WAKEFIELD, EDWARD (1845-1924) was born in Tasmania, the son of Felix Wakefield (q.v.), and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1851, spent a year in Canterbury and then went to England. He was educated in France and at King's College, London, and in 1863 returned to New Zealand and joined the staff of the Nelson Examiner (then edited by J.C. Richmond). He entered the civil service (1865), became private secretary to Stafford (1866) and was for four years secretary to the cabinet. After this extended period of secretarial duty, he joined the Customs department at Dunedin (1869) and served there and in Auckland.

In 1874, at the suggestion of Stafford, he resigned to become editor of the Timaru Herald. During 10 years in that position he successfully advocated the creation of a modern port for South Canterbury by the construction of a breakwater. He was at the same time leader writer for the Otago Daily Times, the New Zealand Times and The Press. Wakefield was M.H.R. for Geraldine (1875-81). Being defeated there, he contested Inangahua against E. Shaw (q.v.) in 1883. In 1884 he was elected unopposed for Selwyn and was for one week Colonial Secretary in the Atkinson Government (1884). Retiring from politics in 1887, he became editor of the Evening Press (Wellington). In 1890 he went to London and was afterwards appointed agent in New York of the British and United States Agency, but had to close it up in view of the financial stringency (1890). Thereafter he worked for the New Zealand press in London.

Wakefield published in 1889 New Zealand after Fifty Years. In his later years, when he suffered from blindness, he was admitted to the Carthusian foundation and lived in the Charterhouse, in recognition of his interest in Empire affairs. Just before his death (which occurred on 10 Aug 1924) he contributed to the Nineteenth Century an article on his friendship with Dickens and he published privately in 1923 a brochure on Sir Edward Stafford.

N.Z.P.D., 2 Jun 1925; E. Wakefield, op. cit.; United Empire, 1924, p. 630 (p); Timaru Herald, 15 Aug 1924.

Reference: Volume 2, page 224

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