James Flesher

James Arthur Flesher (13 August 1865 – 18 August 1930) was a politician in Christchurch, New Zealand. He held many public offices and was Mayor of Christchurch from 1923 to 1925.

Early life Flesher was born on 13 August 1865 in Christchurch. His parents were William Flesher (a land agent) and Dorothy Flesher (née Johnson). He attended Christ's College.

After school, he started a legal career, first at the Christchurch and Ashburton offices of Messrs Wilding and Lewis. Four years later, he joined the offices of Messrs Thomas Joynt and Acton Adams. When that firm was dissolved, he joined the offices of Messrs Acton-Adams and Kippenberger. In 1898, he was admitted as a solicitor. In 1899, he was admitted as a barrister and started his own legal practice at 9 Cathedral Square, Christchurch.

Then 34-year-old flesher married 32-year-old Margaret Lucy England on 18 January 1900, at the Wesleyan Church in St Albans. At the time, she was working as a teacher. She was born in Adelaide, Australia to Robert Deakin and Ellen (née Grant). Their relatives E.M. Deakin (Ashburton) and Harold Edmund Flesher were the witnesses to the marriage ceremony.

Political life Flesher's political career began in either 1891 or 1893,

Flesher was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1918 for services in connection with the New Zealand Branch of the British Bed Cross Society and Order of St John.

Community involvement Flesher was involved in a great number of organisations, and held important roles with many of those:

After James Flesher's death, the house was in turn passed to his son Hubert de Rie Flesher, who sold the building and of land to the Crown in 1945, and it was on-sold to Christchurch City Council. The house became the Cora Wilding Youth Hostel in 1965 and the land became a public reserve (Avebury Park). After a threat of demolition in 1997, the house was renovated. It was opened in 2002 by Prime Minister Helen Clark and serves as the Avebury House Community Centre.

Avebury House and Avebury Park are located in Eveleyn Couzins Avenue in Richmond, Christchurch. Flesher Avenue, off Eveleyn Couzins Avenue, is named after the Flesher family. Both roads occupy land that was previously part of the Avebury House property.

Death Flesher died on 18 August 1930 at Avebury House following a long illness. Like his father, He was survived by his wife and his two children.