Arthur Yates & Co - Seed Merchants & Growers - 1882 to 1985

Arthur Yates & Co premises, Queen & High Streets, Auckland, circa 1902. 

The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, Auckland Provincial District, volume 2, 1902, entry on pp 400-401 (reformatted into shorter paragraphs):

"Yates, Arthur, and Co. (Arthur Yates and Ernest Yates), Wholesale and Retail Seed Merchants and Growers, Queen Street, Auckland. Bankers, Bank of New South Wales. Cable address, “Seedsman, Auckland.” Head establishment, Mr. Samuel Yates, 75 Shudehill Street, Manchester; Australian branch, 237 Sussex Street, Sydney, New South Wales, established 1887.


This well-known business was first established by Mr. Samuel Yates in 1826, and is now one of the largest businesses of its kind in England.


The Auckland branch was established in 1882, and to such an extent has the business grown that it has been found necessary to extend the premises, which now consist of a large three-storey warehouse with a thirty-three feet frontage to Queen and High Streets, and a depth of 200 feet, and a total floorage space of over 14,000 square feet. Machinery for seed cleaning has been especially imported from England, and fitted up in the new premises, and the firm claims to hold the largest stock of garden and farm seeds in the Colony.


There are seed farms at Mangere and Papatoitoi under the management of Mr. E. Allan. There are agents of the firm in every town of importance in the Colony, and a complete catalogue of “Yates' Reliable Seeds” can be obtained free from any leading storekeeper, or direct from the head office in Auckland, as well as the firm's other publications, “Yates' Garden Guide,” and “How to Grow Onions for Market.”"

As previous posts suggest, Arthur Yates & Co flourished in the decades following, specializing in seeds for the home gardener. Apparently the family business continued to be profitable in the hands of Arthur Yates' children and grandchildren until such time as it passed from their hands into those of the financial speculators. As Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand puts it here:

"For 102 years the Arthur Yates seed company supplied seed and garden advice to New Zealand gardeners. Arthur Yates, the founder of the company, was the son and grandson of British seed merchants. His children and grandchildren ran the company profitably until it was taken over by ill-fated investment bank Equiticorp, and went into receivership in 1985."

Not the first time, nor the last, that a main street business was driven into bankruptcy by the speculators and a carefully-tended enterprise was cast off as if dust in the wind.

Edwardian Picnic -Tug of War - Auckland

Tug of War, Cycle Trades picnic, Auckland area, circa 1911?

Correspondent, Will, reports this is a photo he took at "our Cycle Trades picnic, of the single men, who won the tug of war." Will also writes that he took Katie & her sister to see the Coronation & Review at Spithead at the "Cinematograph pictures". "They were very good."

Will's reference to the coronation & review at the cinema suggests that the picnic may be dated to 1911 or early 1912, as George V's coronation was 22 June 1911. While Edward VII's coronation and review was in 1902, this likely was too early for regular cinema showings in New Zealand. Evidence suggesting it might be circa 1902 is the undivided back on the postcard, but this could simply be old stock from which the real photo postcard was produced.

Bungalow of Mt Albert, Auckand, 1906

The Bungalow, Mount Albert, Auckland, NZ, 1906.

Sent to an address in Headingley, Leeds, UK in 1906, this real photo postcard shows May, Marie, and Tom's "new cottage" that they had just moved into. Tom writes: "It is a nice place & I think we will be very comfortable." He continues that the owner privately produced these postcards and, as can be seen in the note in the margin on the photo side, the owner's wife and son are the people in the picture. The view suggests the house & property received a lot of sunshine.

Greetings from Ponsonby, postmarked 1907.

Will sent the above multi-view of the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby to the Headlingley, Leeds address in 1907. Click on the image for a larger view.

Bungalows of Avondale, Auckland: Pictures of Home

Well, actually, this is a tale of one bungalow in Avondale...

61 Roberton Road, Avondale, Auckland, NZ, May 1913. S Collins & Son, photo.

This real photograph postcard was sent to "all at home", perhaps in the UK, by Ethel and Frank to show their home at 61 Roberton Road, Avondale, Auckland on May 8th 1913. Perhaps it is their new home.

