KENNEDY, ALEXANDER, who was of Scots birth, came to New Zealand from Sydney in the Nimrod (1840) as manager of the Banking Company established at Bay of Islands and later managed the Auckland branch (1841-45). He then became manager of the Union Bank of Australia at Auckland, of which he had charge until 1861. In that year Kennedy was associated with the flotation of the New Zealand Bank (the Bank of New Zealand). The first office was opened at Auckland on 16 Oct, followed by that at New Plymouth (18 Nov); Dunedin (2 Dec) and Wellington (15 Jan 1862). Kennedy was appointed (15 Jul 1861) inspector and general manager. He retired from the Bank in 1869 and went to England. While in London in 1873 he published an interesting book of reminiscences of New Zealand and in 1885 A Visit to Lake Rotorua. In 1845 Kennedy took his turn of duty digging trenches for the defence of Auckland and he was a member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand (1846-47) and of New Ulster (1848). He published in 1852 Notes of a Short Tour into the Interior made by canoe on the Waikato and Waipa rivers.

Parlty Record; Kennedy, op. cit.; Wellington Independent, 20 Dec 1861

Reference: Volume 1, page 247

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