Te Puna's "Aunt Polly" (1867–1954)

Aunt Polly, was a prominent early resident of Te Puna, Tauranga, remembered for her long life on the Armstrong family farm and her role in the district’s community life. 

She was born Maryanne Elizabeth Armstrong on 25 August 1867 at Ventry, County Kerry, Ireland. Shehe daughter of Benjamin Armstrong (c.1821–1908) and Matilda Rebecca Moriarty (1833–1913), who had been married at Ventry on 25 October 1860 by her grandfather, the Rev. Thomas Moriarty.

In 1879, when she was twelve, the Armstrong family emigrated on the Maraval, arriving in Auckland on 15 January 1879. The passenger lists record Benjamin and Matilda with their children Anna Matilda, Margaret Eleanor, Benjamin Goodwin, Maryanne Elizabeth, John Joseph, and William Robert. They joined "Uncle Gore", her father's brother William Gore Armstrong (c.1833–1893) and his wife Mary Anne (d. 1908), who had come to Te Puna some years earlier. They had already selected about 200 acres in Te Puna and the two families combined resources, building a larger homestead that became the Armstrong base for the next seven decades.

Maryanne grew up in the district, her schooling partly arranged through Canon Jordan of Tauranga, who took Armstrong children into his household so they could attend classes in town. Life on the farm was demanding: clearing bush, carting goods from Tauranga over muddy roads in winter, and developing dairying and orchard enterprises.

Maryanne was one of six children:

• Anna Matilda Armstrong (b. c.1861).

• Margaret Eleanor Armstrong (b. c.1863).

• Benjamin Goodwin “Big Ben” Armstrong (1866–1936), who took on major farming responsibilities at Te Puna.

• John Joseph Armstrong (b. c.1870s).

• William Robert Armstrong (d. 1970), who married Sarah Knox, strengthening ties with another key Te Puna family.

Through marriages and neighbourly links, the Armstrongs were connected with the Knox, Ormsby, Lockhead, Munro, and Jordan families, as well as with Māori families such as Tangitu and Bidois, who were integral to the district’s life.

The family played a central role in the establishment of the Te Puna Memorial Hall. The land was donated from the Armstrong farm, and the building was erected by local subscription and volunteer labour. At the opening on 19 November 1924, the memorial tablet to those who fell in the First World War was unveiled by her mother, Matilda. On 30 April 1950, Aunt Polly herself, together with Mrs Borell (the oldest Māori resident of the district), unveiled the plaques to the fallen of the Second World War. These events placed Maryanne at the symbolic heart of Te Puna’s remembrance culture.

Maryanne remained unmarried and lived at the Armstrong homestead for her entire adult life—over seventy years in total. In later years she was nearly blind, but retained a strong memory for local families, both Māori and Pākehā. Oral histories remembered her as always ready to help neighbours in times of need.

Aunt Polly died on August 28, 1954, aged 86.