New Zealand, Theosophy in
New Zealand can claim the first member of the Society in the southern hemisphere. Augustine King joined in London in 1879 and gained this distinction on returning to New Zealand.
Another early member was E. T. Sturdy whom Col. Henry S. OLCOTT called “the father of Theosophy in New Zealand” He joined the Society in 1885 and, after traveling overseas and meeting Col. Olcott, Helena P. BLAVATSKY and William Q. JUDGE, returned and settled in Wellington. From the study group he started grew the Wellington Lodge which was chartered in 1888. Among its members were Harry ATKINSON, Prime Minister of New Zealand; Mr. Van Staveren, the Jewish Rabbi; H. M. Stowell, a Maori Tohunga (priest); and Mr. Edward Tregear who wrote a book about the similarities of the Hindu and Maori languages.
In 1891-92 seventeen members joined the Society in Auckland where a Lodge was chartered on March 24, 1892. Among them were William Draffin, Dr. Charles Sanders and Margaret Lilian Edger who became leaders in the work in New Zealand.
Mr. A. W. Maurais started the Dunedin Lodge in 1893 and Mr. J. Rhodes and Mr. J. P. Cooper founded the Christchurch Lodge in 1894. The Wellington Lodge was rechartered in 1894 with Mr. W. S. Short as President.
Birth of New Zealand Section. The first distinguished overseas visitors to brave the rigors of travel in this young country were Isabel COOPER-OAKLEY in 1893 and Annie Besant who in 1894 visited the newly formed Lodges in the four main centers. Cooper-Oakley had been commissioned by Olcott to form an Australasian Section and by the time she left New Zealand this had been arranged with Mr. J. C. Staples of Sydney as General Secretary.
The Section became a reality in 1895 but the New Zealand members, aware of the distance from Sydney and encouraged by Countess Constance WACHMEISTER, who was visiting at the time, decided to separate from Australia. The New Zealand Charter dated April 7, 1896, was issued to seven branches (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Woodville, Waitemata and Pahiatua) with a total membership of 112.
The first General Secretary was Miss Lilian Edger who convened the first National Convention in Wellington on 2nd & 3rd January 1897. In her report Miss Edger recorded that she had given 37 lectures in twenty towns — traveling costs being £17.15.3 [a little over $35.00]. She also thanked Mr. Frank Davidson for his help as her assistant and ended by saying “Enough has been done since the Section was founded to give us hope for the future.” But Olcott, recognizing Edger’s ability as a lecturer took her off to Adyar before the end of the year. It was fortunate that Dr. Sanders, a keen propagandist, was able to take over as General Secretary, a position he held for 21 years.
Early Years. By branding it “anti-Christian” the churches in Auckland had created such a lively interest in Theosophy that in 1897 when Olcott spoke on “Healing and Spirituality” about 1,000 people crowded into the hall. The press called him a “genial well-educated and cultured gentleman.”
Towards the end of 1902 differences arose in the Auckland Lodge which could not be resolved. Several members, including Sanders and the Draffins, seceded and a new Lodge named HPB was chartered in February 1903. An unfortunate fire in June 1906 caused the loss of many Section records. After this, both HPB Lodge and the Section moved to 351 Queen Street where they occupied the whole building and set up a printing press in the basement. It is said that members meditated to improve the slum conditions around their premises; soon afterwards a park was developed. In 1923 their new building at 371 Queen was opened and both the Section and HPB Lodge moved in. In 1904 two young Scotsmen, John Ross Thomson and William Crawford came to Auckland. Mr. Thomson — or J. R. T. as he became affectionately known — was a born leader and had a gift of clarity in expressing theosophical concepts. Mr. Thomson became President of HPB Lodge in the third year of its existence (1905) and was re-elected to that office up to 1932 when his health began to fail. He was also General Secretary from 1918 to 1925 when William Crawford took over and served for fourteen years.
Growth. Dunedin was fortunate in having a band of intellectuals led by D. W. M. Burn, poet and teacher, which included Miss Kate Browning, National Lecturer and Miss C. W. Christie who — it is said — was once escorted back to her hotel by cheering West Coast miners. Spacious Lodge premises were set up in Dowling Street. With Miss Emma Hunt as leader the Christchurch Lodge thrived and their splendid premises built on the banks of the Avon River are still in use.
In 1917 the Wellington Lodge obtained its own building which was modernized in time for the Lodge Centenary in 1988. R. J. Mathers gave seventy years of service to the Wellington Lodge. H. G. R. Mason, a member of Parliament who held the offices of Attorney-General and Minister of Education in the Labor Government, also found time to serve as President of the Wellington Lodge. He gave valuable help and advice in all matters of administration. In Auckland Geoffrey Trevithick was the President of HPB Lodge for seventeen years. As National Lecturer, Harry H. Banks became well known to all members and as Chief Knight of the Order of the Round Table forged links with children throughout the country.
