Arthur Paul Harper (27 June 1865 – 30 May 1955) was a New Zealand lawyer, mountaineer, explorer, businessman and conservationist. Known simply as AP or APH, he was born at his parents' house in Armagh Street,

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, New Zealand, in 1865. He was the son of the MP and lawyer Leonard Harper; Bishop Henry Harper was his grandfather. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

in 1884. He was the inaugural secretary and treasurer of the New Zealand Alpine Club, which was founded in July 1891 in Christchurch. In 1935, Harper was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver Ju ...

. In 1950, he was awarded the Loder Cup. In the 1952 New Year Honours, he was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for services to the community. He died in Wellington in 1955, just a few weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He is the namesake of Mount Harper in Canterbury.''Mount Harper''
New Zealand Gazetteer, Retrieved 25 February 2025.

Selected publications

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References

1865 births 1955 deaths New Zealand businesspeople 19th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand conservationists New Zealand mountain climbers New Zealand explorers People from Christchurch New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Arthur Paul {{NewZealand-law-bio-stub Strachey family