July 10 (2020)

MEDIA RELEASE

Chance find highlights early New Zealand cash shortage

A chance find on a Bay of Islands beach has shed light on colonial New Zealand’s economy.

A tradesman’s token – a small ‘coin’ minted for an Auckland ironmonger and trader – was found by 11-year old William Edwards of Kerikeri, while out on a post-lockdown stroll at Whangaruru with his dad Bill. 

Bill Edwards, the Northland Manager for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, immediately identified the mysterious coin which was found on the beach as a relic from New Zealand’s early trading past. 

“The token has a value of one penny stamped on it, and bears the inscription ‘S.Hague Smith Merchant Auckland Ironmonger’ on one side, with a likeness of Prince Albert – husband of Queen Victoria – on the other,” says Bill. 

“We know that Samuel Smith arrived in Auckland in 1859 and established himself as an ironmonger and ship owner there, so the coin must date from around that time. We also know that a small trading post operated nearby, and so it makes sense to assume that the token was connected with that.”

By a strange coincidence, Smith’s brother John was one of the founders of the Thames School of Mines; a heritage property which is today cared for by Heritage New Zealand PouhereTaonga. 

According to the Te Papa website, British coinage was made legal tender in 1858, though New Zealand’s Colonial Government did not have the authority to strike its own coins. Lower denomination currency used in day-to-day trading was in short supply and so an alternative was needed. 

“Some business owners kept accounts for their customers and tried to get around the shortage of loose change by offering credit while others gave change in the form of postage stamps and matches,” he says.

“Other entrepreneurs, like Mr Hague Smith for example, developed their own ‘currency’ – tokens usually valued in penny or half penny denominations that could be redeemed at their outlets.” 

The tokens encouraged people to return to the store. Customers, however, were frustrated by the fact that they couldn’t use them in other stores. And if the business failed, the token became worthless. 

“Although tokens were never legal tender, they were an important part of the economy. According to Te Papa, which has a number of these tokens in its collections from all over the country, it was estimated that in 1874 half of the copper coins circulating in New Zealand were tradesmen’s tokens,” he says. 

Almost 60 traders in New Zealand are understood to have issued their own tokens between 1857 and 1881, however use of tradesmen’s tokens declined after 1876 when a large supply of imperial coinage became available. Tokens were eventually phased out in the 1880s. 

The coin was a chance find – literally lying on the sand waiting for someone to pick it up. 

“We didn’t dig for it, which is important to note, as under the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act it is illegal to undertake earthworks which could destroy an archaeological site without an archaeological authority,” he says. 

“As an archaeologist, I know the importance of context when an artefact is found – understanding how it sits within an archaeological site can provide us with all sorts of information, which the archaeological authority process enables us to capture. 

“The coin was a one-off find, however, with no archaeological context at all – so in this case it was fine for us to pick it up.”

In the case of taonga tuturu (Maori cultural objects) found on private or public land, Bill advises that people should take the object to their local museum, who will then notify the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. [For more information:https://mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/protected-objects/taongatuturu]

“We’ve photographed the token and carried out some research on it. It’s a small object, but it has a lot to say about life and the economy in early New Zealand.” 

Given the local connection to Whangaruru, William was happy to offer his find to the Russell Museum for their collection. 

Former Kaeo Post Office building listed as a Category 2 historic place

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has added the former Post Office in Kaeo to the New Zealand Heritage List Rarangi Korero as a Category 2 historic place. 

The listing formally identifies the landmark building as a place of heritage significance. 

Kaeo has a long history of postal service dating back to 1857.

“Postal services began operating here only 17 years after New Zealand’s first Post Office was established in Kororareka-Russell in 1840,” says Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Manager Bill Edwards. 

“Based in the general store of lumberman and former convict William Spickman, the Kaeo sub-post office was only one of four in Northland. Spickman and his successors provided postal services to the community for over 50 years before Kaeo’s ‘official’ Post Office building was completed in 1912.” 

