Sir George Grey | |
|---|---|
 Sir George Grey in 1861 | |
| 11th Premier of New Zealand | |
| In office 13 October 1877 – 8 October 1879 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | George Phipps Hercules Robinson |
| Preceded by | Harry Atkinson |
| Succeeded by | John Hall |
| 3rd Governor of New Zealand | |
| In office 18 November 1845 – 3 January 1854 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Robert FitzRoy |
| Succeeded by | Sir Thomas Gore Browne |
| In office 4 December 1861[1] – 5 February 1868 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Premier | William Fox Alfred Domett Frederick Whitaker Frederick Weld Edward Stafford |
| Preceded by | Sir Thomas Gore Browne |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Bowen |
| Governor of Cape Colony | |
| In office 1854–1861 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | George Cathcart (Charles Henry Darling acting) |
| Succeeded by | Philip Wodehouse (Robert Wynyard acting) |
| 3rd Governor of South Australia | |
| In office 15 May 1841 – 25 October 1845 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | George Gawler |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Robe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 April 1812 Lisbon, Kingdom of Portugal |
| Died | 19 September 1898 (aged 86) South Kensington, London, England |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | John Gray (uncle) |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony, and the 11th premier of New Zealand.[2] He played a key role in the colonisation of New Zealand, and both the purchase and annexation of Māori land.[3]
Grey was born in Lisbon, Portugal, just a few days after his father, Lieutenant-Colonel George Grey, was killed at the Battle of Badajoz in Spain.[2] He was educated in England. After military service (1829–37) and two explorations in Western Australia (1837–39), Grey became Governor of South Australia in 1841. He oversaw the colony during a difficult formative period. Despite being less hands-on than his predecessor George Gawler, his fiscally responsible measures ensured the colony was in good shape by the time he departed for New Zealand in 1845.[4]
Grey was the most influential figure during the European settlement of New Zealand. Governor of New Zealand initially from 1845 to 1853,[5] he was governor during the initial stages of the New Zealand Wars. Learning Māori to fluency, he became a scholar of Māori culture, compiling Māori mythology and oral history and publishing it in translation in London. He developed a cordial relationship with the powerful rangatira Pōtatau Te Wherowhero of Tainui, in order to deter Ngāpuhi from invading Auckland.[3] He was knighted in 1848. In 1854, Grey was appointed Governor of Cape Colony in South Africa, where his resolution of hostilities between indigenous South Africans and European settlers was praised by both sides. After separating from his wife and developing a severe opium addiction,[3] Grey was again appointed Governor of New Zealand in 1861, three years after Te Wherowhero, who had established himself the first Māori King in Grey’s absence, had died. The Kiingitanga (Maori King) posed a significant challenge to the British push for sovereignty, and with his Ngāpuhi absent from the movement, Grey found himself challenged on two sides. He struggled to reuse his skills in negotiation to maintain peace with Māori, and his relationship with Te Wherowhero's successor Tāwhiao deeply soured.[3] Turning on his former allies, Grey began an aggressive crackdown on Tainui and launched the Invasion of the Waikato in 1863, with 14,000 Imperial and colonial troops attacking 4,000 Māori and their families.[6][7] Appointed in 1877, he served as Premier of New Zealand until 1879, where he remained a symbol of colonialism.[8]
By political philosophy a Gladstonian liberal and Georgist,[9] Grey eschewed the class system to be part of Auckland's new governance he helped to establish. Cyril Hamshere argues that Grey was a "great British proconsul", although he was also temperamental, demanding of associates, and lacking in some managerial abilities.[10] For the wars of territorial expansion against Māori which he started, he remains a controversial and divisive figure in New Zealand.[8]
- ^ "Governor Grey sworn in". The Southern Cross. 6 December 1861. p. 2. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ a b Wolfe 2005, p. 71.
- ^ a b c d Collective, Aotearoa Media; Air, Great Southern Television | Made with the support of NZ On (3 February 2021). "Documentary: NZ Wars: Stories of Tainui". RNZ. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ G. H. Pitt, "The Crisis of 1841: Its Causes and Consequences" South Australiana (1972) 11#2 pp 43–81.
- ^ Wolfe 2005, p. 73.
- ^ Belich, James (1986). The New Zealand Wars. Auckland: Penguin. pp. 125–133. ISBN 0-14-027504-5.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
inglorious3was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Harvey, Helen (24 May 2022). "The Māori historian providing a critique of controversial New Zealand governor George Grey". Stuff. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ George, Henry, Jr. The Life of Henry George. New York: Doubleday & McClure, 1900. Quote: "Sir George Grey made a fine little speech, attesting his entire faith in the gospel of the single tax."
- ^ Cyril Hamshere, "Sir George Grey: A Great Proconsul" History Today (April 1979) 29#4 pp 240–247.