William Henry Skinner

William Henry Skinner (26 February 1857 – 24 October 1946) was a New Zealand surveyor, historian, and ethnographer.

Early life Born in New Plymouth in 1857, Skinner was the son of immigrants who had arrived in the town from Devon in 1841. His father, Thomas Kingwell Skinner, was a butcher and could afford to pay for a private education at local schools.

Survey career In mid-1872, Skinner started a survey cadetship with Thomas Humphries, the chief surveyor of Taranaki Province, and rose to the position of assistant surveyor by 1876. Much of his survey work in Taranaki was considered dangerous, with tensions from the New Zealand Wars over land ongoing. Skinner laid out Inglewood and Mokau. Due to the harsh conditions in the field, Skinner's health suffered and from 1888, his work changed to office tasks. Quickly promoted through various ranks, from 1911 onwards he worked outside of Taranki. He was commissioner of Crown lands and chief surveyor for Marlborough, then Hawke's Bay, and then Canterbury after which he retired to New Plymouth in 1919. He reflected on his experiences as a surveyor in a book published in 1946. They had two daughters and one son; Skinner died in 1946 and was survived by his wife and children. He is buried at Te Henui Cemetery.