SYNOPSIS
An historian examines the administration of the first Inspector of Lunatic Asylums in New Zealand, from 1876–1881. Dr Frederick Skae killed himself in an endeavour to reform the asylums. Inadequate statutory powers, and lessons he learned while medical superintendent of a Scottish asylum, hindered and prevented his success. In New Zealand, he was ensnared by the problem of insufficient accommodation. The policies he selected to cope with this matter were surprisingly conservative. Aspects of his policies remain today, and Skae must be blamed for retarding the evolution of a successful mental health policy in New Zealand.