A Dead Cow and a Live Wire

Cattle in Mathesons' beach paddock, northern end of Ōtūmoetai Road, Spring 1917
Courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. Photo 03-160

On a stormy December night in 1918, a live electrical wire ended the life of an unsuspecting cow grazing in a field on the Matheson farm in Otūmoetai. The ensuing brouhaha was labelled a ‘farce’ by the editor of the Bay of Plenty Times and, not for the first time, drew the public’s attention to the discord within the Tauranga Borough Council.

Group photograph taken at McLaren Falls, 1924
Lloyd Mandeno is in the front and five in from the right (leaning against a rock with his hat on his knee)
Courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. Photo 99-911

The drama unfolded when Lloyd Mandeno, the engineer managing the town’s innovative and increasingly successful venture into all things electrical, summitted his report on the cow’s demise. In Mandeno’s opinion the owner’s demand of £15 compensation was exorbitant. He also asserted that the claim had been encouraged by ‘a Borough Councillor ... with a view to the embarrassment of Council’s officers’[i]. This was a serious accusation and Mandeno was pressed to name the Councillor. He pointed to the seasoned local politician, Benjamin Conrad Robbins.

In his defence Cr. Robbins had this to say:

‘I simply want to give it a flat denial, and I think Mr Mandeno has exceeded his position as Engineer to have put it in his report without having consulted me. What took place was simply this. The day after the cow was killed Mr Sharp was telling it to a number of people. I came along and they told it to me. He (Mr Sharp) said “of course the Council will have to pay” and I said, “I presume a claim will be made and then it will be for the Council to say whether it will pay or not.”’[ii]

Councillor B.C. Robbins
Civic Collection, Tauranga City Council

Cr. Robbins then went on the attack, asserting that the wire, which was hung from a tree, could have killed a man and that the incident was a case of ‘extreme carelessness’ by the electrical team. ‘If we have men in our employ who will carry out their work in such a manner, it is time we had other men to take their place.’[iii]  The outcome of the exchange was an inquiry to ascertain if blame could be attached to the Council’s Electricity Department.

The following conclusions were reached and shared with Council in January 1919 [iv]:

1.     The cow was dead and that it died from shock. (This was briefly debated!)

2.     Based on the admission that there had been an error in judgement around construction of the wire, Council would pay compensation. (Mr Paterson had agreed to reduce his claim to £10)

3.     That the statement in the report referring to the actions of Cr. Robbins would be deleted.

This might have been the end of it had these recommendations been adopted without further discussion. However, so important to the town was the developing electrical industry - and Mandeno’s role in it - Cr. Macmillan put forward an amendment. He contended it should go on record that Mandeno and his staff were in no way to blame for the cow’s death and that it was a ‘pure accident’. Cr. Robbins responded that this was a ‘whitewashing’ which would erode the public’s confidence in the Council. A further round of accusations ensued, and a minority report was narrowly adopted. It included the statement that ‘It was demonstrated that the councillor referred to had made considerable inquiry re the accident to the cow but had not asked the Electrical Engineer one question about it because for the last few months he had not treated him with common civility’. Clearly, in the matter of the electrocuted cow there were no winners or losers, except of course for the cow.

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[i] 20 December 1918, Bay of Plenty Times

[ii] 20 December 1918, Bay of Plenty Times

[iii] 20 December 1918, Bay of Plenty Times

[iv] 10 January 1919, Bay of Plenty Times

The Railway Opening Celebrations

Part of Tauranga, taken from the Redoubt, on the day of the Railway opening
Real photo postcard-format print by unidentified photographer
Collection of Justine Neal

March 28^th 1928 dawned bright and sunny and Mr. B.C. Robbins, Secretary of the Railways Celebrations Committee, must have breathed a sigh of relief, as all the months of planning for the big day were about to come to fruition. Apart from the large numbers of local and upcountry residents expected there was an impressive official party including the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable J.G. Coates, arriving by train from Hamilton at 11 am. Months had gone into arranging a programme that would have something for everyone and leave people with memories of an entertaining and exciting day.

All vehicle access would be stopped on the Strand from the Triangle to Harington Street from 9 am to 11 pm. The Strand was to be decorated with coloured streamers and brightly lit electric lamps. All launches along the waterfront were to be lit up, as well as many of the public and private buildings. The fountain near the old wharf was to be set going again. Swimming sports were to be held under electric lights and a concert party would be performing.

