Reader Gillson Wood (1821 – 20 August 1895) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician. An architect by trade, he designed the 1854

General Assembly House The General Assembly House, colloquially called "Shedifice" by the members of Parliament, was the first building to house the New Zealand Parliament in Auckland. It was in use by Parliament from 1854 until 1864 during the time that Auckland was ...

built as New Zealand's first meeting house for the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

Early life

Wood, the son of Thomas and Sarah Wood, was baptised at the

Church of St Mary de Castro, Leicester St Mary de Castro is an ancient, Grade I listed church in Leicester, England, located within the bailey of Leicester Castle. It is a Church of England parish church in the Diocese of Leicester. ''De Castro'' is Latin for 'of the Castle'; to ...

, Leicestershire, England, on 5 January 1821. He was educated at the

Merchant Taylors' School, London Merchant Taylors' School is an 11–18 boys public day school, founded in 1561 in London. The school has occupied various campuses. From 1933 it has been at Sandy Lodge, a site close to Northwood in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshi ...

. He was brought up as an architect, and shortly after his articles had expired left England for New Zealand, arriving in Auckland in 1844.

Life in Auckland

The

Battle of Kororāreka The Battle of Kororāreka, or the Burning of Kororāreka, on 11 March 1845, was an engagement of the Flagstaff War in New Zealand. Following the establishment of British control of the islands, war broke out with a small group of the native popu ...

happened in the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...

in March 1845 and there were fears that the fighting would spread to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, which at the time was the

capital of New Zealand Wellington has been the capital of New Zealand since 1865. New Zealand's first capital city was Old Russell (Okiato) in 1840–41. Auckland was the second capital from 1841 until 1865, when Parliament was permanently moved to Wellington after a ...

. Wood was made lieutenant of Volunteer Artillery, and was present at the attempted storming of

Hōne Heke Hōne Wiremu Heke Pōkai ( 1807 – 7 August 1850), born Heke Pōkai and later often referred to as Hōne Heke, was a highly influential Māori rangatira (chief) of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe) and a war leader in northern New Zealand; he was ...

pā The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...

at Ohaeawai on 1 July 1845. He was mentioned in Colonel Henry Despard's despatch describing that affair. After the war Wood returned to Auckland, where he practised his profession of architect and surveyor. About 1848 he was employed by the Government as Inspector of Roads, afterwards he was appointed Deputy Surveyor-General, which office he retained until 1856. He was tasked with the design of the

, which was built in 1854 in Auckland as New Zealand's first meeting house for the

Political career

Wood was elected to the

Auckland Provincial Council The Auckland Province was a Provinces of New Zealand, province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Area The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the ...

in the Suburbs of Auckland electorate on 7 October 1857. He served for the duration of the third council until the end of the term on 12 September 1861. Wood was the Member of Parliament for Parnell from January

1861 This year saw significant progress in the Unification of Italy, the outbreak of the American Civil War, and the emancipation reform abolishing serfdom in the Russian Empire. Events January * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico Ci ...

to 1865 (resigned), then to 1878 (resigned); then for Waitemata from to 1881, when he retired. He also had a second term on the provincial council, where he represented the Parnell electorate on the seventh council from 29 November 1873 until the abolition of the provincial government system on 31 October 1876. From May to October 1875, he was part of the Auckland Executive Council (equivalent to a cabinet). In the House of Representatives, he was a cabinet minister, including the positions of

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

(then called Colonial Treasurer) twice, and

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

(then called Minister of Colonial Defence). He was part of the Auckland wing of the Liberal Party, sometimes called the "Auckland Rats". He stood in the in the electorate and was defeated by Richard Monk.

Later life

Wood later became chairman of the Auckland Gas Company following his retirement from politics.

Private life and death

On 20 May 1850, he married Mary Jane Holland at St Paul's Church, Auckland's oldest Anglican church. He died at his home in Parnell, Auckland, on 20 August 1895, leaving his widow and one son, and was buried at St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell. He was survived by one son and his wife, who died in 1898 and is buried in the same grave.

Notes

References

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Reader 1821 births 1895 deaths Politicians from Leicester English emigrants to New Zealand Members of the Auckland Provincial Council Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Ministers of defence of New Zealand Ministers of finance of New Zealand New Zealand Liberal Party MPs New Zealand public servants New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election Burials at St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell 19th-century New Zealand architects Members of Auckland provincial executive councils People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood