A Colonist’s Gaze

John E. Martin's biography of Charles Rooking Carter connects the English Victorian world and colonial New Zealand.  In Wellngton, in the 1850s, he contributed significantly to harbour reclamation and public buildings as a builder, contractor and architect. In the Wairarapa, he promoted the settlement of working settlers on the land, with the township of Carterton named after him, and founded a large estate on the Taratahi Plain.