15 Facts About James Busby

James Busby was the British Resident in New Zealand from 1833 to 1840.

James Busby was involved in drafting the 1835 Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand and the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi.

James Busby was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of English engineer John Busby and mother Sarah Kennedy.

James Busby was then appointed collector of internal revenue temporarily, until 1829.

James Busby visited Spain and France to further his study in viticulture.

James Busby wrote a number of reports that he presented to the Colonial Office and one on the state of New Zealand earned him appointment as British Resident in New Zealand in March 1832.

James Busby married Agnes Dow at Segenhoe, in the Hunter Region, on 1 November 1832.

James Busby left for New Zealand on HMS Imogene in April 1833 and arrived in the Bay of Islands on 5 May Agnes followed him, arriving in July.

James Busby's duties were to protect British commerce, control, and to mediate between the unruly European settlers and Maori in New Zealand.

In 1835 James Busby learned that Baron Charles de Thierry, a Frenchman, was proposing to declare French sovereignty over New Zealand.

James Busby 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 seized his Waitangi property without giving Busby's debtors an opportunity to pay what they owed, and Governor Grey expropriated Busby's land at Whangarei.

James Busby edited a newspaper and in 1853 was elected a member of the Auckland Provincial Council.

James Busby contested the 1860 general election for a seat in the House of Representatives for the Bay of Islands electorate, but was unsuccessful.

James Busby died in 1871 in Anerley, England, after travelling back for an eye operation, and is buried at West Norwood Cemetery in London.

James Busby's wife returned to New Zealand where she died, at Pakaraka, in 1889, and is buried at Paihia.