Maori Hill was declared a municipality in 1876; before that it was included in the Halfway Bush district. The south and east wards are the only parts of the borough that are thickly populated, the west and north wards being chiefly bush and dairying land. The Water of Leith runs through north and east wards, and the portion comprising these two wards is generally known as the Leith Valley. Large areas within the borough are reserved for watersheds for the city of Dunedin waterworks, and the Ross Creek reservoir is situated in West ward. The Dunedin Corporation is (1904) about to build a new reservoir near Waitati Saddle, also a new service reservoir in south ward, at the top of Driver's road. At present the city of Dunedia is drawing a temporary supply of water from Morrison's Creek. The well known Nicol's Creek waterfall is in north ward, and is a great attraction to the lovers of the picturesquely rugged, and the beautiful in nature. The corporation of Maori Hill owns a large reserve in the Waipori district, and several reserves in the Leith Valley belong to the Government. The borough has several fine buildings, including Bishop Nevill's house, and St. Mary's Orphanage; it also contains the Otago Golf Club's house and links, the Leith Valley school, and Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches. Maori Hill's local industries include the Otago paper mills, the Dunedin City Corporation quarries, two private quarries, and a sawmill. The Roslyn electric tram service has extended its operations along High Street as far as the Maori Hill Council Chambers; and that portion of the borough has an electric light service, the other wards being lighted by gas lamps. Maori Hill is bounded on the north by Waikouaiti and the borough of North East Valley; on the south by the borough of page 414 Roslyn; on the west by the county of Taieri; and on the east by the Town Belt.

The Borough Of Maori Hill has an area of 3,700 acres, and a population of 1600; dwellings, 350; ratepayers, 382; and rateable properties, 402. Its annual rateable value is £12,429, and there is a rate of is in the £. The borough's assets on the 31st of March, 1903, amounted to £494; and its liabilities to £2,700. Mr. George Mitchell was the first Mayor, and his successors have been Messrs Robert Church, Peter Pilkington, Daniel Brent, William Aitken, John Pollock, William Robertson, George Butler, and Mr J. L. Passmore, the present Mayor. At present (1904) the councillors are: Messrs G. S. Butler, George Crowther, P. Pilkington, Joseph Smith, Nicol Booth James B. Booth Anders Aaskoy, Thomas Long, and A. J. Butterfield. The Town Clerk, Mr. Charles Grater, has his office at 6 Exchange Court, Princes Street, Dunedin.

His Worship The Mayor, Mr J. L. Passmore , was returned at the election of April, 1904, by a majority of nineteen. He was first elected to the Maori Hill Borough Council in 1897, and, with the exception of two years has occupied a seat on the council ever since. Mr. Passmore is referred to elsewhere in this volume as managing director of Donaghy's Rope and Twine Company, Limited.

Councillor George Oates Crowther , the Senior Member of the Maori Hill Borough Council, has served on the council continuously since 1895, and is a member of the Works Committee. He represents the South Ward, and was a candidate for the Mayoral chair at the election of April, 1904, when Mr. Passmore was returned by a majority of 19. Mr. Crowther was born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1857, arrived in Oamaru in 1869, in the “Freetrader,” and came down to Dunedin shortly afterwards in the small steamship “Wallace.” He served an apprenticeship to the bootmaking trade, chiefly with Messrs Sargood, Son and Ewen, with whose firm he remained for fourteen years; and since 1897 he has been engaged at Mr. J. H. Clarke's boot factory. Mr. Crowther has been Vice-Grand Officer of the Hand and Heart Lodge, Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows, of which he has been a member since 1879. He was a member of the old South District Rifles, Green Island, in 1874, has also been connected with the North Dunedin Rifles, and was for nine years a member of the Kaikorai and Naval Brass Bands. Mr. Crowther was married, in 1877, to a daughter of Mr. Peter Sherwin, of Frederick Street. Dunedin, and has a family of three sons and three daughters. His eldest son, Mr. Francis Crowther, occupied a leading musical position with a theatrical company that toured through New Zealand in 1904.

Councillor Peter Pilkington has been connected with the Maori Hill Borough Council at various times since its inception, and was at one time Mayor of the borough.

Councillor Joseph Smith has been a member of the Maori Hill Borough Council continuously since 1895, and is on the Finance and Works Committees. Mr. Smith was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, in 1861, and arrived in New Zealand in 1881.

Councillor Nicol Alexander Booth was elected to represent West Ward on the Maori Hill Borough Council, in 1902, and is a member of the Works Committee. Mr. Booth was born in Dunedin in 1868, and educated at the George Street school, and also at Waikato. For a few years he was associated with his father in dairy farming, but subsequently came to Dunedin and apprenticed himself to the carpentering trade with Mr. H. Abbott, of Mornington, with whom he remained for three years, after which he was with Messrs Crawford and Watson, builders. For the last few years Mr. Booth has been in business for himself, as a carpenter and contractor. He was married, in 1894, to a daughter of Mr. James Cowan, of Waitati, and has three sons and one daughter.

Councillor James Beattie Booth has been a member of the Maori Hill Borough Council since 1898. Mr. Booth carries on business as a dairy farmer and contractor at Leith Valley.

Councillor Anders Andersen Aaskoy was first elected to the Maori Hill Borough Council in 1882, and served continuously for fifteen years. At present (1904) he represents North Ward, and is a member of the Works Committee. Mr. Aaskoy was born in Slavveg, Denmark, in 1851, and was brought up to farming, but afterwards learned the blacksmithing trade. He arrived in New Zealand from Hamburg, in 1872, in the ship “Palmerston,” and after his arrival was employed on the railway in the Taieri district. In 1877 Mr. Aaskoy started dairy farming at Pine Hill, and remained there for five years, before removing to Upper Leith Valley, where he had bought about 112 acres of land, mostly bush, which he started to clear, and has now about sixty acres of good grazing land, suitable for sheep. He is also a contractor. Mr. Aaskoy is a member of the Leith Valley school committee, and also a member of the Dunedin Dairy Association. He was married, in 1875, to a daughter of Mr. H. Scheel, of Copenhagen.

Wrigglesworth and Binns, photo.
Councillor A. A. Aaskoy.

Councillor Thomas Long was elected to the Maori Hill Borough Council in 1903. He is a member of the Leith Lodge, Independent Order of Oddfellows, Mr. Long has always taken a great interest in football and cycling.

Councillor George Stephen Butler was first elected to a seat on the Maori Hill Borough Council in 1894, and occupied the mayoral chair from 1902 till 1904. He has also been chairman of the Leith Valley school committee since 1892. Mr. Butler was born at Woodstock, near Melbourne, Australia, in 1860. His early days were spent in agricultural pursuits at home, and on arriving in New Zealand, in 1881, he took up about forty acres of land in the Upper Leith Valley, and engaged in dairy farming and contracting. As a Freemason, Mr. Butler belongs to Lodge St. John Kilwinning, Scottish Constitution, and he was one of the original members of the Loyal Valley Lodge, Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows. Mr. Butler was married, in 1884, to a daughter of Mr. John Hardie, of Dunedin, and has a family of four sons and six daughters.

Wrigglesworth and Binns, photo.
Councillor G. S. Butler.

Mr. Charles Grater , Clerk to the Maori Hill Borough Council, was appointed to that position in 1893. Mr. Grater is a Fellow of the New Zealand Auditors and Accountants' Association, and a member of the Hand and Heart Lodge, 4358, Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Oddfellows.