The First Members in New Zealand

The birth of Theosophy in New Zealand did not take place in Auckland although this city has always been the centre of the Theosophical Society in this country. Mr Augustine Les Edgar King was the first New Zealand member, having joined when on a visit to London. His Diploma is dated 3rd April 1879 and on his return to New Zealand he became the first member of the Society in the Southern Hemisphere.

Mr Thomas G de Remzy of Dunedin joined in January 1883 and at the end of that year Mr & Mrs James Cox became members in Auckland. Col. Olcott writing of Mr Cox says: “He had such a reputation as a psychometrist principally by way of distinguishing disease that he made a good living by practising the profession, constantly going between Auckland and Sydney to see his patients; Mr E.T. Sturdy whom Col. Olcott referred to as the “Father of Theosophy in New Zealand”, joined the Society in 1885 while living at Woodville in Hawkes Bay. After travelling overseas and meeting Col. Olcott, H.P. Blavatsky and W.Q. Judge he returned to New Zealand and settled in Wellington. Gathering a group of students around him he started the Wellington Lodge which was chartered in 1888. Unfortunately this, the first lodge in New Zealand, ceased to exist when Mr Sturdy returned to England, where he became a student in H.P.B.’s “inner group”.

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Membership of the HPB Branch of the Theosophical Society.

To become a member of the Theosophical Society you must be in sympathy with the Society's objects which are:

1. To form a nucleus of the Universal Kinship of Humanity, without distinction of race, ethnicity, creed, gender, sexual orientation, caste or colour.
2. To encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy and Science.
3. To investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in the human being.

Before applying to join we invite you to attend some of our meetings so that you may get to know us. Most of our meetings are open to the public.

Individuals and families may apply for membership of the HPB Branch by filling out the application form and posting it to:

Membership Secretary
HPB Branch of the Theosophical Society
4 Warborough Ave
Epsom 1051
Auckland

Please download the Application Form

Subscriptions are paid in advance and fall due in September. All applications have to go via the committee for approval before being accepted. We recommend attending meetings for a couple of months before joining.

Costs are as follows:

$60 per year per person
$80 per year for a family (living at the same address) and a form must be filled out and signed by each person
$37.50 per year per person for unwaged

Bank Account Details You can deposit subscriptions directly into our bank account.  Ensure you put your name in the statement details along with "subscription"
H P B Lodge of the NZ Theosophical Society (Inc)
Bank Account: 12 3011 0757379 00