The house clearly needs some work. Although it has the basics, it clearly needs painting and to the proud homeowner it could do with some "improvements".

Curiously, Ethel & Frank do not comment on the house other than to include a postscript: "P.S. The white frames set in the windows are fly screens, grand things to keep flies out doors." For some curious reason, Kiwis did not widely adopt this innovation to limit bug life indoors. Perhaps this is because flying insects came to be a relatively minor problem - Kiwis wiped out flies like the Chinese did during the Cultural Revolution(!) - or the relative absence of infectious disease borne by insects or their biting behaviour - resulted in little use of insect screens.

61 Roberton Road, Avondale, Auckland, post May 1913. A E Woodall, photographer, Remuera.

Some time later, the above photo materialises. Clearly Ethel and Frank have been busy on the home improvement front. A more stylish (for the time) verandah has been added, window shades have been installed, as has a bay window on the side, and the house and roof have been painted. Some serious work has gone into upgrading the front lawn and flower beds, while a concrete path has been laid. The family "back home" would certainly have been impressed with Ethel and Frank's industriousness in taming the urban landscape.

The house at 61 Roberton Road still stands, with chimneys intact, but the verandah in the second photo has gone, perhaps long ago. It can be seen by loading in the address at Google Earth.

Bungalows of Devonport

A sampling of bungalows along Church Street, Devonport, Auckland, taken January 2009.

The house above and below are next door to one another, number 32 above and 34 below.

Devonport, Auckland - Past & Present #1 - Victoria Road

After taking a virtual tumble over the handlebars on the descent during the previous blog post (see previous entry), I'm back. (I really didn't experience any pain & suffering, however virtual; I just got very busy for awhile).

Breaking out of the Mainland - South Island - mindset, it's up to the land of the nastily & unfairly labeled Jaffas (Just Another F...g Aucklander, to the uninitiated), who apparently prefer to be called the Sons & Daughters of Maui: Auckland, with a past & present glimpse of Devonport.

Looking up Victoria Road, Devonport, in the early 1900s. Muir & Moodie.

Looking up Victoria Road, Devonport, in early 2009. Photo: Kuaka.

The Esplanade Hotel, corner of Queens Parade and Victoria Road. Photo: Kuaka, 2009.

Constructed on the site of the former Flagstaff Hotel, the Esplanade Hotel was modeled on the resort hotels of the English seaside resorts and named after the best known hotel in Brighton, England. It opened in 1903 and enjoyed popularity because of its harbour front location, just across the street from the Devonport ferry wharf.

Looking back down Victoria Road to the Esplanade Hotel & waterfront. Photo: Kuaka, 2009.

Tapu-Lifting Ceremony at Auckland Downtown Murder Site

A tapu-lifting ceremony has been performed at the site where Good Samaritan Austin Hemmings, 44, was murdered on his way home from work. Mr Hemmings was stabbed to death in Mills Lane in downtown Auckland in September after going to the aid of a woman being assaulted.

The ceremony was conducted in English and Maori by Ngati Whatua Kaumatua, Takutai Wikiriwhi and Holy Trinity Church Reverend Charmaine Braatvedt.

A 45 year-old sickness beneficiary was charged with the murder on 26 September. (Name suppression of the accused is usually ordered pre- and during trial in New Zealand criminal cases).

RIP Mr Hemmings. It is not only the well-known who are great.

Kua hinga te totara nui o te wao nui a tane! A great totara has indeed fallen.

One Big Port?

Auckland Container Terminal

The Ports of Auckland Company has revived the idea of a merger between itself and the Port of Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty. It’s opening gambit came in a comment by Jens Madsen, its managing director, that a takeover by Auckland of Tauranga’s container business would improve New Zealand’s supply chain, permitting ports to engage in new investment in port infrastructure.

About half of New Zealand’s exports by value are shipped through the two ports authorities, with Tauranga gaining a slight edge in 2007 (24.9 percent). On the import side, Auckland handles almost 50 percent of merchandise entering New Zealand. Together, based on 2007 data, a combined Auckland-Tauranga ports company would handle almost 57 percent of all international trade.

