William Gilbert Puckey

Puckey: A man with an Understanding

William Gilbert Puckey came to New Zealand at the young age of 14, where he picked up the Maori language quickly and learnt it fluently. This was effective in building a firm relationship and an understanding between Puckey and Maori in Northland , as few could communicate between both races.

Beginnings

Puckey was born in Penrhyn, Cornwall, England in 1805, and had been to various countries such as Tahiti and Australia, before arriving in New Zealand, in 1819. His father was a missionary as well, and would have reared a strong focus on religious studies and the appreciation of other cultures. This coherently led him to develop a bonding towards the local Maori around the mission stations he worked in, (Kaitaia and Te Waimate ).

Exciting Experiences

Over the years, Puckey had many different experiences that helped shaped his relationships with Maori people, such as the account of Puckey saving a young Maori 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. Some amazing pioneering work that Puckey did, was build New Zealand’s first Land Yacht , which he rode up Ninety-Mile Beach and explored parts of the Far-North in.

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 that could correctly communicate parts of the Bible into the Maori language. A lot of Mr. Puckey’s life work in translating parts of the book into Maori, developed new relationships between not just Puckey and the Natives, but other missionaries and them also. Maori that were “saved” in the Christian sense, due to Puckey, often spent there life on the mission station, helping to convert other Maori. Thus Puckey contributed to a chain reaction of conversion in Nga Puhi communities.

A Man of Honor

Puckey lived his life as a true man with a lot of integrity; he maintained strong connections with the church and with the purpose of converting the Maori into Christianity and translating the Gospel so they could understand it. Even into his later years when he was bedridden and hard on hearing, he still maintained time to give a ‘nugget’ of wisdom to a young Maori that might happen to come by. Acts like these gave him the respect of Nga Puhi chiefs, such as Paerata and Pana-kareao. When Puckey’s daughter insulted Hongi Heke by telling his daughter that her father’s head, which was tapu , was going to be cut off after an argument, a Maori war party was sent to raid the Puckey residence. The only thing that saved the family was probably William Puckey’s great respect or mana that he had from his life work in Northland, around the Maori.

Significance of Lifework

Puckey’s relationship with Maori was well documented on his travels up to the North Cape. He journeyed up Ninety-Mile Beach in a boat, and at one stage he fell over board and one of his Maori converts faithfully jumped in and rescued him. This kind act correctly displays how various Maori respected the missionary and it also shows how strong the relationship was.

Legacy

William Puckey left a legacy that enamored 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 Puckey include a Maori Land Court judge and the current Minister of Health, Pete Hodgson.

References

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

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

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

Williams, A.M.S.M; Life of W.G. Puckey 1932 Pg: 1, 7, 11, 23

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

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

--Soulrevolution 00:03, 29 May 2007 (UTC)