Band playing at the opening of the railway, Tauranga, 1928
Copy print by unidentified photographer
Courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. Photo 00-412

The Tauranga Band, the Te Puke Band and the Judea Maori String band had all offered their services. School children would be given a holiday and children from Waihi to Taneatua were to have free train travel to Tauranga. Tickets for the celebratory luncheon were to be sold prior to the event. Children had to bring their own lunches, although hot water, milk and fruit would be provided.

A hangi was to be put down on Devonport Road. Local Maori were to give haka and poi dance exhibitions at the Domain. There would also be stalls there and in the afternoon children’s sports were to be held, with 10 pounds allocated for prizes. The Borough Council had been requested to arrange free picture entertainment for the children at the Town Hall. The public were asked to wear fancy dress with a prize for the best dressed lady and gentleman. There would be a procession of decorated lorries, cars, bicycles, motorbikes and horse drawn vehicles with prizes for the best decorated.

The Strand, Tauranga, from the Redoubt on railway opening day, 1928
Copy print by unidentified photographer
Courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Ref. Photo 00-469

The Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club had arranged a race, which would be for the seven-footers only, because of the limited time available. The Tauranga Cycle Club would hold three races during the day. There would be a sprint, a longer race starting at the Tauranga Hotel, along the Strand, then Devonport Road, First Avenue and Cameron Road turning at Eleventh Avenue and back to the starting point. The third race would be an obstacle course, and trophies would be awarded for each race.

Last but not least several sportsmen visiting Tuhua were to be asked to bring swordfish and mako over to Tauranga. These were to be kept in a freezer and on the day of the opening to be brought out and placed on exhibition. Maybe not such a good idea!

Reference

Papers Past, Bay of Plenty Times, March 1928

Hayman’s Hall and Tauranga Jazz

Ken Hayman, c. 1990

Beverly Brasting met her husband-to-be Ken Hayman at Hayman’s Hall when she went there on Anzac Day 1950 to audition as pianist for his band. “It was a large bare open space, but it was a dance hall after all” she reminisced during a recent interview.

She was already the only girl in the seven-member ensemble at college, and her father was so pleased that finally she was able to use her talents after all the lessons he had paid for. However, many years later she heard her husband say to a friend that she actually was the only applicant for the vacant position in the dance band.

Bev and Ken Hayman

The Saturday night dances always finished by midnight and she had to be home by 1 am, or else. After patrons had left, there was cleaning up and meticulous sweeping to be done in preparation for the dance lessons held there during the week.

Hayman’s Hall had been built by Ken’s father Charles. Ken and his talented friend Morrin Cooper played in the Tauranga Municipal Band but were asked to leave by the conductor because they warmed up their trumpets with snatches of popular jazz. George Mockler was an employee of the Tauranga Borough Council, in charge of the Strand gardens, and he often persuaded the band members to help hand weed the floral ship/botanical boat there, a very time-consuming task.

L to R: Alistair Clark, Cyril (Cy) Grigg, Ken Hayman and Tom Morris (Mibs)

Typical of musicians, Ken soon formed his own band and the Hayman’s living room at 21 St John Street became their practice room. When Dad Charles asked when he was likely to get it back for the family, some bright spark suggested they pool resources to create a purpose-built venue for the band members’ talents. The site chosen was right opposite the high school on Cameron Rd between 13th and 14th Ave. Ken, his life-long friend Alistair Clark and Charles were all builders and another band player Keith Bracey was able to supply the concrete blocks. This was in post-war building material shortages.

Hayman’s Hall
Image courtesy of the Rendell family, Tauranga Heritage Collection Ref. 27957

The door to the left (photo above) was a cloakroom, while the main hall was accessed from the entrance to the right, but there was an internal connecting door. Supper was served every dance night after the “supper waltz”. A sought after move for the guys was to ask one of the young girls to join him for the supper. Bev recalled, “I can still see the white saucers set out by Mr and Mrs Graham with one savoury and one sweet cake on each.”

The dance floor was “absolutely the best” and had so much use that it had to be replaced in later years. The writer’s mother went to many a dance there and her sister-in-law to the ballet classes with local teacher Undine Clarke. (see previous article)

A quick search on Papers Past gave 502 entries for the phrase “Hayman’s Hall” and scrolling through these gives a much fuller idea of how valuable this venue became during the 1940s, when public amenities of its size were not so prevalent.