Port consolidation is being driven by pressure on port companies from large shipping lines such as Maersk, to counter rising costs with increased productivity generated by operating hub ports in the two or three major ports. Maersk carries about 60 per cent of New Zealand's container trade. Fonterra, New Zealand’s dairy cooperative multinational, which exports the bulk of dairy produce is one of Maersk’s top ten global customers. Maersk has been rumoured to be seeking an ownership stake in New Zealand ports in recent years.

In the South Island, the Ports of Lyttelton and Otago have held negotiations in recent years on possible takeover or merger deals. These were seen as defensive moves to counter Maersk’s perceived intent to select either one or the other port as its South Island hub. Smaller ports in both major islands would either serve as feeder ports to the hub ports, or lose significant traffic.

While concerns are being raised in New Zealand over the impact of an Auckland-Tauranga ports merger or takeover on competition, there seems to be little discussion of the role of a foreign-owned shipping conglomerate pressuring New Zealand port companies to engage in anti-competitive practices with consequences for both exporters, importers, and ultimately the average citizen. This is unremarkable, perhaps, given the historical context in which the shipping conference lines that carried the bulk of New Zealand’s exports in the past century acted as a cartel in setting shipping rates. More of the same (cosy deal), you might say.

Lyttelton - Container Cranes in far distance, inter-island coastal shipping,
Pacifica's Spirit of Competition roll-on, roll-off vessel in foreground.

The Great White Fleet – Auckland August 1908

The Great White Fleet (GWF) of the US Navy was sent on a “Show the Flag” goodwill mission around the globe in 1908/1909 by President Teddy Roosevelt. So-called because the battleships were painted white, the fleet consisted of 16 battleships and accompanying support vessels, manned by 14,000 sailors and marines. By the time the 14 month voyage ended in Hampton Roads, Virginia, on February 22, 1909, the GWF had steamed some 46,000 miles.

The centennial of the Great White Fleet’s visit to New Zealand occurs this week.

USS Connecticut

The GWF was sent off from the Jamestown Exposition, Virginia on December 16th, 1907, proceeding around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America then north to San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, California in March 1908. On July 7, under the command of Rear Admiral Sperry, the fleet sailed for Hawaii and thence to Auckland, New Zealand.

On August 9, 1908, the Great White Fleet sailed into Waitemata harbour, Auckland, creating quite a spectacle and met with great warmth by the New Zealand public. Parades and a welcoming ceremony were held in Queen Street, the main street, leading from the wharves. A large arch at the lower end of Queen Street, festooned with ferns, welcomed the fleet as did street signs expressing greetings from various towns & neighbourhoods throughout New Zealand.

Panorama of the Great White Fleet from Devonport, Auckland

USS Connecticut (2 views)



USS Minnesota, and USS Georgia

Welcome Arch in lower Queen Street

Parade on Queen Street

This early visit of the Great White Fleet helped cement a growing relationship between New Zealand and the United States, despite New Zealand’s colonial ties to Great Britain. New Zealand and American forces were to fight side by side in the Pacific theatre during World War Two.

In the mid 1980s, reflecting growing public pressure for a nuclear ban, the Fourth Labour Government barred U.S. nuclear-powered and armed warships from New Zealand ports as part of its policy favouring a nuclear-free zone in the South Pacific and because of New Zealand's opposition to the Reagan's administration's escalation of tensions with the Soviet Union.

In February 1985, a port-visit request by the United States for the USS Buchanan was refused by New Zealand.

This policy change initiated a cooling in the relationship between the two countries at the military level, but has it also affected the diplomatic, political, and economic relationships up to the present, although both countries maintain friendly, albeit at times strained, relations. This nuclear ban has been maintained by governments of both major New Zealand political parties since 1984. During a recent visit to New Zealand in late July 2008 by US Secretary of State Rice there were some indications that the U.S. position may be thawing towards New Zealand but it is not likely that the military and other relationships will undergo a major shift in the remaining months of the Bush administration.