#9493, William HOBSON

William joined the Royal Navy on 25th August 1803. He served in the Napoleonic wars being promoted midshipman in 1806 and first lieutenant in 1813. By May 1824 he was commanding HMS Scylla and in December 1834 he obtained a commission from Lord Auckland to the East Indies on HMS Rattlesnake.

Hobson was dispatched from London in August 1839 with instructions to take the constitutional steps needed to establish a British colony in New Zealand. He was sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor in Sydney (under George Gipps) and arrived in New Zealand on 29th January 1840. On 5th February 1840 Hobson met with Maori chiefs at Waitangi, where they signed a treaty by which the chiefs voluntarily transferred sovereignty to the British Crown in return for guarantees respecting their lands and possessions and their rights as British subjects.

Three months later, Hobson proclaimed British sovereignty over the islands of New Zealand. He also selected the site for a capital in the North Island, which he named Auckland. In November 1840 Queen Victoria signed a royal charter for New Zealand to become a Crown colony. Hobson was sworn in as Governor and Commander in Chief on 3rd May 1841