Children's Fancy Dress Party, Hayman's Hall, c. 1961
Courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries, Gifford-Cross/NZME Collection, Pae Korokī Ref. gca-1608

It was used by several bands and orchestras, the Scottish Society for their monthly Inglesides, two Lodges, an Evangelical church, as a meeting hall for local political candidates, a polling booth, display area for several horticultural/flower societies, Young Farmers Club, St John’s training, CWI, Fruit Federation, Pro-Rex Club, Acclimatisation Society, and many sports organisations’ social events, even as the venue for a baby competition and the nurses’ ball.

In addition, it was regularly used to teach different types of dancing, including ballet, tap and national. It became the first introduction place for many a young couple and the reception venue for many local weddings.

Beverly and Ken married in 1955, he built them a home in Greerton, and by 1963 their family consisted of four girls under five, so days were very busy. One of their later homes was in 17th Avenue, so as to be close enough to look after the hall.

L to R: Jim McShane (bass), Tom “Mibs” Morris (drums), Ken Hayman (trumpet), Russell Stevens (trombone), Warren Stevens (clarinet) and Jack Cricket (piano)

Another “muso” Ken White knew a fellow countryman who had conducted a big band in England — Stan Farnsworth — and so in due course the Tauranga Swing Band was formed. When the film “Jazz on a Summer’s Day” was due to open at the Regent Picture Theatre, the manager Pat McBrearty asked them to perform on stage during the movie. After seeing it for themselves, there was much discussion amongst the musicians, including Dave Hall and Dave Proud. They could not see why, since we had the sunny weather, the sea, yachting, the band and a hall in which to have the inaugural get together, that a jazz festival (see previous article) could not be held here. A luncheon was supplied by the wives and girlfriends, the locals kindly lent some flat-bed trucks, so that all the musos were seated on the trays and played all the way into town via Cameron Road. That night was the first Jazz Concert at the 20,000 Club Soundshell in Memorial Park.

The Silencers at Hayman's Hall (publ. 27 April 1967)
Courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries, Gifford-Cross/NZME Collection, Pae Korokī Ref. gca-15704

Sometime in the early 1960s, Hayman’s Hall was in need of minor repairs and Charles was getting on in years, so the building became the property and temporary premises of local second-hand dealer Don Maclean. The building was demolished in the early 1970s and Hillsdene Wines now occupies part of the site.

Sources and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the Hayman family especially Bev for information and images. I hope this article fills in some gaps and does justice to the memory of your husband and father Ken.

Thanks to Fiona Kean, co-author of “Rendells Tauranga” where I found the image of Haymans Hall, and to the Rendell family for permission to use it.

Papers Past Bay of Plenty Times 1942 -1947

Moses Spence

Working Bee at Tauranga Hospital, with Moses Spence seated at centre (X), c. 1900s-1910s
Unmounted large format print by unidentified photographer
Tauranga Heritage Collection, Ref. 0435/08

The above image in the Tauranga Heritage Collection depicting a working bee at the Tauranga Hospital, taken early in the 20^th century, intrigued me. A group of men with shovels and a wheelbarrow along with some nurses, all anonymous except for a man marked with an X.  He was Moses Spence and said to be chairman of the hospital board.  This turned out not be entirely accurate: Moses Spence was elected a member, but not chairman of the Bay of Plenty Hospital and Charitable Aid Board in 1911. One cannot imagine a member of our former DHB turning up shovel in hand to do a bit of work about the place.

So, who was Moses Spence? 

Mr Berry outside Moses Spence’s store, Tauranga, c. 1900
Mounted print by unidentified photographer
Collection of Tauranga City Library, Pae Korokī Ref. 01-467

Born in County Armagh, Ireland, Moses Spence joined George Vesey Stewart’s Special Settlers and sailed to New Zealand on the Lady Jocelyn.  It was the only emigrant ship to arrive in the Port of Tauranga and did so in January 1881. Spence drew a farm of 160 acres near Te Puke that he developed and where he persuaded his brother Samuel to join him.  Samuel had emigrated some years before Moses and farmed in the South Island.  Between them the brothers developed several farms including some that had been abandoned by other settlers.

