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Colonel James de Renzie Brett
Description
TitleColonel James de Renzie BrettSummaryProminent pioneer of the Selwyn District. DescriptionColonel de Renzie James Brett was a prominent pioneer of the Selwyn District, noted for his role in bringing irrigation to the area and in the establishment of Kirwee; yet he remains relatively unknown.
Born in Wexford, Ireland in 1809, Brett was typical of many early settlers in the district in that he was well-educated and had served as an army officer before migrating to New Zealand. By the age of 16 he was serving as a junior officer in the British East India Company in India where he saw continuous active military service until 1853, having fought in the second Anglo-Burmese war. During the Crimean War he was seconded by the War Office in London for service with the Sultan of Turkey and later returned to India where he was present at the relief of Delhi and Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857-58. He retired with the rank of colonel in 1863.
Brett immigrated to New Zealand with his wife and four children, arriving in Lyttelton on the Greyhound on 9 May 1865. A short time later he purchased a 1,000-acre sheep run south of Courtenay and became a supporter of small farmer interests and promoted settlement in the area.
He was one of the prominent landowners in the district around this time and had named his property on Courtenay Road, ‘Kirwee House’ from the name of a fort he had captured during the Indian Mutiny.
In 1868 the Coal Tramway Reserve running from Rolleston to Springfield was marked out by David Jebson with the intention of building a railway line from Rolleston to Springfield. By 1871 the Courtenay and Tramway Roads (now known as West Coast Road – State Highway 73) had been surveyed, with the intersection of these two roads being known as Brett’s Corner.
With the development of the railway, interest in establishing a settlement at Brett’s Corner increased with the sale of land and by the time the railway came through in 1874 a grocery shop and a bakery had been established on Tramway Road, along with a blacksmith shop on Courtenay Road. This was followed by a flourmill in 1876.
With the building of a railway station an official name for the settlement had to be found and Colonel Brett suggested ‘Kirwee', which was subsequently adopted. The first survey of the township was registered in October 1877.
Brett’s greatest contribution to the district was the part he played in establishing the extensive water race system that provided much-needed water throughout the district. During the pioneering years of farming in the area many locations suffered from a lack of regular water supply. As farms were established increasingly further away from the rivers, water had to be carted in drays using 400 gallon tanks. This difficult process was no longer required through the efforts of Brett in developing the Malvern water race system. He was fully aware of the acute need for water on the dry plains and had a novel idea how this could be supplied. During his time in India he had seen how the irrigation systems there had been developed to provide water to marginal land. At first his vision of extracting water from the Waimakariri River to supply the whole of the Canterbury plains was ridiculed, as many believed the water would be lost through the shingle.
However, after the success of a similar system in Mid-Canterbury, in 1871 the Canterbury Provincial Council gave permission for a survey to be conducted into the feasibility of Brett’s scheme. Once this was completed a recommendation was made for water to be taken from the Kowai River near Springfield.
Work commenced in 1876 and by the end of 1877 the headworks and two miles of race had been completed and officially opened. One branch of the line followed the straight Tramway Road from Springfield to Rolleston, through Kirwee. The water race eventually reached Kirwee in 1881 and at this time Brett and other farmers in the area had (probably illegally) dug their own connecting irrigation ditches to extract water from the main race. This scheme proved so successful in providing a constant and reliable water supply that a deputation from West Melton requested a branch race be built to also supply water to properties along the Bealey Road.
The demand for water increased with further settlement and by 1886 a new scheme was authorized. Headworks were built near Halkett and from this intake the majority of West Melton’s stock and domestic water was supplied from the Waimakariri River. The race system was extended over time and by 1889 it provided water to the new Christchurch Meat Company freezing works at Islington.
The water race system is Brett’s legacy to the people of the district and after 144 years is still functioning under the guardianship of the Selwyn District Council. The importance of the system to the early settlers was summed up by one local pioneer: ‘Water has changed the whole face of nature in the district, and life that was hardly tolerable, is now worth living.’
Brett was also noted as a successful and influential farmer, being active within his local community. He was a founding member of the Courtenay Farmers Club in 1869, which became the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association in 1880, holding positions as the first president, and later patron.
Colonel Brett died at Christchurch in 1889, aged 80. A monument spanning the main water race at Kirwee was erected in 1930 in recognition of his contribution in establishing water supply for the Canterbury Plains and remains a feature of the township’s history.
