JONES, JOHN (1809-69) was born in Sydney, the son of Thomas Jones, an early settler of New South Wales. He was an adventurous youth in days and conditions which offered no premium to the educated boy, and therefore he found advancement with his hands and native commonsense. As a boy he went to sea in a schooner, and thus first saw the shores of New Zealand. Having saved a little money while serving before the mast, Jones bought himself a boat and took to the calling of a waterman in Sydney Harbour. His savings he invested so carefully that when he was only 20 years old he was a partner in three whaling ships which frequented the New Zealand waters from Port Jackson. He seems to have been the invigorating factor in the business, which went ahead from the moment of his intervention.

In 1835 Jones purchased for himself for £800 the Sydney Packet, in which he sailed as his own supercargo round the whaling stations of southern New Zealand. The year before he had become interested in Bunn's whaling station at Preservation Bay, and in 1836 he had three boats and 36 men working for him there. Two years later he had stations at Awarua, in 1839 at Aparima and Waikawa, and in that year also he acquired from the natives at Waikouaiti an area of land which soon became a veritable oasis in the wilderness of uncultivated prairie and bush. Jones in 1840 took a first step towards forming an organised colony by inducing eleven families of English people from New South Wales to emigrate to his land at Waikouaiti. He offered a fixed sum per year, and at the end of two years the freehold of 60 acres of land per family. Intent on assuring the permanence of the settlement, he prevailed on the Wesleyan Missionary Society to send a missionary to Waikouaiti, the house, chapel, and school being provided by him. Accordingly on her next voyage Jones's schooner brought James Watkin (q.v.) and his wife to act as clergyman and teachers to the children of whalers, settlers and Maoris.

In the early forties Jones was attracted to Wellington by the arrival of emigrants there, and for a while he had some business association with W. M. Bannatyne. He kept the schooner Scotia constantly trading with Sydney, taking whalebone and oil from New Zealand. On one occasion he placed his schooner, fully manned and provisioned, at the disposal of the Government for use in necessary operations or in taking succour to whites. During the alarm following the fight at the Wairau two of his vessels were thus at call. Jones suffered in the slump of 1842, but maintained his New Zealand holdings. In 1844 Mr Watkin was replaced as missionary by the Rev Charles Creed, who was in Otago when the pioneers arrived in 1848. About 1846 Jones made his home at Waikouaiti, a sort of feudal lord among his retainers, who found him a hard enough taskmaster, but generous and just. Anticipating the arrival of the settlers in Otago, he established a trading store to supply them with necessary commodities, and he earned the good opinion of the immigrants by his fair dealing. He moved to Dunedin in 1854. He was now a considerable merchant with ships of his own maintaining a regular trade around the coasts of New Zealand and to Sydney. He purchased Captain Bellairs's house at Fern Hill, which later he replaced by a stone building, afterwards known as the Fernhill Club. In 1859, in co-operation with the firm of Cargills, he purchased the paddle steamer Geelong, and a few years later the paddle steamer City of Dunedin. In 1863 the steamer Golden Age first came to Dunedin. Jones had a quarter share in her, and with this basis he founded the Harbour Steam Navigation Co., which prospered in spite of setbacks. The Albion and Scotia were added to the fleet, and the firm obtained a contract from the provincial government to run regular services between Dunedin, Oamaru and way ports.

Jones's own creation, the Harbour Co., developed into the Union Steam Ship Co. His business on shore expanded very materially as a result of the discovery of gold (1861). He was now in a thoroughly substantial way, and attempted to defeat the note issue of Macandrew and Co. He subsequently issued notes on his own credit, payable on demand. It is said that at one time £20,000 of these notes were in currency. Jones nevertheless suffered with others in the periodical slumps which struck the province. In that of 1866 he was able by judicious assistance to narrow the disaster that visited the community. At a time when 15 and even 20 per cent. was being charged on mortgage, Jones was content with 10.

In public life Jones knew his limitations. He was at the head of the poll for the Dunedin town board in 1855 (and chairman in 1856), but generally declined to accept public positions. Sir George Grey, when he visited Dunedin in 1867, referred to him as a tried personal friend of more than 20 years' standing. Yet Jones was careful to decline the offer of a call to the Legislative Council. "A large-hearted man with the simple instincts of a child," was one description applied to him—a tall, muscular figure, adorned usually in his later days with a tall silk hat and a black coat. He was a liberal patron of the churches of all denominations. Besides building and endowing the Church of England at Waikouaiti, he gave land for St Paul's, Dunedin, and he insisted that the clergy should travel free of charge in his ships.

Jones married in 1830 Sarah Sizemore (d. 1864). He died on 16 Mar 1869.

His eldest son, JOHN RICHARD JONES, was a landowner in Waikouaiti district, where he farmed the Matanaka property until his removal to Dunedin in 1876. In Dec 1862 he was elected to represent Hampden in Parliament. Vogel was also nominated, but did not demand a poll. Jones resigned before the next session. As an executor for his father, he attended the meeting in 1869 at which the interests of the Dunedin Harbour Ferry Co. were developed into the Union Steamship Co. Jones married (1855) Mary (d. 1906), daughter of John Orbell. He died on 4 May 1911.

Cycl. N.Z., iv (p); Hocken, Otago; McNab; Whaling; McIndoe; Roberts; Shortland, 79, 106; Purchas; Pratt; Christie; Otago Daily Times, 5 May 1911, 31 Jan 1930 (P).

Reference: Volume 1, page 239

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