Geoffrey Hodson Arrives. A great impetus to theosophical work in New Zealand was given by Geoffrey Hodson who came in December 1940 as guest speaker at the Christchurch Convention. He stayed and made New Zealand his home till his death in January 1983 at the age of 96 years. As National Lecturer for many years he traveled throughout the country giving his time generously to every lodge. He attracted large audiences everywhere. His last lecture was given on May 4, 1982, at HPB Lodge on the subject “Kundalini- Sakti, its Use in Occult Research.”
Many of his books were written in New Zealand. Local members helped him in research, typing and editing, and New Zealand artists provided illustrations. Much of the work, however, was done by Sandra Hodson (nee Chase).
Recent Years. In 1939 Miss Emma Hunt moved to Auckland to become General Secretary; she had a keen interest in theosophical history. The 1946 Golden Jubilee number of Theosophy in New Zealand which she edited has proved invaluable in the writing of this article. In 1948 the Section office was moved to 10 Belvedere Street, Epson, a large house given by Miss Geraldine Hemus for that purpose. In 1953 Miss Hunt left New Zealand to become Recording Secretary at the Adyar Headquarters.
In the following 38 years ten members served as General Secretary. Of these Mr. Brian Dunningham served the longest and used his business ability to establish the solid financial base the Section enjoys today. The Section later moved to Vasanta House at 18 Belvedere Street which had better accommodation and vehicle access. Recently its name was changed to the more modern “The Theosophical Society in New Zealand.”
In 1918 some Theosophical Society (TS) members purchased a property in Epsom for a school based on theosophical ideals. The school opened using Vasanta House but later two open-air classrooms and an assembly hall were built and as Vasanta Garden School under Miss Bertha Darroch as principal had about 100 pupils. In 1957 lack of suitable teachers forced its closure and the property reverted to the Section.
In the 1950s Orewa House in spacious grounds 40 kilometers north of Auckland was used for TS meetings and later purchased. Twelve flats for elderly members and a hall for Orewa Lodge have been built on the property.
The Work of the Section Today. Following tradition, the Annual Convention is hosted by the larger Lodges in a four-year cycle. An overseas lecturer is invited as guest speaker each year. With more finance available the Section is able to pay expenses for some of the delegates to Convention. The same arrangement for the quarterly Executive Meeting ensures a better attendance and that all Lodges participate in decision making. With a comfortable lounge, some sleeping accommodation available and an instruction seminar on the same weekend, these become real fraternal gatherings. Effort is made to serve every member in the Section. As well as the National Lecturer, who visits every lodge, about six other lecturers every month visit nearby lodges. The quarterly magazine Theosophy in New Zealand, which as been published continuously since 1900, maintains the same high standard of articles but now has a colorful full-page picture on the cover. It is sent free to all members who also receive a quarterly Newsletter which, being produced on the copier, has type variations and illustrations which give a professional appearance.
Headquarters also sends a welcome pack to every new member which includes the introductory booklet Probing the Mysteries of Existence edited by Jack G. Patterson. This booklet is also distributed free to everyone who shows interest in Theosophy. It has proved very popular and has been reprinted with a few modifications by the American Section. To maintain their interest new members are also sent eighteen letters — one each month. A good supply of up-to-date leaflets is always available for despatch to Lodges on request.
Resources. To serve members and interested non-members who do not have access to Lodge Libraries, Headquarters has a postal library from which about 500 books are sent out yearly. Audio tapes are available from a large library built up by Mr. Frank Wilson. Several 16mm films on theosophical subjects are also available but today’s demand is for videos. Headquarters staff are now fully equipped to make videos of talks and other programs. The large video library now available is very helpful in providing Lodges with programs. Other resources available for use by Lodges are 35mm slides, study courses and leaflets. All are listed in a comprehensive Resources Catalogue.
The Society Today. The Theosophical Society in New Zealand by 1991 had 1782 members in sixteen branches and seven Study Centers. Considering that only three and a half million people live in New Zealand, the proportion of members to population is one of the highest in the world and eight branches have their own premises.
The General Secretary and the headquarters staff operate from a fine old house set in spacious grounds at 18 Belvedere Street, Epsom, Auckland. The Society also owns several houses near Headquarters, some shops in Auckland and property at Orewa, a seaside holiday resort about forty kilometers north of Auckland. All of these help provide income for the work of the Society in New Zealand.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Neff, Mary K. How Theosophy Came to Australia and New Zealand. Australian Section of the Theosophical Society, 1943.
Theosophy in New Zealand. Golden Jubilee Number. April - June 1946. Vol. VIII No. 2 edited by Emma Hunt.
Theosophy in New Zealand.
