BRETT, SIR HENRY (1842-1927) was born at St Leonards, Sussex, and brought up to the printing trade with his uncle, who owned the Hastings and St Leonards Gazette and was a well-known stationer and local historian. At the age of 19 Brett became interested in the Albertland proposal, bought a section of 40 acres from the Auckland Provincial Government and received a promise of three days' work per week in the office of the settlement newspaper and the other days for his farm work. He sailed in the Hanover.

On arriving at Auckland (on 17 Sep 1862) he was offered by one of the owners of the Southern Cross a position on that paper as a reporter at £1 per day. He accepted, and soon became known as a most efficient shipping reporter. An amateur oarsman in England (where he was pair-oar champion of the South Coast), he now became an expert boatman, meeting the English ships as they arrived far down the channel and gaining many 'scoops' in advance of his competitors. Moving in 1865 to the New Zealand Herald, he enhanced his reputation there. In 1870 Brett became part owner of the Evening Star, which had just been established by Farrar and G. M. Reed (q.v.). He developed his news-getting methods by the use of pigeons and transmitting by this means photographs of political speeches which had appeared in the Thames newspapers. For some years he represented the news agency of Holt and McCarthy. By the retirement of Reed in 1876 he became sole proprietor of the Star, which made steady progress. In 1884 he moved from Wyndham street to new offices in Shortland street. In 1920 the paper was floated into a public company, of which Brett continued to be managing director until his death. He was associated with many other newspaper organisations, being a director of the Press Association for 39 years (and many years chairman), and an original member (and eventually a life member) of the Newspaper Proprietors' Association. He attended the first Empire Press Conference in 1909.

Brett introduced photo-engraving and from 1890 published the New Zealand Graphic, an illustrated weekly, and the New Zealand Farmer (monthly). For many years (from 1873) he published Brett's Auckland Almanac, the Colonists' Guide, the Gardening Guide, and the South Pacific Pilot. Of his historical works the most important was Early New Zealand (by Sherrin and Wallace) published in 1887. He published also Defenders of New Zealand, by T. W. Gudgeon (1890), White Wings (vol. i, 1924; vol. ii, 1928) and (with Henry Hook) The Albertlanders (1927), which was based on a diary kept by him during the voyage to New Zealand.

Brett took a limited part in public life. In 1874 he was a member of the Parnell highway board and he was later on the domain board, the Auckland harbour board, the city improvement commissioners and the City Council (1877-78). In 1878 he was mayor of Auckland. He was a governor of the Grammar School and University College and was associated with the Mechanics' Institute. A Liberal in politics and a supporter of the Ballance and Seddon administrations, he declined a seat in the Legislative Council (1899) and twice declined a knighthood, which eventually he accepted in 1926. He was a commissioner for the Paris Exhibition, for the International Exhibition at Christchurch (1906-07) and for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York (1901).

Brett made generous gifts to Auckland University College and the Auckland Art Gallery (1904). Keenly interested in music, he was a chorister of St Leonard's Church in England and thereafter for 72 years continuously sang in church choirs, including those of St Matthew's, St Paul's and St Peter's, Auckland. He was choirmaster of St Peter's and presented organs to that church, to the town hall in Auckland and to the Blind Institute, besides making many gifts of music to various societies. He was president for some years of the Auckland Orchestral Society (which he took to the exhibition at Christchurch) and of the Choral Society and the Bohemian Orchestra; and was a life patron of the Royal Auckland Choir. He was fond of gardening, was president of the Auckland Horticultural Society and in 1910 won a gold medal of the Royal Horticultural Society. He held few directorships except that of the Auckland Savings Bank and the Kauri Timber Co. Brett was a member of the Cinque Ports artillery volunteers, and on coming to Auckland joined the Rutland Rifles, with which he did duty during the Maori war.

He married (1864) Mary, daughter of James Moon (Westfield, Sussex). He died on 29 Jan 1927.

Cycl. N.Z., ii (p); Brett, op. cit.; The Albertlanders (p); The Star (Auckland), 31 Jan 1927.

Reference: Volume 1, page 62

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