New Zealand’s first governor was the British naval officer William Hobson. In 1839, aged 46, he was selected as Britain’s consul (diplomatic representative) in New Zealand, and as lieutenant-governor of any parts of the country that Māori agreed to place under British rule. On his arrival in January 1840, Hobson proclaimed himself lieutenant-governor of the missionary settlements already established in the Bay of Islands. Māori rangatira were invited to a hui at Waitangi to discuss signing a treaty with the British Crown.
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Alexander Turnbull Library
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G-826-1
Oil painting by James Ingram McDonald
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John Jensen (not verified)
24 February 2014
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