Rev. James Richards in Moses Spence’s gig, c. 1904
Collection of Tauranga City Library, Pae Korokī Ref. 04-460

By 1887 Spence was working for R.C. Roberts, a grain and seed merchant in Tauranga, and the following year opened his own business with partner Phillip Bennet. By the 1890s the partnership dissolved and Spence added to the grain and seed side, selling fertiliser as an agent for Kempthorne Prosser, and selling their flour and bran for the Waimapu Flour Mill.  In 1893 he bought out Carlos Kramer Walters’ share of the Maketu store. He purchased shares in the Herald Gold Mining Company of Whangamata and in the Te Puke Gold Mining Company.

Building Bee at Methodist Church Hall, Tauranga, 1 January 1914
(Moses Spence standing hatless in middle row at far left)
Collection of Tauranga City Library, Pae Korokī Ref. 04-459

Meanwhile he took an active part in the Tauranga Methodist Church, where he sang in their concerts and was involved in building the first Methodist Church on the corner of First Avenue and Devonport Road. In 1897 Moses Spence was elected to the Tauranga Borough Council, then successfully stood for Waimapu Riding of the Tauranga County Council in 1908, and the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board in 1911.  In 1900 he took the first of three trips back to Ireland.

Moses Spence’s gravestone, Tauranga Methodist Cemetery, February 2023
Photographed by Justine Neal

He never married but gave away the daughter of his late brother Samuel when she married in 1918. He moved to Auckland in about 1920 to live near his brother’s family but returned frequently to visit Tauranga for events like the A & P Show. Moses Spence died in Auckland aged 90 in 1942 and was buried in the Tauranga Methodist Cemetery alongside Samuel and Maggie Spence.

Sources

Shearer, Dr. The Hon. Ian, and Wright-StClair, Dr Rex, A Century on Cameron Road. A History of Tauranga Hospital 1914-2014, Tauranga, 2016.

Bay of Plenty Times, Papers Past

"Prosperity to this building and to Tauranga"

Property at 30 Monmouth Street in the process of demolition to make way for Court House development, August 2022
Image by Fiona Kean, Private Collection

If you haven’t been to town lately it’s worth a trip to see the Monmouth and McLean Street block. The site has been cleared for a new courthouse development, which was announced this time last year and is expected to be completed by 2026. Estimated to cost 150 million dollars, it will be the third official site for court facilities in Tauranga - the site of the Magistrate’s Court prior to 1874 is currently unknown. 

The first Government Building located on Willow Street between Harington and McLean Streets
Silver gelatin print by T.E. Price, 1900
Image courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection, Ref. 0323/08

The first Government Building in Tauranga opened in 1874 and included the Magistrate’s Court, Post Office and Council Chambers. When the foundation stone was laid by Mrs Wrigley, a prominent resident who had been living in Tauranga since 1863, she broke a champagne bottle on it and declared ‘prosperity to this building and to Tauranga’.[i] Unfortunately, the prosperity was short lived, as this fine wooden building burnt to the ground in November 1902 taking all the town’s court records with it. As a side note, it appears that after the fire a free-standing Court House planned for Tauranga did not eventuate.

Proposed Tauranga Court House, No. 1 block plan from elevation and section A.B., No. 2 Two side elevations and outbuildings, Tauranga, J. Campbell
Image courtesy of Archives New Zealand, PWD 20303

The replacement building on the same site, was opened in 1906 and included the magistrate court on the first floor along with a Clerk’s office and two library rooms. A correspondent in the New Zealand Herald had this to say about the building:

“Now that the Tauranga Post Office is outwardly completed, those who believe that again things are not precisely what they should be, have abundant justification for their belief. Without attempting to criticise the weird type of architecture displayed – if it is a type – it will suffice to briefly allude to the position of the new building. One fact immediately strikes the observer, namely, that the back, not, the front, is turned towards the town, and that the most ornamental portion has been made to face a dead, solid wall of brown earth, nearly as high as itself.”[ii] 

Now referred to as the ‘Old Tauranga Post Office’, this was the second Government Building on the site. The men in the photograph are believed to be the Post Office staff around the time of opening
Postcard by unidentified photographer, 1906
Image courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection, Ref. 0174/09

Considering the town’s population growth in the following decades it is surprising that this building would serve the judiciary for more than 60 years. In 1965 a new courthouse was erected on the corner of Harington Street and Cameron Road. It was opened in November by the Minister of Justice Mr J. R. Hanan in front of a large crowd. In 1998 an ‘upgrade’ made the building unrecognisable and several leaks since 2016 led to the claim that the ‘original build was incredibly rough’, something the contractors of the day would no doubt dispute. [iii]  Hopefully in the future the facilities to be built on the new site will get better reviews than the courthouses of the past.

