James Flesher

New Zealand mayor (1865–1930)

James Flesher

OBE

33rd Mayor of Christchurch
In office
1923–1925
Preceded by| Henry Thacker
Succeeded by| John Archer
Personal details
Born|

James Arthur Flesher

(1865-08-13)13 August 1865
Christchurch, New Zealand
Died| 18 August 1930(1930-08-18) (aged 65)
Christchurch, New Zealand
Resting place| Avonside Anglican Cemetery
43°31′36″S 172°39′31″E﻿ / ﻿43.5266°S 172.6586°E﻿ / -43.5266; 172.6586
Spouse|

Margaret Lucy England

(m. 1900)​

Children| Two
Residence| Avebury House
Occupation| Barrister and solicitor

James Arthur Flesher OBE (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.[1]

## Early life

[edit]

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.[2] He had five sisters and two brothers, and was the eldest of the boys.[3]

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.[2][4]

He married Margaret Lucy England on 18 January 1900 at the Wesleyan Church in St Albans. At the time, his wife was 32 years old and working as a teacher. She was born in Adelaide to Robert Deakin and Ellen (née Grant). Their relatives E.M. Deakin (Ashburton) and Harold Edmund Flesher were the witnesses to the marriage ceremony.[5]

## Political life

[edit]

Flesher's political career began in either 1891[6] or 1893,[2] when he was elected onto the Richmond Ward of Christchurch City Council. He was the mayor of the New Brighton Borough from 1915 to 1917. From 1918 to 1920, he represented Christchurch City Council as a councillor. During that time, he chaired the By-laws and Finance Committee. From 1923 to 1925, Flesher was the elected Mayor of Christchurch. He was once again elected councillor for Christchurch City Council in 1928 and held that post until his death.[2] He stood in the 1928 election in the Kaiapoi electorate for the Reform Party and was narrowly beaten by Richard Hawke of the United Party.[7][8]

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.[9]

## Community involvement

[edit]

Flesher was involved in a great number of organisations, and held important roles with many of those:[2][4]

* Christchurch Tramway Board (1906–1930, including chairman from 1913 to 1916)
* Christchurch Domains Board
* Waimakariri River Trust
* Richmond Domain Board
* Richmond School Committee
* McLean's Institute
* Avon Licensing Committee
* Royal Christchurch Musical Society
* Red Cross
* St John Ambulance
* Canterbury Pilgrims Association
* Richmond Methodist Church ("James Flesher, 4 May 1886" is written on the foundation stone)
* North Canterbury Methodist Sunday School Union (including being its president)

## Avebury House

[edit]

Avebury House in May 2011

In 1871, James Flesher's father William (born 1837) bought a 25 acres (100,000 m2) site of the Avebury farm from Dr John Seager Gundry for £500. Flesher senior commissioned Avebury House from architect James Glanville. The 4,289 m2 dwelling was completed in 1885, replacing an earlier house from 1873. William Flesher died suddenly on the steamship SS Tarawera on a passage from Melbourne to Lyttelton, and James Flesher inherited Avebury house.[2][10]

After James Flesher's death, the house was in turn passed to his son Hubert de Rie Flesher, who sold the building and 8 acres (32,000 m2) 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.[2][10][11]

Avebury House and Avebury Park are located in Eveleyn Couzins Avenue in Richmond, Christchurch.[12] 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.[13][14]

## Death

[edit]

Flesher died on 18 August 1930 at Avebury House following a long illness.[15] Like his father,[3] he was buried at the Anglican cemetery of Holy Trinity Avonside.[16] He was survived by his wife and his two children.[2]

## References

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Arthur Flesher.

1. ^ "Chairmen and mayors". Christchurch: Christchurch City Council. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h "James Arthur Flesher". Christchurch: Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
3. ^ a b "William Flesher". The Star. No. 6482\. 27 February 1889. p. 4. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
4. ^ a b "The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (Canterbury Provincial District) Barristers and Solicitors". Christchurch: Cyclopedia Company Ltd. 1903. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
5. ^ "Christchurch City Library – Church register index – surname – FLESHER". Retrieved 15 February 2010.
6. ^ "The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (Canterbury Provincial District) Ex-Councillors". Christchurch: Cyclopedia Company Ltd. 1903. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
7. ^ "The Battle Eve". Auckland Star. Vol. LIX, no. 269\. 13 November 1928. p. 13. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
8. ^ The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 3. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
9. ^ "No. 30935". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 4 October 1918. p. 11773.
10. ^ a b "James Glanville, Architect". Canterbury Heritage. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
11. ^ Ebborn, Lynnette (25 October 2002). "Avebury House Update" (PDF). Christchurch: Christchurch City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
12. ^ "Avebury Park". Christchurch City Council. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
13. ^ Harper, Margaret. "Christchurch Street Names F to K" (PDF). Christchurch City Libraries. p. 30. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
14. ^ Harper, Margaret. "Christchurch Street Names C to E" (PDF). Christchurch City Libraries. p. 265. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
15. ^ Evans, Beverley. "Christchurch Press – August 1930 – BMD -". Retrieved 20 February 2010.
16. ^ Evans, Beverley. "Christchurch Press August 1930 – Snippets". Retrieved 20 February 2010.

Political offices

Preceded by

Henry Thacker

|  Mayor of Christchurch
1923–1925  | Succeeded by

John Archer

* v
* t
* e

Christchurch City Council

Civic offices|

* Christchurch Land Office (1862–1887)
* Our City (1887–1924)
* Civic (1924–1980)
* Tuam Street civic offices (1980–2010)
* Hereford Street civic offices (2010–present)

Companies and assets|

| held through CCHL
(ownership percentage)|

* City Care (100%)
* Ecocentral Ltd (100%)
* Enable Networks (100%)
* Christchurch Airport (75%)
* Lyttelton Port Company (79.3%)
* Orion New Zealand (89.3%)
* Red Bus (100%)

|

other assets|

* Art Gallery
* Botanic Gardens
* Christchurch Bus Interchange
* Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings
* Canterbury Museum
* Ferrymead Regional Park
* Hagley Park
* McDougall Art Gallery
* New Brighton Pier
* Sign of the Kiwi
* Sign of the Takahe
* Town Hall
* Tūranga
* Wastewater Treatment Plant

former assets|

* Christchurch Bus Exchange
* Christchurch Central Library
* Christchurch Convention Centre
* Queen Elizabeth II Park

Services|

* Christchurch City Libraries
* The Shuttle

Chairman (1862–1868)|

* John Hall
* John Ollivier
* Isaac Luck
* Edward Bishop
* William Wilson

Mayors (1868–present)|

| elected by councillors|

* William Wilson
* John Anderson
* Andrew Duncan
* James Jameson
* Henry Sawtell
* Edward Bishop
* Michael Hart
* Fred Hobbs

|

elected at large|

* Fred Hobbs
* James Gapes
* Henry Thomson
* Charles Thomas Ick
* James Gapes (2nd)
* George Ruddenklau
* Charles Hulbert
* Aaron Ayers
* Charles Louisson
* Samuel Manning
* Charles Gray
* William Prudhoe
* Eden George
* Thomas Gapes
* Walter Cooper
* Harry Beswick
* Walter Cooper (2nd)
* Charles Louisson (2nd)
* William Reece
* Arthur Rhodes
* Henry Wigram
* Charles Mathew Gray (2nd)
* John Hall
* George Payling
* Charles Allison
* Thomas Taylor
* John Joseph Dougall1
* Henry Holland
* Henry Thacker
* James Flesher
* Rev John Archer
* Dan Sullivan
* John Beanland
* Robert Macfarlane
* Ernest Andrews
* Robert Macfarlane (2nd)
* George Manning
* Ron Guthrey
* Neville Pickering
* Hamish Hay
* Vicki Buck
* Garry Moore
* Bob Parker
* Lianne Dalziel
* Phil Mauger

Mayoral elections|

| annual term|

* 1875†
* 1876
* 1877
* 1878
* 1879
* 1880
* 1881
* 1882†
* 1883
* 1884†
* 1885†
* 1886
* 1887†
* 1888†
* 1889†
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897†
* 1898†
* 1899†
* 1901†
* 1902†
* 1903†
* 1904†
* 1905
* 1906†
* 1907†
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910†
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914

|

biennial term|

* 1915
* 1917
* 1919
* 1921
* 1923
* 1925
* 1927
* 1929
* 1931
* 1933

triennial term|

* 1935
* 1936‡
* 1938
* 1941
* 1944
* 1947
* 1950
* 1953
* 1956
* 1958‡
* 1959
* 1962
* 1965
* 1968
* 1971
* 1974
* 1977
* 1980
* 1983
* 1986
* 1989
* 1992
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* 1998
* 2001
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* 2007
* 2010
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* 2016
* 2019
* 2022

* † Elected unopposed
* ‡ By-election
* 1 appointed following death of incumbent

*[m.]: married
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