SLADE, WILLIAM (1859-1916) was born in Staffordshire and came to New Zealand in 1878. He was accepted for training in Three Kings College for the Methodist ministry. He worked amongst the Maori people at Raglan (1881-83), at Tauranga (1884) and Port Chalmers (1885). Slade married (1885) Margaret Jean Gilmour. In 1886 he went as a missionary to Fiji and for 17 years worked with initiative and indomitable energy. He was revered by the natives as a champion of their rights and honoured by the Europeans for his dauntless courage. He returned to New Zealand in 1902, and spent a year in deputation work on behalf of missions (inaugurating the Methodist women's missionary union). In 1907 he was president of the Methodist conference and was appointed to superintend the Dunedin Methodist central mission. Here he initiated the movement to build the Octagon Hall. His visit to England to seek assistance for this work was interrupted by the war. Ultimately he brought it to fruition but overtaxed his strength and his health broke down. He was a man of genius, an eminent churchman and a great administrator. He died on 20 Apr 1916.

M.A.; R.P.

Reference: Volume 2, page 157

🌳 Further sources