Arthur Myers
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The Honourable Sir Arthur Myers |
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| 20th Minister of Finance | |
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In office 28 March 1912 – 10 July 1912 |
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| Prime Minister | Thomas Mackenzie |
| Preceded by | Joseph Ward |
| Succeeded by | James Allen |
| 20th Mayor of Auckland City | |
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In office 1905–1909 |
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| Preceded by | Edwin Mitchelson |
| Succeeded by | Charles Grey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 May 1868 Ballarat, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 9 October 1926 London, England |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Political party | Liberal |
Sir Arthur Mielziner Myers (19 May 1868 – 9 October 1926) was a New Zealand politician. He was Mayor of Auckland City from 1905 to 1909, Member of the House of Representatives from 1910 to 1921, and a Cabinet Minister. Today he is remembered mainly for the public works constructed in Auckland during his term as Mayor, and partly from his donations, including Grafton Bridge and Myers Park.
Myers was born in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, the child of Louis Myers and Catherine Ehrenfried. Following the death of his father in 1870, his mother moved to Wellington, New Zealand. Myers went to Wellington College from 1880 to 1883. His main sporting interests were rowing and swimming. The family moved to Auckland in 1886, where his uncle, Louis Ehrenfried had moved the family brewing business from Thames. Later, in 1897, the successful brewery was combined with that of Logan Campbell to form Campbell and Ehrenfried. An able administrator and already something of a financial wizard at the age of 30, Myers became Managing Director of the merged company following the death of his uncle in 1897.
In 1903 Myers journeyed to London to marry Vera Anita Levy who he had met two years before. She was the daughter of Benjamin Levy, one of the owners of a large British business empire with interests in Australia. Married in London, they returned to New Zealand, where his wife became a well-known hostess and patron of the local cultural scene. It was she who encouraged Myers to eventually run for public office.
Myers ran for and succeeded in becoming Mayor of Auckland City for the term 1905 to 1909. He improved the finances of the city administration, improved services such as the water supply and drainage. The construction of the new Auckland Town Hall was largely due to his efforts, as was the new Grafton Bridge across Grafton Gully. Myers Park, located between Karangahape Road and Mayoral Drive, is named after him, as in 1913 he donated £10,000 to develop the previously overgrown gully into a child-friendly park and to build the adjacent 'Myers Free Kindergarten' (still operating in the same heritage building). One of his few major failures was an unsuccessful attempt to reduce the plethora of local Councils then governing the Auckland Isthmus. Nevertheless, he had become known as a popular and effective politician.
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