Theodore Haultain
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Theodore Minet Haultain (27 May 1817 – 18 October 1902) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician and Minister of Colonial Defence (1865–69). He came to New Zealand as a soldier and farmed in south Auckland.


Personal life

Theodore Minet Haultain was born according to family information on 27 May 1817 at
Stony Stratford Stony Stratford is a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. Historically it was a market town on the important route from London to Chester ( Watling Street, now the A5). It is also the name of a civil parish with a town ...
, Buckinghamshire, England, the son of Second Captain Francis Haultain, Royal Artillery, and his wife, Eliza Ann Dean. He went to Sandhurst from 1831 to 1834 and after being commissioned on 27 June spent ten years with the 39th Regiment in India. He took part in the Gwalior campaign and saw action at the battle of Maharajpur on 29 December 1843. On 7 November 1844, Haultain married Jane Alison Bell, daughter of William Bell, at
Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...
, India. They had four sons and five daughters. His youngest daughter married the barrister
Charles Morison Charles Bruce Morison (1861 – 6 January 1920), known by his first name and referred to as C. B. Morison in contemporary sources, was a New Zealand barrister. He stood in two elections around the turn of the century in the Otaki electorate an ...
. Haultain returned to England in June 1847 and was appointed staff officer of pensioners on 14 March 1849, and captain on 30 March. On 16 May 1849, as a family man without notable career prospects, Haultain emigrated to
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...
, New Zealand, on the ''Oriental Queen'', in charge of the 8th Detachment of the
Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps The Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps was formed in 1846, following the conclusion of the Northern War phase of the New Zealand Wars against Hone Heke. The Governor, George Grey, had requested military forces for the defence of the early settlers in ...
, military pensioners who were settled in villages to protect the southern approaches to Auckland. He commanded first at
Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is a ...
, and then at Panmure.


Career


Early politics

Haultain took a number of public positions, becoming a member of Auckland's first borough council on 18 November 1851 and resident magistrate at Onehunga in 1855 and at Howick in 1856. He resigned from the army in March 1857 and devoted himself to farming at Mangere. He contested a
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election ( Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to ...
in the electorate of the Southern Division (of Auckland) on 8 May 1858 against David Graham and was elected. He represented the electorate until the end of the term in 1860, when he was defeated for the Raglan electorate by
Charles John Taylor Charles John Taylor (1826 – 22 April 1897) was a New Zealand politician. He was the second son of General Taylor (1790–1868) who owned land at west Tamaki, now absorbed into the Auckland suburban area. Charles was a judge in India bef ...
.


Military career

Haultain's life had settled into the easy domesticity of the retired soldier but the outbreak of fighting in Taranaki in 1860 changed all that. The immediate effect on Auckland was to arouse fears for the town's safety. Haultain was asked by the Stafford government to help organise a defence force and he became on 26 April 1860 lieutenant colonel of the 1st Battalion, Auckland Militia. In July 1863 Governor
George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, ...
and the colonial government invaded Waikato. To hold the land seized from the 'rebellious' tribes, the New Zealand Settlements Act 1863, less euphemistically known as the Confiscation Act, provided extensive grants to military settlers. Four regiments of Waikato Militia were raised on this basis and Haultain recruited and took command of the 2nd Regiment. The campaign, which took just under a year, was conducted by the regular British regiments. The colonial troops, other than a few cavalry and rangers, helped guard the ever-lengthening supply lines. In March 1864, while garrisoning the redoubt at
Kihikihi Kihikihi, a small town located in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, serves as a satellite community of Te Awamutu, five kilometres to the north, and lies 35 kilometres south of Hamilton. The 2018 New Zealand census recorded ...
, Haultain was informed that Maori entrenching parties were building fortifications at Orakau. The nearest imperial forces hurried up and he joined them for the attack on
Rewi Maniapoto Rewi Manga Maniapoto (1807–1894) was a Ngāti Maniapoto chief who led Kīngitanga forces during the New Zealand government Invasion of Waikato during the New Zealand Wars. Kinship Rewi, or Manga as he was known to his kin, was the child of ...
at Orakau pa. After the battle Haultain was promoted to full colonel and on 6 February 1865 became colonel commandant of all four Waikato regiments. He turned his administrative talents to settling the militia on the lands promised to them. His instructions from the defence minister were to settle the troops around strategic villages guarding the confiscation line. In June 1864, he selected sites for Alexandra (
Pirongia Pirongia is a small town in the Waipa District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipā River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies i ...
), where his own regiment was stationed, and
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, Kihikihi and Kirikiriroa as centres for each of the remaining regiments. He was looking for defensive strengths, but in setting the surveyors to work at Kirikiriroa he became the founder of the town that two months later became
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...
. Once the town sites were selected, farms were surveyed and allotments distributed according to rank. Haultain declined to take up the to which he was entitled, perhaps to avoid any suspicion of partiality in making the allotments. The process was done in haste. In February 1865, the new Weld government instructed Haultain to remove all the remaining soldiers from the pay and ration lists. As their supplies dried up in the following months families deserted in droves. The military settlements were a failure.


Return to Parliament

In October , Haultain was returned to the House of Representatives for Franklin. He resigned his commission in mid-1865 to free himself for politics, and in particular to express his opposition to Weld's policy of seeking the withdrawal of the imperial regiments. Weld's call for self-reliance became a major issue in colonial politics over the next five years. With the Waikato war over, the Weld government felt it could dispense with the imperial army, save money by greatly reducing the scale of its military operations, and end 'double government' by
George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, ...
. The plan inspired the colony but in October 1865, Weld was succeeded as premier by
Edward Stafford Edward Stafford may refer to: People *Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire (1470–1498) *Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham (1478–1521), executed for treason * Edward Stafford, 3rd Baron Stafford (1535–1603) *Sir Edward Stafford (diplom ...
, who formed a cabinet which included Haultain as minister for colonial defence. Before accepting the position, Haultain was careful to get a commitment that the government would retain some imperial troops. Stafford was happy to agree, but pressures of economy and of holding together the fractious provinces in time turned the policy of self-reliance inside out. The colony's military establishment shrank month by month and Stafford, with help from successive governors, danced an undignified minuet with the Colonial Office, aimed at keeping some British troops without paying for them. Haultain played little part in these manoeuvres. As a professional military man he saw his task as making the best of what little was available. By early 1867, he had come to accept that if the imperial troops 'are not to be at our disposal, we had better be without them – but then I don't see how the defence of the Northern Island is to be maintained by the small quota of Police we proposed to raise.' The dilemma was masked for over two years by a relative lull in the fighting. In 1867, Haultain brought in the Armed Constabulary Act. This at last established the small regular force envisaged by Weld and thus marked the beginning of New Zealand's standing army, but when the crisis broke in mid-1868 the five divisions of the Armed Constabulary were still indifferently trained and equipped, regularly unsober and less regularly paid.
Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (c. 1832–1893) was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatū religion and guerrilla fighter. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Cha ...
's landing in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay and Tītokowaru's campaign to recover his confiscated lands in South Taranaki revealed the inadequacy of Stafford's preparations. With the scratch forces it had, the government had for the first time to take the field as principals unsupported by imperial troops. On 7 September 1868, Tītokowaru roundly defeated the colonial forces at Te Ngutu-o-te-manu and Haultain went immediately to the front to shore up the demoralised forces. He sent all the liquor back to
Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...
(he was in later years president of the Auckland Total Abstinence Society), disbanded a mutinous division of the Armed Constabulary and ordered the defensive line to be pulled back to Patea. Most importantly, he found the force its first effective commander, G. S. Whitmore. When he too suffered defeat on 7 November at Moturoa, Haultain gave him reinforcements and unwavering support despite the settlers' angry 'Thanks to Colonel Haultain and the Government for the ruined misery brought upon this district'. This battered army was the colony's only strike force, and by November 1867,
Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (c. 1832–1893) was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatū religion and guerrilla fighter. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Cha ...
on the East Coast had become an equally alarming threat. On the advice of Whitmore, Haultain took political responsibility for a bold move. He ordered the remaining forces on the west coast withdrawn to a defensive line on the outskirts of Wanganui, and Whitmore and the Armed Constabulary were shipped to Napier. The gamble paid off. Te Kooti was defeated at Ngatapa in early January 1869 (see
Siege of Ngatapa The siege of Ngatapa ( mi, Ngātapa) was an engagement that took place from 31 December 1868 to 5 January 1869 during Te Kooti's War in the East Coast region of New Zealand. Te Kooti's War was part of the New Zealand Wars, a series of confli ...
); by mid January Whitmore was back in South Taranaki; and a month later Titokowaru had withdrawn into the bush. Although it was some months before the agitated colony realised it, the crisis was over. The colonists had successfully defended themselves and in the process Haultain's Armed Constabulary had become effective light infantry. The Stafford ministry fell in June 1869 and on 8 April 1870, Jane Haultain died. Haultain did not stand again in the general election in early 1871. In the 32 years left to him Haultain carried out the community and public duties of a retired soldier. In 1871 he reported on the working of the Native Lands Act and in the following year was made trust commissioner under the Native Lands Frauds Prevention Act. In the same year he became paymaster for imperial pensions. A strong churchman, he served for many years on the Anglican diocesan and general synods of the Anglican church and was a member of the committee which on 13 June 1857 drew up the constitution of the Church of England in New Zealand. He was a member of the
Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
council from 1882 and of the board of governors of
Auckland Grammar School Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about It ...
from 1878 until 1898. He was on the Board of St John's Theological College and was made a Canon of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland where he still has a Canon's seat named after him to this day. Haultain died in Parnell, Auckland, on 18 October 1902 and was buried at St John's College. As defence minister, Haultain was a soldier in politics rather than a politician. He never distinguished himself as a field commander and had no pretensions as a strategist. His military skills were in organisation. He avoided interference with his commanders, backed up Whitmore and concentrated on providing the practical support that would enable him to succeed. In the crisis of November 1868 his firmness of character brought the colonial forces through a panicky time. The government fell but the New Zealand wars died away in skirmishes. Ironically, since he had taken office with strong misgivings about the self-reliant policy, he as much as anyone can be credited with making Weld's dream work in practice. While he was Minister of Defence, Haultain personally conducted the Whakamarama campaign (1869).


Botany

Haultain collected plant samples in India, Japan, the Solomon Islands and New Zealand, which the website
Bionomia Bionomia (formerly Bloodhound Tracker) is a database and database entry tool which permits the name strings of collectors, and of taxonomists who determine specimen data, to be assigned to the unique person who collected or identified the specim ...
shows are deposited in the
Auckland War Memorial Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira (or simply the Auckland Museum) is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history (and especially the history of the Auckl ...
collection. Botanist Elizabeth Stack noted in her journal in 1859 that Captain Hainault offered to help her identify her moss and fern specimens.


References

*HAULTAIN, Theodore Minet, Colonel, 1st Regt Waikato Militia *HAULTAIN, Theodore Minet, Lieutenant Colonel, 2nd Regt Waikato Militia, 26 April 1860 * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haultain, Theodore 1817 births 1902 deaths Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand defence ministers English emigrants to New Zealand People from the Borough of Milton Keynes Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst People of the New Zealand Wars New Zealand temperance activists Unsuccessful candidates in the 1860–1861 New Zealand general election New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates 19th-century New Zealand politicians 19th-century New Zealand botanists Botanists active in New Zealand