Later Life
After a period in Madeira, Stephen and Louisa immigrated to New Zealand from England in 1858 and founded a strong and continuing lineage in New Zealand and Australia. After a short stay in the province of Canterbury they moved to Auckland in 1859. By 1860, Stephen Peacocke had bought some land near the Pensioner Settlement of Howick, East Tamaki and remained settled there for the rest of his life. In 1860 - 1861 he was on the Auckland Jury list as a Retired field officer living at East Tamaki.
When the New Zealand land wars broke out in the Waikato, Major Peacocke, as an ex-military officer, offered his services to the Government. He was given the rank of Lt. Colonel and command of the 3rd battalion of the Auckland Militia, during the Invasion of Waikato. He commanded the district extending from Wairoa south to Otahuhu, a line which at the beginning of the war was practically "the front," defended by Galloway's and St. John's redoubts.
After the war, in 1865, Colonel Peacocke (or Ponsonby as he was called) turned his attention to politics. He entered the Auckland Provincial Council to represent the Pensioner Settlements from 1865 - 1869. He was called to the New Zealand Legislative Council in 1866 and attended several sessions of Parliament in Wellington, where he became known as a polished and effective speaker. He served as Crown and Waste Lands Commissioner between 1867 and 1868. He continued to serve on the Legislative Council until his death. Colonel Peacocke was one of those early settlers who devoted to the public service highly cultivated minds, guided by those principles of public honour and integrity, which are characteristic of English gentlemen. Isabella Peacocke died on 12 March 1872 and Stephen Peacocke died just over two months later on 30 May 1872. They are both buried in All Saints Churchyard, Howick, New Zealand. The headstone over their grave reads: "In death they were not divided".
Read more about this topic: Stephen Ponsonby Peacocke
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