Editing John Ballance (section)

==Early life==
The eldest son of Samuel Ballance, a tenant farmer, and Mary McNiece, Ballance was born on 27 March 1839 in [[Glenavy]] in [[County Antrim]] Ireland (modern-day Northern Ireland).<ref name="Ballance DNZB">{{DNZB|last=McIvor |first=Timothy L. |id=2b5 |title= Ballance, John |access-date=4 April 2011}}</ref> He was educated at a national school, then apprenticed to an ironmonger in [[Belfast]]. He later became a clerk in a wholesale ironmonger's house in [[Birmingham]], where he married. Ballance was highly interested in literature, and was known for spending vast amounts of time reading books.{{sfn|Ross|1966|p=}} He also became interested in politics, mostly due to the influence of his parents – his father was active in conservative circles, while his mother was a liberal and a [[Quaker]]. It was from his mother that Ballance gained many of the ideas he was later to promote. Having witnessed religious rioting when in Belfast, he became committed to the principle of [[secularism]].<ref name="Ballance DNZB" />

[[File:John Ballance, ca 1870.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Ballance in around 1870]]
In 1866, Ballance and his wife migrated to New Zealand, intending to start in business as a small jeweller. After settling in [[Wanganui, New Zealand|Wanganui]], however, he took an opportunity to found a newspaper, ''[[The Wanganui Herald]]''.<ref>{{cite web  | title = Wanganui Herald  | work = Papers Past  | publisher = [[National Library of New Zealand]]  | url = http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=CL1.WH&essay=1  | access-date = 12 January 2013}}</ref> He became the editor, and remained chief owner for the rest of his life. During the fighting with the [[Māori people|Māori]] chief [[Titokowaru]] in 1867, Ballance was involved in the raising of a volunteer cavalry troop, in which he received a commission. He was later deprived of this owing to the appearance in the Herald of articles criticising the management of the campaign.{{sfn|Ross|1966|p=}} He behaved well in the field, and, in spite of his dismissal, was awarded the New Zealand Medal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.theballancehouse.com/about-us |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=ULSTER NEW ZEALAND TRUST AT THE BALLANCE HOUSE |language=en-US}}</ref>

Following the conflict, Ballance's status in [[Wanganui]] grew. He was respected for his management of the Herald, particularly his forthright and direct approach to reporting. He became increasingly involved in the affairs of the town, establishing a number of societies and associations. Perhaps the least important to Wanganui but among the most important to him was the [[chess]] club – he became a skilled player. In 1868 his wife Fanny died of illness, aged only 24. Two years later, he married [[Ellen Ballance|Ellen Anderson]], the daughter of a [[Wellington]] merchant.<ref name="Ballance DNZB" />