An evangelical Anglican, he and his family were in the first group of missionaries to New Zealand, accompanied to the Bay of Islands by Samuel Marsden in December 1814 and settling there.

He grew up in North Thoresby, Lincolnshire, England, where he was influenced by his local minister Reverend William Myers and the evangelical revival within the Anglican Church.

This was mostly by whalers operating out of shore bases; however, a few traders had formed a small settlement at Kororareka in the natural harbour of the Bay of Islands.

This had gained a reputation for drunken lawlessness and corruption, with the sailors accused of encouraging prostitution and alcoholism among the Māori as well as kidnapping or press-ganging them.

While there was some truth to this the sailors were in a poor position to present a threat to Māori, and lived largely by grace of these martial people.

After further delays in Australia, Kendall and Hall took Marsden's vessel, the Active, and set out on 14 March 1814 on an exploratory journey to the Bay of Islands.

They met rangatira (chiefs) such as Ruatara and the rising war leader of the Ngāpuhi, Hongi Hika, who had helped pioneer the introduction of the musket to Māori warfare.

His authority was stated to be: "that no Master of any Ship or Vessel belonging to Great Britain or any of her Colonies, shall land or discharge any Sailor or Sailors, or other Person, from on board his Ship or Vessel, within any of the Bays or Harbours of New Zealand, without having first obtained the Permission of the Chief or Chiefs of the Place, confirmed by the Certificate of the Resident Magistrate, in like manner as in the foregoing case.

Kendall, Hall and King and their families, accompanied by Marsden, left Sydney in November 1814 and arrived in the Bay of Islands on 22 December.

The 500 muskets, powder, ball, swords and daggers were uplifted from Port Jackson (Sydney) on their return voyage on Westmoreland (Captain Potton).

[7] In the following years, the guns helped him conquer a significant northern portion of the North Island in the Musket Wars and made him a man of considerable importance.

Samuel Marsden, who also knew of Kendall's affair and his close relationship with Hongi, returned to New Zealand in August 1823 to sack him in person.

The Kendall family remained living in the Bay of Islands until 1825, when he accepted a position as clergyman at the British consulate at Valparaiso, Chile.

This job did not last, and his family settled in New South Wales, where he obtained a grant of 1,280 acres (5.2 km2), including large stands of red cedar at Yackungarrah Creek, Yatte Yattah.

Thomas Kendall died in 1832 when the "Brisbane" sank with all hands off Cape St. George (some 200km south of Sydney) while bringing wood and cheese from his farm to market.