Richard Taylor was a C.M.S. missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. He was present at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi

Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi is a treaty first signed on 6 February 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and various Māori chiefs from the North Island of New Zealand....

, but is perhaps most notable for the numerous books he wrote on the natural and cultural environment of New Zealand in his time. He named settlements along the Whanganui River Ātene

Atene

Ātene is a former village located from Whanganui along the Whanganui River. It was named by the missionary Richard Taylor in the 19th century and is a Maori transliteration of Athens. A small meeting house is all that remains....

 (Athens), Koriniti (Corinth), Hiruhārama (Jerusalem) and Rānana

Ranana

Rānana is a settlement 60 km from Whanganui along the Whanganui River. It was named by the missionary Richard Taylor in the 19th century and is a Maori transliteration of London....

 (London) and the Wanganui

Wanganui

Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....

suburb of Taylorville is named after him.