By Roselyn Fauth
The arms were granted on October 18, 1977. Although granted to the former Timaru City Council, the heraldic emblems used are equally applicable to the whole District and use of the Coat of Arms by the District Council has been approved by the New Zealand Herald of Arms. The significance of the main features in the Coat of Arms are as follows: The chevron symbolises the proximity to Mount Cook; the fleeces and plough refer to the agricultural character of the area. The ships refer to the dependence of the city to the sea, which is further symbolised by the seahorseas and waves. The sun refers to the sunny climate and the kiwi is the obvious symbol for New Zealand. The motto means "No Reward Without Effort".
Every time I look into Percy Watts Rule’s life, I end up wandering down a side path, and one of the most unexpected has been heraldry. We see coats of arms around the place — on old council papers, carved into buildings, painted on signs — but most of us never stop to think about what they actually are or where they come from.
The Oxford Building, was completed in 1925 for owner David Clarkson (D.C) Turnbull, and I believe it is one of Rule’s best surviving works. Designed during his partnership with James S. Turnbull as Turnbull & Rule, it carries his architectural style.. But did you know, Percy’s influence on the town runs much deeper than architecture?
In the mid-twentieth century, long before the College of Heralds granted Timaru’s coat of arms in 1977, Percy designed an earlier version of the emblem. His original artwork still survives in the Aoraki Heritage Archive and in the Alexander Turnbull Library’s record titled “Timaru coat of arms designed by P. W. Rule.”
Richard Turnbull (1826-1890) arrived in Timaru in 1864. He was elected to the Provincial Council, served as a member of the first Timaru Town Council and was later a member of Parliament. He built a large hall in Stafford Street, where in 1876, 600 hundred people attended a meeting which appointed a committee of 12 to investigate the building of a harbour breakwater. The hall was later rebuilt and converted to become the Theatre Royal. Richard's son founded the firm D.C. Turnbull and Co. grain and shipping agents. His headstone is under a tree near the entrance to the cemetery behind the entrance gates designed by James Turnbull. Inscription: Erected by the friends of the late Richard Turnbull, M.H.R. for Timaru. To commemorate the many valuable public and private services rendered by him to South Canterbury and the country. It is interesting connection that Richard's Son D.C would then partner with Percy W rule to form their architectural firm, and that Percy would design the coat of arms that would end up on the theatres modern facade by Barry Bracefeild.
The coat of arms design with all its symbols, the chevron for Aoraki, the golden fleeces, the plough, the ships, the sunburst, the kiwi, and those two proud hippocampi — became the foundation of the arms later approved by the New Zealand Herald of Arms. In other words, Percy designed the symbol of Timaru that would represent the district for decades to come.
The document you see above confirms the formal elements the College accepted with the motto “No Reward Without Effort”.
When architect Barrie Bracefield renovated the façade of the Theatre Royal, he incorporated the coat of arms directly into the architecture because he felt the city lacked a town hall and needed a strong civic identity. He used Percy’s emblem for that purpose.
So today, the Oxford Building is not just an architectural gem.
It is part of a wider legacy, a few doors down from the Theatre Royal, linked by Turnbulls and linked by Percy Rule.
He shaped civic art, civic buildings, and civic identity. He was an architect, yes, but also a historian, collector, musician, and cultural leader. When he died in 1953, the Timaru Herald wrote that “his architectural creations will live after him” and that his influence on the cultural life of the city “will long be remembered.”
Side Quest: what is a coat of arms
A coat of arms is much older and much more formal than a logo. It comes from a world where people needed bold, simple symbols to recognise each other on battlefields and at tournaments. Knights had those big painted shields, and over time those designs became family identifiers, with rules to stop anyone copying anyone else. Whole professions sprang up around it, with heralds keeping track of who was entitled to what. The strange thing is, that whole system still exists. It never quite faded away.
