Cargill, William Walter (1784-1860), helped establish the first British settlements in the Otago Peninsula of New Zealand’s South Island. Together with other members of the Free Church of Scotland, Cargill formed the Otago Association in 1845 with the aim of establishing a church settlement in southern New Zealand. In November 1847, he sailed from the United Kingdom in the ship John Wickliffe. The ship arrived at Otago in March 1848, and the association began establishing a settlement. As leader of the first settlement, Cargill ran it ably but strictly.
In 1852, the British government granted New Zealand a constitution that established provincial governments. In 1853, Cargill was elected superintendent of Otago Province. From 1855 to 1860, he was a member of the New Zealand Parliament.
Cargill was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 28, 1784. He died on Aug. 6, 1860.
