McKENZIE, DUNCAN (1808-93) was born in Prince Edward Island, and returned with his parents to the parish of Applecross, in Ross, Scotland, where he was educated. At the age of 21 he again emigrated with his family to Cape Breton Island, where he and his brother Murdoch engaged in seafaring, becoming master mariners and eventually shipowners. They prospered, left the sea and became storekeepers at St Ann's.

When Norman McLeod (q.v.) in 1847 received a letter from his son suggesting that the colony should move to Australia, Duncan and Murdoch became the leaders of the movement, helped to finance and build the ships, and enrolled 300 of the settlers for the migration. McKenzie sailed in the Highland Lass, when she departed from St Ann's. After making a call at the Cape, they reached Adelaide on 10 Apr 1852, and Duncan with three other leaders explored as far as Mount Lofty to ascertain whether suitable land was available. Proceeding to Melbourne, they established a camp on the banks of the Yarra while the leaders prospected as far inland as Mount Disappointment and then acquired the schooner Gazelle and sailed for New Zealand. Arriving at Auckland in Jan 1853, they hired a longboat and sailed north to Whangarei and Waipu, where they selected an area of land for the Highland settlement.

McKenzie established himself in business in Auckland as storekeeper, general agent and ship chandler, mainly to look after the interests of the settlers at Waipu, and to carry through the negotiations for a special settlement. He and Murdoch advanced the money to build the Flora Macdonald as a trading schooner for the settlers and eventually Duncan moved his abode to Marsden Point, Whangarei, where he established a store and depot. He financed the building of several ships, and himself took command on various occasions, notably of the Don, the Thistle and the Jessie. He did much to promote the development of the settlement, introduced the first threshing machine to Waipu and established saleyards at Cove. He took a prominent part in public life, and represented Marsden in the Provincial Council (1861-65) after the retirement of his brother Murdoch. McKenzie died on 29 June 1893.

N. R. Mackenzie (p).

Reference: Volume 2, page 15

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