Harriet Langford

Harriet Langford was married to John Langford, a chair maker and potato trader for the colony. Harriet was the first recorded pakeha woman to come ashore, and the first woman recorded who could read and write. She and John arrived at Petone in January 1839 aboard the Aurora from England, part of the Wakefield company. The Aurora was one of two ships of the Wakefield Company that first came to the Kaipara Harbour before going to Petone in Wellington Harbour. Harriet was a teacher, she lost many of her children to disease and is an example of how strong early women settlers were. She and John lived mainly in the Nelson and Takaka regions. They organised shipments of potatoes from Auckland to Nelson with another family. John also supplied early settlers with furniture, some of the first European designed, New Zealand native timber made. Harriet's letters are available at Alexandra Turnbull Library. One in particular she wrote to her children's children.