Tauranga Courthouse, corner of Harington Street and Cameron Road October 1966
Image courtesy of Gale Collection, Tauranga Heritage Collection, Ref. 0005/20/1196

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[i] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume II, Issue 171, 25 April 1874.

[ii] New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13107, 21 February 1906.

[iii] Bay of Plenty Times, Justice Minister: Leaky Tauranga courthouse needs replacing.

Anne Stenhouse

Many years ago I undertook the somewhat laborious task of going through every council minute book since 1882 noting the names of elected mayors and councillors. [i] In the one-hundred and forty-years since the town’s first election, residents of Tauranga have had the opportunity to fill 764 council positions. [ii] It may come as no surprise to learn that women have held only 48 of those positions - this equates to just 6 percent. Indeed, it took forty-four elections before the first woman sat at the council table.

Anne T. Stenhouse, Tauranga's first woman councillor (1944-1950), with Sir Donald Cameron at City Council Conference, c1940s
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Library, Photo 04-159

Mrs Anne T. Stenhouse has the distinction of being the first woman to serve on the Tauranga Borough Council and it is amazing to me that her name is not better known. Born in Invercargill in 1891 to Irish parents, Teresa and John Lopdell, Anne (christened Annie Teresa) went on to become a sole charge teacher in the Otago region until her marriage to James S.J. Stenhouse in 1923. As the wife of a doctor her accepted role was to support her husband’s career and raise their four children. However, Anne’s desire to serve her community is evident as she was elected President of the South Otago Plunket Society and was Commissioner of Girl Guides in that district. [iii]

Photo 07-249 Tauranga District Federation of Women's Institutes. Back left to right: Mrs Pemberton, Mrs Cooper, Mrs NcNaughton, Mrs Stenhouse, Mrs Christie, D. Miller. Front: Betty Francis, Mrs Lloyd, Mrs Paterson (Dominion President), Miss Fielder, Mrs Denniston. Original from Miss E. J. McNaughton. Circa 1940s

After six years in Katikati, and a stay in Tahiti, the Stenhouse family arrived in Tauranga in 1938. Mrs Stenhouse quickly established herself within several local organisations including the Tauranga branch of the Federation of Women’s Institutes to which she was elected President. [iv] During the Second World War she helped to set up a District Committee of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary and was its first ‘Chairman.’ [v]

Postcard view of the Town Hall, corner of Wharf and Willow Streets, Tauranga. The location of the Tauranga Borough Council Offices. Image courtesy of Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0250/09

In September 1943 her view on the role women could play in politics was expressed at a thanksgiving service celebrating women’s franchise held in the Town Hall [vi]:

“Mrs Stenhouse spoke on “The Future.” This was, she said, to be thought of in relation to the tremendous problems arising in regard to the new world order to be established after the war. Women had to take their share in all this implied and their contribution would have to be a worthy one. A rousing call to face the calls that would be made and an idealistic appeal to all women for the vision necessary in planning for the future of generations unborn.” [vii]

A year later, her election to the Tauranga Borough Council provoked little comment. [viii] At the first council meeting held after the election the Bay of Plenty Times reported that new councillors were welcomed by Mayor Wilkinson and ‘particular reference to Cr. Stenhouse to whom went the honour of being the first woman to have ever sat on council.’ [ix] Anne Stenhouse went on to serve for two terms.

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[i] On 15 March 1882 the first Borough Council elections were held in Tauranga. Tauranga City Council holds minute books from 1882 onwards. These are available to the public by contacting the Council.

[ii] This includes additional positions created by resignations and deaths. The number of council positions has also fluctuated over time.

[iii] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14516, 10 November 1947, Page 3

[iv] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 13021, 27 April 1940, Page 6

[v] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 13255, 4 February 1941, Page 1

[vi] On 19 September 1893 the governor, Lord Glasgow, signed a new Electoral Act into law giving New Zealand women the right to vote. In September 1943 celebrations were held around the country to mark the occasion.

[vii] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13264, 30 September 1943, Page 7. It is also important to note that Anne was Vice-President of the Tauranga Branch of the National Party at the time of her election.

[viii] She received 1280 votes making her ‘second on the list of successful candidates’.

[ix] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13474, 10 June 1944, Page 2