Mr & Mrs H. D. Bennett

  Mr H. D. Bennett: Henry Dargaville Bennett: from National Library of New Zealand record: https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22554036.

Bennett, Henry Dargaville, 1876-1953  was born in 1876 and educated at Te Aute College. 

He worked in farming, sawmilling, contracting; also storekeeping at Taihape when aged 25 and was on the Wanganui Hospital Board. 

In 1916  he retired to Wellington and became involved with local body politics;  Wellington City Council from 1921-1929; · Wellington Harbour Board; · President of the Chamber of Commerce, 1914; · Chairman from its inception of the Wellington War Memorial Carillon Society ; in 1931 corresponded with H M Stowell regarding Māori placenames.

H.D. Bennett later lived in Motueka. His brother, Bishop F. A. Bennett was the first Bishop of Aotearoa.

James Wheeler outlines his grandfather’s life story to members of the Eastern Hutt Rotary: https://www.easternhuttrotary.org.nz/Stories/my-grandfather-hd

Paperspast  tracks H. D. Bennett's local body campaigns:  Evening Post -- 8/11/1922 ; 16/11/1922 (Epuni) ; 25/11/1922 ; 30/11/1922 ; 1/12/1922 (Petone) ; 6/12/1922 (Eastbourne)  ; 17/4/1923 (Miramar) ; 1/4/1925 ;  16/3/1927 - and re an endorsement for Mayoralty; 18/11/1929 ; 25/11/1929

H D Bennett was chairman of the National War Memorial Carillon, 1925-1932 and on the Board of Trustees, National War Memorial Design, 1930.

H.D Bennett's involvement in the community is shown in the following list of current "offices":  President, Wellington Chamber of Commerce 1925; President New Zealand Brass Bands Association, 1932 ; Patron, New Zealand Union of Cyclists, 1930, Wellington Athletics ;  Chair, New Zealand Ladies Hockey Association, 1922 and Wellington Vice-president, 1934; Vicar's warden, Parish of St Pauls, 1932. 

Wikitoria Te Amohau Park was born 1888. Her parents were Huta Pamariki Park, b. 1850 and Mere (Pare) Kitakita, born 1860,. She was a foundation pupil at Queen Victoria School, 1903.[1] and married Henry Dargaville Bennett, 1906.

In Wellington, Henry and Wikitoria became deeply involved in local body, civil and community groups. As the wife of both a City Councillor (and of the Deputy Mayor of Wellington) - (see NZ Who's Who), Wikitoria fulfilled hosting and speaking roles at many social events in the city.

Some of Wikitoria’s activities: [Women’s Institute, Townswomen’s Guilds, WDFU, WCTU, YWCA] ; Committee of the Parish of St Pauls Special Committee, 1932 ;  Pan-Pacific Women’s Conference in Hawai’i, 1934 ; Acting vice president of the YWCA in 1935/36 ; President of the Wellington district council, MWWL (1955) ; Ikaroa rep on Māori Women’s Welfare League Dominion Executive [2]) ; Lady Pomare Welfare Committee [3] ; Maori Mission Society [4].

Wikitoria hosted or spoke on Māori culture to many groups: (see Paperspast: Mrs H. D. Bennett) :e.g.  1934 – Pioneer Club / Women’s Institute ; · 1934 – Women’s Social Progress Movement ; · 1937 – Ladies Association of the Wadestown Presbyterian Church ; · Hutt Horticultural Society Rose Show – created Māori war canoe from flax ; Centennial Exhibition (Evening Post 10/11/1939 , p. 16) 

She was awarded an OBE in the  Queen’s Birthday honours, 1955[5]  There were two sons and two daughters from this marriage.  H. D. Bennett died September 1953 at age of 77 years ; Wikitoria passed away 1975.

  References:  [1] Te Ao Hou (Spring 1953 p. 38. Queen Victoria School jubilee ; [2] Ibid (July 1955, p. 26) & (1 August, 1957, p. 62) ; [3] Silent migration. 2001. P. 59 ; [4] Ibid ; [5] Ibid (no. 12,1 September, 1955, p. 12)

Wikitoria Te Amohau Bennett and her community activities.

 Wikitoria attended the third conference of the Pan-Pacific South-East Asia Women's Association at Hawai'i, 1934  :   http://www.nzjh.auckland.ac.nz/docs/2004/NZJH_38_1_03.pdf  

Whānau  weddings: