Hobson, William (1793-1842), was the first governor of New Zealand. He served from 1841, when New Zealand became a separate colony, until his death a year later in 1842. He had been an ambitious naval officer who had served as lieutenant governor of the colony since 1840, following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Hobson is now best remembered for his role in negotiating the treaty. He faced many challenges in persuading Māori to surrender their sovereignty (self-rule) to the British Crown. He also worked to regularize land sales within the colony.
Hobson was born in Waterford, Ireland, on Sept. 26, 1793. He entered the Navy as a boy in 1803. He became a midshipman in 1806 and a commander in 1824. In 1836, he arrived in Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), Australia, as captain of H.M.S. Rattlesnake. In September of that year, he conveyed the first government officials to the new colony at Port Phillip (later Melbourne, Australia). For the next three months, he surveyed Port Phillip Bay. In 1837, the governor of the Australian colony of New South Wales sent Hobson to help New Zealand’s British resident (government representative), James Busby, to reestablish law and order there. Hobson returned to the United Kingdom the following year. In 1839, British government officials sent Hobson to New Zealand as British consul to negotiate a treaty with Māori leaders and then to assume the post of lieutenant governor. Hobson died in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sept. 10, 1842.
