Background
Symonds was born in 1816 as the youngest son of the family. His father was Sir William Symonds.
Symonds was born in 1816 as the youngest son of the family. His father was Sir William Symonds.
He purchased land for the New Zealand Company and was later a judge of the Native Land Court. On the recommendation of Lord Normanby, he joined the survey department in New South Wales in 1839. Foreign a while, he was acting protector of aborigines, and was in charge of purchase of land from Māori, and the survey of that land.
In 1844, he purchased the Otago block with Frederick Tuckett on behalf of the New Zealand Company.
In 1846, he became private secretary to Governor George Grey. The governor transferred an island in the Firth of Thames to Symonds to create a test case regarding the Crown"s pre-emptive right of purchase to Māori land deriving from the Treaty of Waitangi.
In R v Symonds, the court decided in favour of the Crown"s case. He came back to New Zealand in 1849 in charge of a detachment of the Fencibles, which he settled in Onehunga.
He became a justice of the peace in 1853, was appointed Native Secretary in 1855, and became Onehunga"s resident magistrate and returning officer in 1856.
He resigned from those roles when he was elected to represent the Pensioner Settlements electorate from 1858 to 1860, when he retired. In 1861, he was again appointed Resident Magistrate. He was a judge of the Native Land Court from 1862 to his retirement in 1882.
Symonds died suddenly on 3 January 1883.
Symonds Street in Onehunga is named after him.
In 1847, he was one of the founding members of the Auckland Savings Bank.