Herbert Guthrie-Smith Explained

Herbert Guthrie-Smith FRSNZ
Birth Name:William Herbert Smith
Birth Date:13 March 1862
Birth Place:Helensburgh, Scotland
Death Place:Tutira, New Zealand
Occupation:New Zealand farmer, author and conservationist
Notable Works:Tutira: The Story of a New Zealand Sheep Station
Spouse:Georgina Meta Dennistoun Brown (married 1901)
Awards:Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (FRSNZ)

William Herbert Guthrie-Smith FRSNZ (13 March 1862 – 4 July 1940) was a New Zealand farmer, author and conservationist.

Life

William Herbert Smith was born in Helensburgh, Scotland in 1862. His father was an insurance broker.[1] [2]

In 1880 he emigrated to New Zealand. In September 1882 he leased Tutira, a sheep station in central Hawke's Bay, which was his home for the rest of his life. In 1901 Guthrie-Smith married Georgina Meta Dennistoun Brown in Scotland. Their daughter, Barbara, was born in 1903.[2]

After the First World War he met Beatrix Dobie who was exhibiting her work at the Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery. They formed the connection that would lead to her providing the illustrations for his book Tutira: The Story of a New Zealand Sheep Station.[3]

His books and photography, especially Tutira: The Story of a New Zealand Sheep Station, graphically document the impacts of human activity on New Zealand's unique environment.[4]

Tutira: The Story of a New Zealand Sheep Station was published in 1921 (and reprinted in 1926 with a new preface, map and index). It documented the impact of humans on New Zealand's environment in an easy reading, non-scientific yet accurate manner. It is an internationally acclaimed classic of ecological writing and was New Zealand's first significant environmentalist publication.[5] [6] In 2003 Michael King wrote:

“Our first ecological book, and still our best example of this genre. The transformation of New Zealand from bushlands to grasslands farming is anatomised in this close examination of the effects of plant and animal introductions on one piece of Hawke’s Bay.”[7]
Before his death in 1940 he revised and added to Tutira. The revised edition was published in 1953.[2] Guthrie-Smith died on 4 July 1940 at Tutira.[8] He was buried at Tutira, and his obituary appears in Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868–1961 (Vol 70 1940–41).[9]

Awards and honours

William Herbert Guthrie-Smith was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (known as the New Zealand Institute before 1933) in 1924 (listed under S, rather than G on the Royal Society website).[10] [11] [12] [13]

Bibliography

Books:

Journal papers:

Guthrie-Smith Trust

The Guthrie-Smith Trust was founded in 1942 after Barbara Absolom, daughter of Herbert Guthrie-Smith, donated 800 hectares of land to it to administer for the benefit of the people of New Zealand educational and recreational purposes.[23] The remaining 90 hectares now includes a 20,000 tree arboretum,[24] which opened to the public in 2013,[25] [26] and an education centre.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: GUTHRIE-SMITH, William Herbert, from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. McLintoc. A. H.. 1966. www.teara.govt.nz. en. 11 October 2017.
  2. Web site: Guthrie-Smith, William Herbert, Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1996.. Cooper. Ronda. teara.govt.nz. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. en. 21 February 2019.
  3. Web site: Dobie, Beatrix (Mrs Vernon) 1887–c.1945. Platts. Una. nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. 4 September 2017.
  4. Web site: New Zealand Birds, Environmental Hall of Fame – Herbert Guthrie-Smith. www.nzbirds.com. 21 February 2019.
  5. Web site: Tutira NZHistory, New Zealand history online. nzhistory.govt.nz. 21 February 2019.
  6. Web site: Tutira: desecration of God’s earth dubbed as improvement?. 20 February 2011. envirohistory NZ. en. 23 March 2019.
  7. Web site: Bottom of the lake: How the setting for a classic book of New Zealand literature became a toxic swamp. Steer. Philip. 2017-04-19. The Spinoff. 2019-03-23.
  8. Web site: Mr. W. H. Guthrie-Smith. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 5, 5 July 1940. 21 February 2019.
  9. Web site: Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 70, 1940–41. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 171–172. 23 February 2019.
  10. Web site: Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute New Zealand Institute, 1924 [electronic resource]]. rsnz.natlib.govt.nz. 21 February 2019.
  11. Web site: Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand [electronic resource]]. rsnz.natlib.govt.nz. 20 February 2019.
  12. Web site: Royal Society Te Apārangi – S-U. royalsociety.org.nz. 21 February 2019.
  13. Web site: Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute New Zealand Institute, 1924 [electronic resource]]. rsnz.natlib.govt.nz. 21 February 2019.
  14. Book: Guthrie-Smith, H. (Herbert). Tutira : the story of a New Zealand sheep station. 1921. Edinburgh : Blackwood. Robarts – University of Toronto.
  15. Web site: Tutira: The Story of a New Zealand Sheep. Guthrie-Smith. William Herbert. 1926. nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. 11 October 2017.
  16. Book: Guthrie-Smith, H. (Herbert). Birds of the Water, Wood & Waste. Whitcombe and Tombs Limited. 1910. 1st. Wellington, New Zealand.
  17. Web site: Birds of the Water, Wood & Waste NZETC. Guthrie-Smith. William Herbert. 1927. nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Whitcombe and Tombs Limited. 20 February 2019. 2nd.
  18. Web site: Mutton birds and other birds. Guthrie-Smith. William Herbert. 1914. Christchurch, N.Z. : Whitcombe and Tombs. University of California Libraries.
  19. Web site: Bird Life on Island and Shore NZETC. Guthrie-Smith. William Herbert. 1925. nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. 20 February 2019.
  20. Web site: Sorrows and joys of a New Zealand naturalist. Guthrie-Smith. William Herbert. 1936. natlib-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com. 20 February 2019.
  21. Guthrie-Smith. Herbert. 1895. Bird-Life on a Run. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 28. 367–375.
  22. Guthrie-Smith. Herbert. 1907. The Grasses of Tutira. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 40. 506–519.
  23. Web site: The Trust – Guthrie-Smith Trust – Tutira, Hawke's Bay. en-US. 23 March 2019.
  24. Web site: Guthrie-Smith Tutira Arboretum opening on Sundays. November 13, 2013. www.scoop.co.nz. 23 March 2019. Tutira.
  25. News: Tree paradise opens in Bay. Gullery. Lawrence. 18 April 2013. 23 March 2019. en-NZ. 1170-0777.
  26. News: 150 guests to celebrate opening of arboretum. 11 November 2013. 23 March 2019. en-NZ. 1170-0777.

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