Josiah Firth - Biography

Biography

Born in Clifton, West Yorkshire, England, he moved to New Zealand in the early 1850s and settled in Auckland where he began making bricks and also took a one third interest in a flour mill. In 1859 he made his first visit to Matamata where he met and became friendly with Wiremu Tamihana, the King Maker.

Firth briefly entered Parliament for the Auckland West electorate. He was elected in 1861, and resigned on 30 April 1862.

In 1865 in the aftermath of the Invasion of Waikato, Firth was able to lease from Tamihana a large area of land around Matamata for a rental of up to five hundred pounds a year. Two years later he bought outright some of the land covered by the lease and this became the basis of his estate at Matamata. Meanwhile his businesses in Auckland were prospering and he was able to construct a very fine house on the eastern side of Mount Eden.

Early in 1870 Josiah, or Hohaia as he was known to the Māori, was contacted by Te Kooti during his flight from Te Porere through the King Country and back to the Ureweras. Te Kooti wanted Hohaia to negotiate on his behalf with the New Zealand Government.

If they let me alone I will live quietly; if not I will fight.

But Te Kooti had aroused too much fear and hatred for his offer to be accepted, and it was rejected out of hand. There was also considerable official annoyance with Josiah Firth. The military and politicians felt that he was abusing his position as a wealthy settler to interfere with national politics, they were not going to let an amateur make peace and spoil their game.

In 1873 Firth began a seven year project to clear the Waihou River of snags and obstacles to navigation thus opening the upper reaches of the Thames Estuary to shipping. He was the author of "Our Kin across the Sea".

New Zealand agriculture went through a serious depression during the 1880s, one which hit Firth hard, and in 1889 he was declared bankrupt. Later he began to develop a trade in pumice based on its properties of insulation and fire resistance, travelling to the United States and England. He died suddenly on 11 December 1897 just as the venture was becoming successful.