1820 First European plough used in NZ
The missionary John Butler turned the first furrow at Kerikeri, recording: 'I trust that this day will be remembered with gratitude, and its anniversary kept by ages yet unborn.'
Butler, New Zealand's first ordained resident clergyman, arrived at the Bay of Islands in August 1819 as superintendent designate of the Church Missionary Society's mission. He was accompanied by his wife and two children, and James Kemp, a lay missionary, and his wife. The Butlers and Kemps took up residence at Kerikeri, which became Butler’s headquarters as the superintendent of the mission.
Butler's journal of his years at Kerikeri provides not only details of his contacts with Maori but also an insight into contemporary Maori culture. A key aspect of the missionaries' work was the introduction of European practices − including agricultural methods − that would help ‘civilise’ Maori and prepare them for conversion. On 3 May 1820 Butler wrote:
‘The agricultural plough was for the first time put into the land of New Zealand at Kideekidee, and I felt much pleasure in holding it after a team of six bullocks… I trust that this day will be remembered with gratitude, and its anniversary kept by ages yet unborn. Each heart rejoiced in this auspicious day, and said, “May God speed the plough’”.
