John Saxon Barton, 1875–1961
As an experienced magistrate with considerable financial expertise, Barton was one of two commissioners appointed by the Napier Borough Council to supervise reconstruction of the town after the 1931 earthquake.
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Violet May Cottrell, 1887–1971
A prolific writer, Violet Cottrell published many articles and poems, mainly in women’s magazines. Although she and her husband lost their business in the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake, the destruction and rebirth of Napier inspired Violet to organise a historical pageant as well as write many articles publicising the city.
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James Augustus Louis Hay, 1881–1948
As an established Napier architect Louis Hay was deeply involved in the reconstruction of Napier after the 1931 earthquake. He designed a number of reinforced concrete buildings, incorporating earthquake-resistant design principles. His buildings are influenced by the American architects Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.
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Charles Reginald Ford, 1880–1972
Reginald Ford was one of a small group of New Zealand architects to take an interest in earthquake-resistant design in the early part of the 20th century. His book Earthquakes and building construction (1926) was an attempt to pass his knowledge on to a wider audience. Ford took a close interest in the damage caused by the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake, and later served on subcommittees of the New Zealand Standards Institute, dealing with revision of the building code.
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Charles William Oakey Turner, 1901–1994
With wide engineering experience for the Public Works Department, Charles Turner was seconded to assist in reconstruction after the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake. He became a key figure in the establishment of seismic design principles which later formed the basis for the initial earthquake design code adopted in New Zealand.
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