BIOGRAPHY
Christopher William Ernest Korte, second son of Christopher and Mary Korte, was born in 1881 at Kiwitea in the Manawatu after the family moved to the North Island. The family subsequently moved to Taranaki where a bush block at
Awatuna was developed into a dairy farm. Chris attended Awatuna school. Chris left Taranaki to farm at
Matawai with his brothers in 1903. Chris was a champion axe man, for example competing in the December 1909 NZ Championship Chop, 12 inch standing block, at Eltham.
Christopher and his brothers, Henry and Fred, settled in
Matawai, near Gisborne, on a 965 acre bush block leased by their father in 1902. They started clearing the land, constructed a small single roomed building to live in, and started farming. The lease was transferred to the three brothers in 1905, and to Christopher and Fred in 1913. Christopher and Fred developed the Matawai farm and built a house each.
Details of the
Matawai farm, called
Ruanui, can be seen on a separate page.
Christopher married Selma Bulst in 1915. The Korte and Bulst families had been friends for many years, both families having lived in Beaconsfield (Manawatu) and South Taranaki. Both
Christoph Korte and
Julius Bulst had decided that their farms in Taranaki would be too small for all their sons to farm and had leased adjacent properties at Matawai. Selma's brothers were developing their Matawai property while the Korte brothers were developing Ruanui. Selma and Christopher had three children. Christopher was an inaugural member of the Matawai tennis club and was listed on the club's section title. After the club closed in the 1950's, the rate demands continued to come to the Korte family in Matawai, including to Robert Korte in the 1980's. The club section, with new courts, is now included in the Matawai school grounds.
During the first World War Christopher was called up for military service and enlisted on 29 May 1918. At his medical examination he was reported as 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) tall, with blue eyes and brown hair. In July 1918 Christopher's appeal to the Military Service Board was heard requesting he be excused from military service so he could continue to run the Korte brother's farm. Fred was managing his mother-in-law's (Charlotte Redpath) farm during the war and Chris was running the Matawai farm by himself. The appeal was dismissed and Christopher was given leave until October 1918, and he entered Featherston Camp on 10 October. The war ended before his training was completed and he was granted leave in lieu of discharge on 24 November 1918.
Christopher died in Matawai in 1944. The farm that Fred and Christopher had farmed at Matawai was taken up by George Korte, Christopher's nephew, in 1947. Selma died in 1961 at Marton.
MATAWAI NEWS
At a meeting of the Matawai Tennis Club, Mr. J. W. Smith presided over an average attendance of members. A motion of condolence was passed with the Korte family in the loss of husband and father, Mr. C. W. E. Korte. who died recently. Mr. Korte was a member and a committee member of the club since its inception and will be greatly missed.
Source: Gisborne Herald, 21 December 1944, Page 7.
Death Of Mr. C. Korte
Mr. Chris Korte, whose death after a long illness occurred recently at his home at Matawai, Gisborne, where he had been a prominent sheep farmer, lived for many years at Awatuna and was well known throughout Taranaki. He gave much help to social activities at Awatuna and was an expert axeman when wood chopping contests were popular.
Mr. Korte is survived by his wife, one son and two daughters at Matawai. Mr. Fred Korte, a brother, also lives at Matawai. Mrs. M. Gatenbv, Mangatoki, and Mrs. Brandt, Awatuna, are sisters of Mr. Korte.
Source: Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1944, Page 7.
Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1881 - 1944 (63 years)
Has 8 ancestors and 26 descendants in this family tree.
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] 
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: Location
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Sources (Log in)