Today in History

1833 Busby becomes official British Resident

James Busby's arrival in the Bay of Islands represented Britain's first tentative step towards what became the Treaty of Waitangi, signed on the grounds of his house some seven years later.

Until the 1830s the official British response to events in New Zealand had been low key. Those closer to the scene − officials in New South Wales or New Zealand missionaries − had tended to make many of the day-to-day decisions. In 1831 a petition signed by 13 northern Maori chiefs was sent to King William IV, asking for protection and recognition of their special trade and missionary contacts with Britain. The concerns outlined in the petition included fear of takeover by nations other than Britain, and the need for protection from the lawlessness of British subjects in New Zealand.

Britain responded with the appointment of James Busby as the official British 'Resident' in 1833. His main duties, as outlined in instructions from Governor Richard Bourke of New South Wales, were:

• to protect 'well disposed settlers and traders',
• to prevent ‘outrages’ by Europeans against Maori and
• to apprehend escaped convicts.

He was to achieve these aims with virtually no official support. He had no troops and, although New Zealand was regarded as a dependent territory of New South Wales, he was not allowed to hold magisterial office and had no powers of arrest. Maori nicknamed him ‘Man-o-War without guns’. His role was essentially that of mediator in matters affecting British subjects alone and race-relations conciliator in disputes between Maori and Pakeha. He was not very successful in either area.

Busby was eventually assisted by Thomas McDonnell, a retired naval officer who had established himself as a trader in the Hokianga. Even so, his appointment represented a rather inauspicious start to Britain’s formal relationship with New Zealand.

Image: James Busby