First NameJames De RenziLast NameBrettDate of Birth11 April 1809Place of BirthWexford, County WexfordDate of Death1889Age at Death80
Born in Wexford, Ireland in 1809, Brett was typical of many early settlers in the district in that he was well-educated and had served as an army officer before migrating to New Zealand. By the age of 16 he was serving as a junior officer in the British East India Company in India where he saw continuous active military service until 1853, having fought in the second Anglo-Burmese war. During the Crimean War he was seconded by the War Office in London for service with the Sultan of Turkey and later returned to India where he was present at the relief of Delhi and Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857-58. He retired with the rank of colonel in 1863.
Brett immigrated to New Zealand with his wife and four children, arriving in Lyttelton on the Greyhound on 9 May 1865. A short time later he purchased a 1,000-acre sheep run south of Courtenay and became a supporter of small farmer interests and promoted settlement in the area.
He was one of the prominent landowners in the district around this time and had named his property on Courtenay Road, ‘Kirwee House’ from the name of a fort he had captured during the Indian Mutiny.
In 1868 the Coal Tramway Reserve running from Rolleston to Springfield was marked out by David Jebson with the intention of building a railway line from Rolleston to Springfield. By 1871 the Courtenay and Tramway Roads (now known as West Coast Road – State Highway 73) had been surveyed, with the intersection of these two roads being known as Brett’s Corner.
With the development of the railway, interest in establishing a settlement at Brett’s Corner increased with the sale of land and by the time the railway came through in 1874 a grocery shop and a bakery had been established on Tramway Road, along with a blacksmith shop on Courtenay Road. This was followed by a flourmill in 1876.
With the building of a railway station an official name for the settlement had to be found and Colonel Brett suggested ‘Kirwee', which was subsequently adopted. The first survey of the township was registered in October 1877.
Brett’s greatest contribution to the district was the part he played in establishing the extensive water race system that provided much-needed water throughout the district. During the pioneering years of farming in the area many locations suffered from a lack of regular water supply. As farms were established increasingly further away from the rivers, water had to be carted in drays using 400 gallon tanks. This difficult process was no longer required through the efforts of Brett in developing the Malvern water race system. He was fully aware of the acute need for water on the dry plains and had a novel idea how this could be supplied. During his time in India he had seen how the irrigation systems there had been developed to provide water to marginal land. At first his vision of extracting water from the Waimakariri River to supply the whole of the Canterbury plains was ridiculed, as many believed the water would be lost through the shingle.
However, after the success of a similar system in Mid-Canterbury, in 1871 the Canterbury Provincial Council gave permission for a survey to be conducted into the feasibility of Brett’s scheme. Once this was completed a recommendation was made for water to be taken from the Kowai River near Springfield.
Work commenced in 1876 and by the end of 1877 the headworks and two miles of race had been completed and officially opened. One branch of the line followed the straight Tramway Road from Springfield to Rolleston, through Kirwee. The water race eventually reached Kirwee in 1881 and at this time Brett and other farmers in the area had (probably illegally) dug their own connecting irrigation ditches to extract water from the main race. This scheme proved so successful in providing a constant and reliable water supply that a deputation from West Melton requested a branch race be built to also supply water to properties along the Bealey Road.
The demand for water increased with further settlement and by 1886 a new scheme was authorized. Headworks were built near Halkett and from this intake the majority of West Melton’s stock and domestic water was supplied from the Waimakariri River. The race system was extended over time and by 1889 it provided water to the new Christchurch Meat Company freezing works at Islington.
The water race system is Brett’s legacy to the people of the district and after 144 years is still functioning under the guardianship of the Selwyn District Council. The importance of the system to the early settlers was summed up by one local pioneer: ‘Water has changed the whole face of nature in the district, and life that was hardly tolerable, is now worth living.’
Brett was also noted as a successful and influential farmer, being active within his local community. He was a founding member of the Courtenay Farmers Club in 1869, which became the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association in 1880, holding positions as the first president, and later patron.
Colonel Brett died at Christchurch in 1889, aged 80. A monument spanning the main water race at Kirwee was erected in 1930 in recognition of his contribution in establishing water supply for the Canterbury Plains and remains a feature of the township’s history.
First NameJames De RenziLast NameBrettDate of Birth11 April 1809Place of BirthWexford, County WexfordDate of Death1889Age at Death80
Connections
CollectionSoldiers of Selwyn World War OnePlaceKirweeImageMonument to Colonel James de Renzie BrettMore InformationFull Selwyn Times article available here
Attribution
Written ByWayne StackTaken Fromselwyn-times-august-19-2020
Taken Fromselwyn-times-august-19-2020Colonel James de Renzie Brett. Selwyn Stories, accessed 13/02/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/371
