Matakaoa County

County of New Zealand

1919–1989

Capital

Te Araroa

History

•

Established

1919

•

Disestablished

1989

Today part of

North Island

Matakaoa County was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island.

NB: This section is derived from text in Mackay, Joseph Angus (1949). Historic Poverty Bay and the East Coast, N.I., N.Z, available here at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre.

Matakaoa County was formed in 1919, and the first council meeting was held on 22 May 1920. George Kirk (chairman of Waiapu County) was appointed chairman. His associates were: C. I. B. Beckett, K. F. Reed, W. F. Metcalfe, A. E. Kemp, W. Walker, R. T. Kohere, H. McClutchie and A. L. Allan. The first clerk was A. Whitehead (later a Judge of the Native Land Court). Mr. Metcalfe succeeded Mr. Kirk as chairman in 1921, and, five years later, Mr. Reed took over the position. Upon Mr. Reed's death in 1929 Mr. Kemp became chairman. In 1921 D. J. McNaught was appointed clerk.

Early in its career the county suffered heavy setbacks. It assumed a liability of NZ£15,000 (being part of the Waiapu County's main road and bridges loan) and another of £1,200 in connection with the Te Araroa jetty. Anticipating that the wharfage dues that would be provided by a freezing works that had just been built at Hicks Bay would meet the loan charges, it borrowed £30,000 and built a wharf there. However, the works was closed after the 1925–6 season. By then, the county had also raised several small loans for road works.

The county's revenue was further adversely affected during the depression in the late 1920s and early 1930s. 40% of the county had not left the natives' hands, and only 20% was European freehold. As many of the residents were unable to meet their rating obligations, the council, in 1932, sought guidance from the Government. On 1 May 1933, the county was placed under C. H. Bull, of Gisborne, as commissioner, but the council was retained as a consultative body. Upon Mr. Bull's death in 1944 D. E. Chrisp, Gisborne, became commissioner, and, in 1946, his term was extended until 1950. The capital value of the county in 1946 was £586,298, compared with £1,045,712 in 1920.

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