William Hobson - New Zealand

New Zealand

In 1837 he sailed to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, in response to a request for help from James Busby, the British Resident, who felt threatened by wars between Māori tribes. He arrived on 26 May 1837 and helped to reduce the tensions. On his return to England in 1838 he submitted a report on New Zealand, in which he proposed that British sovereignty be established over New Zealand, in small pockets similar to the Hudson's Bay Company in Canada.