Fred Waite

Born in Dunedin on August 21, 1885, he first worked as a compositor before moving into farming near Balclutha. After marrying Ada Philipson Taylor in 1912, he built a life at Hill Foot farm in Waiwera South, where the couple raised their family and became part of the local rural community.

He enlisted in 1914 as a lieutenant with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and served at Gallipoli, where he was wounded, mentioned in dispatches, and awarded the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry. Near the end of the First World War he was assigned to write The New Zealanders at Gallipoli, a history valued for its close connection to the events it describes.

In the years that followed, he returned to farming, took leading roles in farmers’ organizations and the dairy industry, and served as the Reform Party member of Parliament for Clutha from 1925 to 1931. Remembered as a soldier, historian, and energetic advocate for rural New Zealand, he died on August 29, 1952.