Ernest Godward

Ernest Godward - who was British-born but emigrated to New Zealand in his teens - was a prolific inventor. His many inventions included an eggbeater, a burglar-proof window and, in 1901, the world’s first spiral hair pin - an international success that allowed him to set up as a full-time inventor.
Godward is probably best known for his ‘economiser’ - the Godward Vaporiser was an early form of carburettor that allowed vehicles to run on kerosene, gasoline oil, fuel oil, petrol and even bootleg liquor. He invented 72 models of the economiser, and by the 1930s was recognised as the world’s leading authority on the internal combustion engine.