Miriam Gibbs became Postmistress in 1876 after the death of her husband, Richard, who had been the second Postmaster. The transfer of the role to his wife appears to have been seamless. 

Located next to the current Post Office building, Miriam operated her general store business and postal service for 12 years before she sold the store and moved the service to a side lean-to at her house. 

“Miriam was by no means the only Postmistress in New Zealand. The Post Office was a pioneer in women’s employment in New Zealand, although women were paid less than their male counterparts,” says Bill. 

“They were also required to resign if they got married – which seems incredible by today’s expectations. Interestingly, Miriam was one of several women in Kaeo who signed a nationwide petition in 1893 seeking the right for women to vote in parliamentary elections; legislation that was later passed that year.”

Besides managing mail, Kaeo’s postal services included collection of Government duties, taxes and fees; payment of pensions and advances; and operating as agents for Government bodies like the Public Trust. 

“Post Offices were important hubs, and increasingly became symbolic of community progress. A major period of new post office construction in New Zealand took place between 1900 and 1914, and the Kaeo Post Office building was constructed within this ‘boom’ time,” says Bill. 

Originally designed as a single-storey building, plans were finalised in 1911 for a two-storey timber structure designed in the Edwardian Baroque style, which drew on architectural features of classical influences like Rome.

“In Kaeo the architecture was executed a little differently from many places in that the Post Office was built from wood – a decision influenced by the abundance of timber in Northland,” says Bill. 

Timber was supplied locally, and the building itself was constructed by Kaeo builders Joseph and Wesley Hare.

The result was an amenity that ticked all the boxes – including community pride. One observer wrote that its rimu and totara linings, when polished, ‘looked more like a handsome piece of furniture than a public office’. The new building opened for business in May 1912.

The Kaeo Post Office with its telegraph bureau room, large mail room and a small telegraph exchange represented state of the art technology, while the Postmaster’s residence upstairs included a sitting room, two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and scullery. 

“The earliest occupant was postmistress Emily Adams. At this time, the Post and Telegraph Department was one of the largest employers in the country with more staff than the rest of the public service combined,” says Bill. 

“In 1916, the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Association passed a remit supporting equal pay for female employees – a principle that the Public Services Commissioner agreed with ‘where the duties are equal’. At a time when jobs were filled in greater numbers by women due to men enlisting to fight in the First World War, this proposal was supported by many men who believed it would lead them to being preferred over women for the same position.”

Besides social change, the Post Office reflected changes in technology. In 1920, a new telephone exchange opened with 42 subscribers. The manual switchboard was operated predominantly by female employees – some as young as 14 years old. The telephone exchange became a coordination centre in requesting assistance for childbirths, medical emergencies and fires. 

During the Second World War, the Post Office fulfilled vital functions for servicemen and residents connecting servicemen at nearby Army, Navy and Air Force camps. Many parcels for local servicemen stationed overseas also passed through the mail room. 

The Postmaster at the time, Percy Miller, was generally the first to be notified of a local soldier’s death, and it fell to him to visit bereaved families to inform them of their loss. 

“After the Second World War, the Post Office continued to be a community hub with staff undertaking informal roles including translation between te reo Maori and English for older Maori residents drawing their pensions,” says Bill. 

Mail volume at Kaeo peaked in the 1970s, and the Savings Bank made for a busy workplace. During the global fuel crisis of 1979-80, Carless Day stickers were issued from here as part of government efforts to economise consumption. Weddings were carried out, and the manual telephone exchange – which included some party lines – remained in use until November 1989; the last of its type to be used on the mainland. 

“Changes during the Fourth Labour Government of the 1980s impacted the service as functions of the Post Office were divided into three State Owned Enterprises – New Zealand Post, Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and PostBank. The writing was on the wall for Kaeo Post Office – as it was for many small Post Offices around the country,” he says. 

“Kaeo Post Office closed for business in May 1989.”

It wasn’t the end of the road for the local landmark, however. In 2012, the building was refurbished to commemorate its centenary, and has held an important community role as a library and community centre operated by Far North District Council.