Thomas Mason

Thomas Mason (28 July 1818 – 11 June 1903) was a New Zealand quaker, runholder, horticulturalist and Member of Parliament.

Biography

He was born in York, Yorkshire, England, on 28 July 1818. He attended Bootham School, York.

He was not elected in the for the Hutt, but was successful in the subsequent general election. He represented the Hutt electorate from to 1884, when he was defeated. alt=A dramatic scene with Mason centre on the floor over Jane Mason, singing to a group of Māori warriors with weapon pointed at him. Thomas Mason (played by Nicky Spence) in the opera Hōhepa. Also Jenny Wollerman who plays Jane Mason (on floor) Phillip Rhodes (L) who plays Hōhepa and chorus (March 2012). He was chairman of both the Wellington Botanic Garden Board and Hutt County Council. Mason Street in the Lower Hutt suburb of Moera was named after him.

His daughter, Elizabeth Catherine Mason, was the mother of Thomas Wilford. Mason died at his home in the Hutt and was buried at Taita Cemetery.

In 2012 the New Zealand International Arts Festival premiered the opera Hōhepa composed by Jenny McLeod about the relationship between Mason and Māori chief Hōhepa Te Umuroa. The opera is set in the Hutt Valley where they met and also Tasmania, Australia.