For Timaru, that system runs through the College of Arms in London, with guidance from the New Zealand Herald of Arms. Whenever someone wants a coat of arms — whether it’s a city, an organisation, or even an individual — they don’t just draw something and stick it on a wall. They petition the heralds, who take the stories and symbols people care about and turn them into something properly heraldic. There’s a real art to it: simple shapes, clear meaning, nothing that clashes with anything already on the books. Once it’s approved, the design is written up on vellum in that beautiful old-fashioned script, and from then on it is official, permanent, and part of the public record.
Timaru’s coat of arms went through that process in 1977, but the design itself is older. It comes from Percy Watts Rule. His version, done decades earlier, had all the elements the heralds later accepted — the chevron for Aoraki, the fleeces and plough, the ships, the rising sun, the kiwi, and of course those two sea-horses keeping watch. The motto, “No Reward Without Effort,” could have been written for this region. It sounds exactly like the South Canterbury people Percy knew.
Once a coat of arms is granted, it has a life of its own. Councils use it on documents and buildings, architects like Barrie Bracefield worked it into facades, and sometimes the symbols take on new forms entirely. The ship and the hippocamp have even wandered into the CPlay playground, slightly mischievous now, but still recognisable. Children don’t know they’re playing with heraldry, but that’s part of the charm.
So yes — Percy designed buildings, but he also helped shape Timaru’s identity in a way most of us hardly realise. A coat of arms is really a story told in symbols, and Timaru’s carries his handwriting all over it.
Percy's coat of arms on the Timaru District Council Clock tower.
Various forms were used in other coat of arms like the Timaru Caroline Bay Association
Featured in Caroline Bay Mural
Artwork reinterprets the coat of arms by artists Roselyn Fauth and Francine Spencer - the Hippocamp and the Taniwha - Sentinels of the Sea - Guardian of the Waters and the Land. A taniwha is a powerful being found in Māori traditions. They are guardians, protectors, and sometimes challengers, depending on the story and the relationship people have with them. Taniwha can take many shapes and personalities, but they are always connected to the natural world and to deep places where people must show respect. A Hippocamp is a majestic creature that is associated with sea gods like Poseidon, who used them to pull his chariot through the sea. They were trusted companions to the gods and were considered good omens to sailors and sea nymphs. See if you can find the hippocamp at the playground and colour this one in.
Taniwha are kaitiaki – guardians. They can protect people, guide travellers, warn of danger, watch over sacred or important places, or guard treasures. Taniwha are part of Māori identity, genealogy, and the way people understand the land and waterways. They help explain why certain places must be treated with care and remind us that every river, bay, and lagoon has its own story.
The Timaru District Councils, now defunked Coat of Arms were granted on October 18, 1977. These heraldic emblems also apply to the whole District. The Coat of Arms by the District Council has been approved by the NZ Herald of Arms.
A horse with a fishtail is known as a Hippocamp. Its origins trace back to ancient Egyptians who painted eyes on their boats to ward off evil spirits. The Greeks expanded upon this tradition, incorporating Greek mythology into their ship figureheads.
These majestic creatures were associated with sea gods like Poseidon, who used them to pull his chariot through the sea. Hippocampi lived secretive lives in the ocean, mainly keeping to themselves, yet they were trusted companions to the gods and were considered good omens to sailors and sea nymphs. Over time, ship figureheads evolved into the likeness of women, often representing the ship owner's wife or daughter.
In Timaru's crest, the hippocampus wore a necklace with a "T" for Timaru, which was humorously changed to a "C" by Cplay, along with placing the hippocampus on a yellow horse, dubbed the "C horse."
It's important to distinguish hippocampi from other water horses like the Scottish Kelpie, as the former are peaceful creatures while the latter are often seen as malevolent sea monsters.
Another interesting fact about the Hippocampus is that it’s not the only fish tailed creature in Greek mythology. You may also know about the following:
The Leokampos – The Fish – Tailed Lion
The Taurokampos – The Fish-Tailed Bull
The Pardalokampos – The Fish-Tailed
The Aigikampos – The Fish-Tailed Goat