McKENZIE, THOMAS WILMOR (1827-1911) was born in London, and went with his parents to Newfoundland, but owing to the death of his father returned to England. His mother became interested in New Zealand, and embarked in the Adelaide (Sep 1839).

The youth was apprenticed in the first days of the settlement at Pito-one to the printing press of Samuel Revans, and helped to produce the first issues of the New Zealand Gazette which were published in the colony. Shortly after the Adelaide cast anchor he undertook to spend the night ashore at the Pipitea pa in charge of a whare built for Dr Evans. He was a strong swimmer, and he formed a boating club in connection with one of his later newspapers which won the cup offered for rowing competitions. This club became the Wellington rowing club. On removing to the present site of Wellington, McKenzie completed his five years' articles, and carried on for another two years as a journeyman. Work being slack, the men agreed to work alternate weeks, and during his off weeks McKenzie occupied himself on a piece of land at Makara. When the paper changed hands, four of the compositors (W. E. Vincent, George Fellingham, James Muir and McKenzie) started the Independent, which they ran successfully for many years. As his partners left one by one, McKenzie became sole proprietor and carried on the Independent on consistent and reputable lines until its demise in 1874. The New Zealand Times Co., formed in 1873, took over the property, the Independent changing its name to the New Zealand Times (Jun 1874). McKenzie remained on as secretary and manager to the company until he retired from active service.

He was a member of the Settlers' Constitutional Association working for representative government, and of the Town and Country Land Association (the predecessor of the building society), and later helped materially the Small Farms Association in the Wairarapa. He made no attempt to get into the Provincial Council or into Parliament, but was a member of the Wellington City Council (1881-87) and contested the mayoralty unsuccessfully. As first corresponding secretary of oddfellows in New Zealand, he obtained six charters from the Manchester Unity, two of which went to lodges in Wellington (Antipodean and Britannia), and two others to the first lodges in Auckland and Dunedin. From 1848 almost to the time of his death he was secretary of the widows' and orphans' society of the order. As a freemason he was a past master, for some time district warden, and first grand principal of the Royal Arch Chapter. Through him the Provincial Council granted both to oddfellows and freemasons sections of land for their lodgerooms. He was one of the founders of the Mechanics Institute (which had a strong educational influence for many years); a trustee of the home for the aged needy, a member of the Wellington licensing committee, and an elder of St John's Church. He died on 2 Mar 1911.

Cycl. N.Z., i (p); Ward; Evening Post, 17 Oct 1929 (p).

Reference: Volume 2, page 18

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