Hugh Fraser Ayson (16 November 1884 – 1 February 1948) was a New Zealand lawyer, judge, and public administrator. He was

Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands The Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands was the highest authority present in the Cook Islands between 1901 and 1965. The post was created on 11 June 1901 when New Zealand took over responsibility for the islands, replacing the British resid ...

for two spells between 1923 and 1943.

Biography

Ayson was born in Toiro, near Balclutha in

South Otago South Otago lies in the south east of the South Island of New Zealand. As the name suggests, it forms the southernmost part of the geographical region of Otago. The exact definition of the area designated as South Otago is imprecise, as the area ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

on 16 November 1884. He was educated in

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

, before attending Victoria University College.Notable Men of the Pacific
''

Pacific Islands Monthly ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', commonly referred to as "PIM", was a magazine founded in 1930 in Sydney by New Zealand born journalist R.W. Robson. Background ''Pacific Islands Monthly'' was started in Sydney in 1930. The first issue ran in August ...

'', April 1931, p6 He started work as a lawyer in 1905, becoming a partner in Bunny and Ayson. In 1916, Ayson was appointed a judge in the Native Land Court and the High Court of the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

, also serving as Deputy Resident Commissioner to the islands. In 1918 he returned to New Zealand to become a judge in the Native Land Court in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...

. Ayson then returned to the Cook Islands to become Resident Commissioner of the

from 1923 to 1937. He was succeeded by Stephen Smith, but returned to replace Smith the following year, going on to serve until 1943. Ayson was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in the 1929 New Year Honours, and in 1935 he 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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayson, Hugh 1884 births People from Otago Victoria University of Wellington alumni 20th-century New Zealand judges New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from the Catlins Resident commissioners of the Cook Islands 1948 deaths