From New Zealand’s Jewish past: Merchant, auctioneer, shipping agent and community leader
David Nathan, one of two Jews listed in the 1841 New Zealand Census, was born in London in 1816 and was the third son of Nathan Lion Nathan and his wife Sarah.
David Nathan
David served his apprenticeship in the wholesale clothing firm of his maternal uncle – Henry Moses.
In December 1839, David emigrated to Australia to join family members who had already settled in Sydney. On being promised better economic prospects in New Zealand rather than Adelaide, where he had intended to go, he left for New Zealand and the Bay of Islands on 21 February 1840. He didn’t waste time in setting up a store on the waterfront at Koroorareka (Russell), stocked with products he had brought from England. In 1841 when it was agreed that Auckland would become the capital of New Zealand, David opened a store in a tent on the Auckland foreshore, continuing his business in Kororareka until 1842. On one of his visits to Kororareka, he met and on 31 October 1841 on Russell married Rosetta Aarons – formerly Jacobs – who had been widowed earlier. They had four daughters and two sons – Laurence David and Nathan Alfred – with two daughters having died in infancy. When the boys were born, no one in colonial Auckland could practice circumcision, so Rosetta had to travel to Sydney to have them circumcised. With the journey taking considerable time, the boys were both older when their circumcisions were done. Rosetta died in 1864, and on 22 January 1878 in London, David married Edith Barrow Montefiore, who was the daughter of Joseph Barrow Montefiore. They had no children.
Following his store in a tent in August 1841 he was able to progress to a store built of wood. His business went from strength to strength and by 1853, he was able to build a brick store and warehouse. He was granted an auctioneer’s licence in 1842 and moved on to become a shipping agent, obtaining the agency of the Shaw Savill Shipping Company in 1858. He then bought several small trading vessels and became a significant property owner within the city of Auckland. In 1859 the Auckland foreshore was reclaimed from British possession and David went on to lease more land close by to the port, building a large five-storey kauri gum store, a bond store and a tea warehouse with the latest machinery for tea blending and packing. He established the firm of L D Nathan and Company for his sons – Laurence David and Nathan Alfred – following which he retired from business dealings in 1868.
David was very highly regarded as a businessman and philanthropist engaging with societies and institutions throughout Auckland. He established in 1856 the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and became its president in 1868. He was a trustee of the Auckland Savings Bank from 1864-1865, its vice president from 1878 to 1882, an early commissioner for the port of Auckland and served on the city council from 1854 to 1855.
David was deeply committed to his Jewish faith. In fact, his marriage to Rosetta was the first Jewish service held in New Zealand. The first regular services began in 1843 in a room set aside in his store. Through his efforts and that of John Israel Montefiore, a grant of Crown land was obtained in 1843 for a Jewish cemetery. David served as president of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation for a period of four terms between 1853 and 1883 and, on 18 December 1884, he had the pleasure of laying the Synagogue’s foundation stone in Princes Street, now University House. Through his leadership and example, he unified and conciliated all groups in the congregation.
David passed away on 23 August 1886 at Bella Visita, the home he had built in 1863. He was posthumously inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2017.
David’s sons – Lawrence David and Nathan Alfred – who took over their father’s business, continued as general merchants but expanded it to include wine and spirits, together with shipping, fire and marine insurance agents and general produce brokers. They continued to represent the Shaw Savill Company, as well as others. It is noted – no date known – that their business was destroyed by one of the most disastrous fires ever known in Auckland.
As brokers, they became the largest handlers of kauri gum, with more than half the gum arriving into Auckland going through their business. They also traded significantly in flax, maize and all other class products as well as groceries of every kind and fancy goods. Their wines and spirits were the best the world produced. Their ‘Standard’ brands of teas and coffees were also very popular in the market and commanded a great sale. An ostrich farm outside of Auckland was owned and run by them. In private, both sons were enthusiastic sportsmen and notable and successful breeders of thoroughbreds, with many ‘celebrities of the turf’ born and raised on their property.
The AJHS acknowledges the following references in the preparation of this story:-
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography – Janice C Mogford; History of the Jews in New Zealand – L M Goldman; Setting Up Auckland’s Jewish Community – Sarah Oliver; National Library of New Zealand – A History of LD Nathan & Co
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