HARDY, JOHN (1821-82) was born at Uxbridge, Middlesex, educated there and in London, and qualified as a civil engineer. He married Helen Akerman. In 1855 he came to Otago in the Dunedin and settled at Tokomairiro, his farm being named Helensbrook after his wife.

Hardy took a prominent part in the politics of the district as a supporter of Macandrew. An advocate of a better roading policy, within a few weeks of his arrival in the province he approached the Provincial Council with a petition on the subject, and for some years he was commissioner of roads and deviations. He presided at meetings to consider district needs and to form the mutual improvement society and the agricultural society. As a farmer he showed a fine example of scientific methods and new ideas. He imported valuable stud horses, and his ploughing teams were prominent at matches for many years. In 1860 he organised the coal company, of which he was secretary and manager.

Hardy was elected to the Provincial Council in June 1861 and represented the district until 1864. He was for some time provincial secretary and treasurer under Richardson, and was chairman of the committee on roads and their deviations. His chief service to the district and to New Zealand was, however, the encouragement he gave to Gabriel Read (then in his employ) to persist in his search for gold in the Tuapeka district. Hardy and his sons accompanied Read on these expeditions, and as provincial secretary Hardy reported in the Council the outcome (28 June 1861). He advocated encouraging Victorian miners to come to Otago after the opening of the fields. Hardy was a prominent member of the Church of England and presented land for its endowment. He was defeated at the Council election in 1864 and three years later moved to Dunedin, where he practised as a surveyor and architect. He maintained his interest in communications and led a deputation to the Council to protest against the railway line as projected. He carried out many engineering contracts, including the ferry and accommodation house at the Clutha; and acted as clerk and engineer to several road boards.

After moving to Oamaru Hardy surveyed much of the country lands for the provincial government and made many bridges. He was engineer in charge of railway construction on the Moeraki-Waitaki section. He laid before the Oamaru borough council in 1875 a scheme for lighting the borough with gas. He was for some years a member of the borough council (1876 and 1881-82), founded the permanent building society and was a vestryman and lay reader of the Church of England.

Hardy was a fine cricketer and a supporter of all musical societies. He contributed a good deal to the press, writing a graceful style of prose and some verse of passing quality. He died on 22 Sep 1882.

Otago P.C. Proc. and Gaz.; Diary of Gabriel Read in Public Library, Dunedin; Pyke; Hocken, Otago; Bruce Herald, 1864-67; Otago Witness from 1855; North Otago Times, 23 Sep 1882.

Reference: Volume 1, page 195

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