Godley, John Robert (1814-1861), was an English colonial administrator who helped to establish the English settlement at Canterbury, one of the original provinces of New Zealand.
John Robert Godley was born in Dublin, Ireland. His birthdate is estimated as May 29, 1814. He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church College, Oxford University, earning a B.A. degree in 1836. He practiced law and traveled widely. In 1847, Godley and the English colonial reformer Edward Gibbon Wakefield formed a group called the Canterbury Association with the aim of founding in New Zealand a traditional English community made up of members of the Church of England. The group included the archbishop of Canterbury and other influential church officials, landowners, and politicians. In 1849, Godley was appointed resident chief agent of the settlement. He arrived in New Zealand in 1850 to make preparations for the first settlers. In 1850 and early 1851, eight ships chartered by the association landed 1,500 British settlers in New Zealand. Their first settlement was at Christchurch, which Godley named for his Oxford college. The settlers called the surrounding region Canterbury, and the original province took this name. Canterbury thrived, and Godley left New Zealand in 1852 to return to the United Kingdom. He died in London on Nov. 17, 1861.
