Hicks Road in Hawera is said to be named after John Hicks, the benefactor of Hāwera’s well-used Hicks Park but it just as likely to be named after one of his brothers.
John Hicks was born in New Plymouth in 1853, son of Margaret (nee Old) and John Hicks Snr. He grew up in Whanganui where he farmed but later settled on a farm near Hawera, on Manawapou Rd, just before it meets Hicks Rd.
John died in 1938 and did not have any children. A charitable trust was established from his estate, and it donated the money for the purchase the old A&P Showgrounds to form the reserve that is now the John Hicks Memorial Park.
However, John was not the only Hicks brother to leave a mark on the district. His younger brother Robert was born in Whanganui in 1855 and also began farming there, along with his parents Margaret and John Hicks Snr.
Margaret and John separated in 1881, and John Snr returned to Cornwall and died there in 1886. Margaret remained in New Zealand and later moved to the Hāwera district along with her ten adult children. She died in 1906.
Robert farmed near the banks of the Tāngahoe River on land lying between South Road and what would become Hicks Road. He married Agnes Octavia Bone Muir in 1896 and they had seven children. He was well known as a breeder of racehorses and had many successes with his horses, including winning the Avondale Cup and the Taranaki Cup.
He had a long association with the Egmont A & P Association, Hāwera Bowling Club, Egmont Racing Club and the Dog Trail Club. He died in 1934.
There were also several other Hicks brothers who lived and farmed in the district, some also on Manawapou Rd, James, Joseph, Richard and William.
Hicks Road had originally been known as Tāngahoe Rd and on maps dated about 1900 appears to run right down to and across the Tangahoe River and connect with Mokoia Rd. By 1935 the road was recorded as Hicks Rd – in reference to one, or all, of the Hicks brothers.
This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.
Hick's celebrate coming of age of daughter, Hawera Star November 2 1929
Hick's family defend park name, Taranaki Daily News December 15 2011
Related documents
Cadastral Map DP1367 (1899) supplied by Institute of Cadastral Surveying Inc.
Cadastral Map DP 5506 (1935) supplied by Institute of Cadastral Surveying Inc.
Hawera Record Map (1902) Archives New Zealand (R3231325)
Please do not reproduce these images without permission from Puke Ariki.
Contact us for more information or you can order images online here.
The information on this website is provided for general research and reference only. While we try to keep content accurate and current, we make no guarantees about its completeness or correctness. It should not be considered a replacement for a LIM or a Property Report. Some content is supplied by third parties. Puke Ariki has not verified this content and users should check its accuracy before relying on it.The inclusion of a building on the website does not imply heritage status. See SCHED1 in the NPDC District Plan for a list of buildings that have rules about what can happen to or around them (administered by NPDC). See the New Zealand Heritage List for a list of buildings that are celebrated for their heritage significance but are not subject to rules (administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga). Should any corrections need to be made to the records or for more information please contact us.
