Thomas Henry Smith (poet)

For other people named Thomas Henry Smith, see Thomas Henry Smith (disambiguation).

Thomas Henry Smith (22 November 1824 – 23 September 1907) of Auckland was an English-born New Zealand Native Land Court Judge and poet.^[1] He is best known for the Māori language translation of "God Defend New Zealand", one of the two national anthems of New Zealand, which he wrote at the request of Governor George Edward Grey.^[2]

Thomas Henry Smith
Born	22 November 1824 Stroud, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom
Died	23 September 1907 (aged 83) Colony of New Zealand
Occupation	Judge, poet
Nationality	New Zealander
Citizenship	British (1824-1842), New Zealander(1842-1907)
Notable works	God Defend New Zealand
Spouse	Elizabeth Koka Fuloon; Dorcas Sophia Baker

Early life

Smith was born at Stroud, Gloucestershire, England.^[3] After his formal education he worked at a Land Surveying and Architecture office in Romford, Essex. In 1842, he went to New Zealand after being offered a cadetship by the New Zealand Company's surveying staff.^[1]

References

1. "Mr. Thomas Henry Smith of New Zealand". New Zealand Electronic Text Collection. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
2. "History of God Defend New Zealand". Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
3. "Thomas Henry Smith". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2 September 2016.