James Busby (7 February 1802 – 15 July 1871) was the
British Resident
A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indi ...
in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
from 1833 to 1840. He was involved in drafting the 1835
Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand
The Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand ( mi, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni), signed by a number of Māori chiefs in 1835, proclaimed the sovereign independence of New Zealand prior to the signing of the Treaty of ...
and the 1840
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the History of New Zealand, history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in ...
. As British Resident, he acted as New Zealand's first jurist and the "originator of law in
Aotearoa", to whom New Zealand "owes almost all of its underlying jurisprudence".
[
Jamieson, Nigel (1986), "The Charismatic Renewal of Law in Aotearoa", ''New Zealand Law Journal'', July 1986, pp. 250–255
] Busby is regarded as the
"father" of the
Australian wine
The Australian wine industry is one of the world's largest exporters of wine, with approximately 800 million out of the 1.2 to 1.3 billion litres produced annually exported to overseas markets. The wine industry is a significant contributor ...
industry, as he brought the first collection of vine stock from Spain and France to Australia.
[J. Robinson (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to Wine''. 3rd edition. p. 116. Oxford University Press, 2006 ]
Life
He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of English engineer
John Busby
John Busby (24 March 1765 – 10 May 1857) was an English-born surveyor and civil engineer, active in Australia. __NOTOC__
Early life
Busby was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, England, eldest son of George Busby, a miner and coalmaster of ...
and mother Sarah Kennedy. His parents and he emigrated from
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
to
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, in 1824.
Busby received a
Grant of Land from the
Governor of New South Wales and after much careful deliberation chose a block of 2,000 acres in the
Coal River area of the
Hunter Region
The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...
, where he began growing grapes. At the same time, he took employment at the Male Orphans School at Bald Hills near
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
where he was in charge of the farm and taught
viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
. When the trustees of the Church and School Corporation took over control of the school in 1827, Busby lost the job. He was then appointed collector of internal revenue temporarily, until 1829. The government made him a new job offer but he was not happy with it nor with the terms of his severance from the orphan school, and returned to England in 1831 to petition the
Colonial Office
The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...
. He also visited Spain and France to further his study in
viticulture
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
. He wrote a number of reports that he presented to the Colonial Office and one on the state of
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
earned him appointment as
British Resident
A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indi ...
in New Zealand in March 1832. Busby returned to Sydney on 16 October 1832.
In New Zealand
Busby married
Agnes Dow at Segenhoe, in the Hunter Region, on 1 November 1832. He left for New Zealand on
H.M.S. ''Imogene'' in April 1833 and arrived in the
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...
on 5 May.
Agnes followed him, arriving in July.
A house
A House were an Irish rock band that was active in Dublin from the 1985 to 1997, and recognized for the clever, "often bitter or irony laden lyrics of frontman Dave Couse ... bolstered by the and'sseemingly effortless musicality". The single " ...
(which still stands) was completed for him at
Waitangi, where he planted some of the vine stock he had collected in Europe, from which
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
wine was being made before his vines were productive in Australia. His duties were to protect British commerce, control, and to mediate between the unruly
Pākehā settlers
Pākehā settlers were European emigrants who journeyed to New Zealand, and especially to the Auckland, Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Canterbury and Otago regions during the 19th century. The ethnic and occupational social composition of these New Z ...
and
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
in New Zealand. However, he was not provided with any resources to impose this authority.
After an unregistered New Zealand ship was seized in Australia, Busby proposed that New Zealand should have a
national flag
A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...
. A selection of three or four designs was sent from Australia, and Māori chiefs chose one at a meeting at his residency on 20 March 1834; see
United Tribes of New Zealand
The United Tribes of New Zealand ( mi, Te W(h)akaminenga o Ngā Rangatiratanga o Ngā Hapū o Nū Tīreni, lit=) was a confederation of Māori tribes based in the north of the North Island, existing legally from 1835 to 1840. It received dipl ...
.
Independence and Treaty of Waitangi
In 1835 Busby learned that Baron
Charles de Thierry
Charles Philippe Hippolyte de Thierry (April 1793 – 8 July 1864) was a nineteenth-century adventurer who attempted to establish his own sovereign state in New Zealand in the years before the Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and the M ...
, a
Frenchman
The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France.
The French people, especially th ...
, was proposing to declare French
sovereignty
Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
over New Zealand. He drafted the
Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand
The Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand ( mi, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni), signed by a number of Māori chiefs in 1835, proclaimed the sovereign independence of New Zealand prior to the signing of the Treaty of ...
and at a meeting in October signed it together with 35 chiefs from the northern part of New Zealand.
After the arrival of
William Hobson
Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New Zealand. He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1 ...
in 1840, Busby co-authored with him the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the History of New Zealand, history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in ...
. It was first signed on 5 and 6 February 1840 on the lawn outside his residence. Busby and his family left Waitangi that year. He declined an offer for a position in the new colonial government, and instead focused on farming interests, but became entangled in litigation over his own land titles: the
New Zealand Banking Company
The New Zealand Banking Company was the first bank established in New Zealand, it operated from 1840 until being wound up in 1845.
History
The idea of a New Zealand-based bank was first raised in 1840s, and at a meeting in the Bay of Islands on 2 ...
seized his Waitangi property without giving Busby's debtors an opportunity to pay what they owed, and
Governor Grey expropriated Busby's land at
Whangārei
Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the regional capital of Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, Whangārei District, a local body created in 1989 from the former Whangārei City, Whangārei County and ...
.
He also edited a newspaper and in
1853 was elected a member of the
Auckland Provincial Council
The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.
Area
The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the six initial provinces, both ...
. As a member of the provincial council, he became an outspoken supporter of establishing Auckland as a separate colony to the rest of New Zealand. Popular opinion at the time went against Busby, and some newspapers claimed his arguments for Auckland's separation were due to his inability to settle land claims with the colonial government.
He contested the
1860 general election for a seat in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
for the
Bay of Islands electorate, but was unsuccessful.
Later life
He died in 1871 in
Anerley
Anerley () is an area of south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is located south south-east of Charing Cross, to the south of Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, west of Penge, north of Elmers End and South Norwood. ...
, England, after travelling back for an eye operation,
[NZ History.net.nz, James Busby, http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/people/james-busby] and is buried at
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.
One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of L ...
in London. His wife returned to New Zealand where she died, at
Pakaraka
Pakaraka is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand, at the junction of State Highway 1 and 10, in the district the Ngāpuhi tribe called Tai-a-mai.
Demographics
Pakaraka statistical area covers and had an estimated population of as of wit ...
, in 1889, and is buried at
Paihia
Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is 60 kilometres north of Whangārei, located close to the historic towns of Russell and Kerikeri. Missionary Henry Williams ...
. James and Agnes had six children. Daughter Sarah married
John William Williams
John William Williams (6 April 1827 – 27 April 1904) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from Northland, New Zealand.
Williams was born in Paihia on 6 April 1827. He was one of the sons of Marianne Williams and the pioneering New Ze ...
, son of missionary
Henry Williams Henry Williams may refer to:
Politicians
* Henry Williams (activist) (born 2000), chief of staff of the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign
* Henry Williams (MP for Northamptonshire) (died 1558), Member of Parliament (MP) for Northamptonshire ...
.
The Waitangi property, on which the Treaty was signed, was derelict until the 1930s, when it was purchased by the
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
of the day,
Viscount Bledisloe
Viscount Bledisloe, of Lydney in the County of Gloucestershire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1935 for the Conservative politician Charles Bathurst, 1st Baron Bledisloe, upon his retirement as Governor-Gen ...
and donated to the nation.
Published writings
* ''Treatise on the Culture of the Vine'' (1825)
* ''A Manual of Plain Directions for Planting and Cultivating Vineyards and for Making Wine in New South Wales'' (Sydney 1830)
* ''Journal of a Tour through some of the vineyards of Spain and France'' (Sydney 1833)
See also
*
Australian wine
The Australian wine industry is one of the world's largest exporters of wine, with approximately 800 million out of the 1.2 to 1.3 billion litres produced annually exported to overseas markets. The wine industry is a significant contributor ...
*
New Zealand wine
New Zealand wine is produced in several of its distinct winegrowing regions. As an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand has a largely maritime climate, although its elongated geography produces considerable regional variation fr ...
*
List of wine personalities
Instead of common selection criteria for the entire list, notability of people involved should be checked against the description of each sector.
Sectors are arranged from cultivation through processing, starting from vineyards to consumption ad ...
References
Sources
*
External links
James Busby, Melbourne UniversityWaitangi Treaty GroundsNewsletter 48, Friends of West Norwood Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busby, James
1801 births
1871 deaths
19th-century Australian businesspeople
19th-century New Zealand businesspeople
19th-century Scottish businesspeople
Australian people of English descent
Australian people of Scottish descent
People from the Bay of Islands
Wine merchants
Treaty of Waitangi
Burials at West Norwood Cemetery
New Zealand people of Scottish descent
New Zealand people of English descent