that could be opened to migrants. His work took him up and down the country, inspecting land and negotiating with Māori landowners, a process he did not always enjoy, particularly when rival tribes disputed ownership. He also had to arrange for the acquisition of Māori land for utilities, such as telegraph lines. He occasionally advocated for compensation for aggrieved Māori, whose land had been stolen by colonials. An added stress in Heaphy's first year as commissioner was an enquiry into his conduct during the period he was "Chief Surveyor to the General Government of New Zealand" and working in the Waikato. Allegations had been raised that he took bribes to illegally adjust land boundaries. The enquiry, headed by an acquaintance from his days in Nelson, Alfred Domett, cleared Heaphy of corruption, although he was criticised for taking payments from young trainee surveyors in return for work. In 1872, he and his wife moved to Wellington, which was more centrally located and thus convenient for his work, which now included an appointment as "Trust Commissioner for the Wellington District", dealing with land fraud.
By 1875, Heaphy, beginning to suffer from rheumatism, had reduced the amount of time he spent in the field determining ownership of Māori land and its availability for colonial settlement and the work ended altogether in 1880. In the interim, he picked up more civil service duties; he became a justice of the peace and presided over cases of petty crime brought to the Resident Magistrates Court in Wellington. In April 1878 he was appointed "Government Insurance Commissioner" and later that year became a judge of the Native Land Court.
In addition to being the first New Zealander to be awarded the VC, Heaphy was an accomplished artist. His watercolours, mostly produced between 1841 and 1855, are an important record of many scenes in the early days of European settlement in New Zealand. The best of these were those produced for the New Zealand Company. Much of his later work was in the form of sketches and his output decreased in his middle age. Other than the publications relating to the New Zealand Company, his work received little exposure during his lifetime. His paintings were only exhibited on a few occasions, the first in February 1866 in Auckland.
The New Zealand Centennial Exhibition in 1940 increased the public awareness of Heaphy's art as a record of colonial life in New Zealand. The Alexander Turnbull Library had purchased an archive of New Zealand Company paintings in 1915 from a bookseller in London, which included around 30 of Heaphy's paintings. These were shown during the centennial exhibition and from there his reputation as a significant artist of colonial New Zealand grew. In his book Letters and Art in New Zealand, published in 1940, the art critic Eric Hall McCormick considered him the finest New Zealand artist of the colonial period, a view also shared by later authors. Prints of Heaphy's paintings began to be produced in 1953 and on the hundred year anniversary of his death, a limited edition portfolio of his watercolours was published. At the time, it was the most expensive book produced in New Zealand, retailing for NZ$750.
His name is also known through the Heaphy Track, a walking route in the north-west corner of the South Island. He and Brunner were probably the first Europeans to walk through this area of the South Island and the Heaphy Track, though he never followed its path, is named in his honour as is the Heaphy River.
|
|
