Carroll, Sir James (1857-1926) was the first Māori to become a minister in the New Zealand Parliament. From 1879 to 1883, he worked as an interpreter to the House of Representatives. He was elected to Parliament in 1887, and he served until 1919. In 1892, he was appointed to the Executive Council, a group of high officials who advised the colonial governor. From 1899 to 1912, he served as minister of Māori affairs and acted as arbitrator between Māori and the government. In 1909 and 1911, he was acting prime minister during the prime minister’s absence overseas. Carroll promoted self-government among the Māori. He supported the Māori Lands Administration Act of 1900, an act designed to prevent the sale of tribal lands. In 1921, he was appointed to the Legislative Council, which at that time was one of two houses of New Zealand’s Parliament.
James Carroll was born in Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay, on the North Island of New Zealand, probably on Aug. 20, 1857. His father, Joseph Carroll, was a farmer of Irish descent who was born in Australia. His mother, Tapuke, was Māori. In 1911, James Carroll was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. He died on Oct. 18, 1926.
