William Rolleston
Encyclopedia
William Rolleston was a New Zealand
politician, public administrator, educationalist and Canterbury
provincial superintendent.
, Yorkshire
as the 9th child of the Rev. George Rolleston and Anne Nettleship. His brother was the physician and zoologist George Rolleston
. He attended Rossall School
and Emmanuel College
, where he graduated in 1855 with second class honours in the classical tripos. He had intended to move to Canterbury but his father advised against it so he took up tutor
ing. However, this was merely a means of raising enough money to leave England
in order to reject 'Conservatives
and Ecclesiastics
'.
of the Canterbury Provincial Council
. He was elected unopposed on 22 May 1868 and held that office until 1 January 1877.
Rolleston represented the Avon electorate
from 1868 to 1884. In the 1879 general election
, he was returned unopposed. He then representated Geraldine
from 1884 to 1887. The Geraldine electorate was abolished in 1887 and replaced with the Rangitata
, where he was defeated by Searby Buxton
. He then represented Halswell
from 1890 to 1893. The Halswell electorate was abolished in 1893, and he contested Ellesmere
, where he was defeated. He then represented Riccarton
from 1896 to 1899. He had won the 1896 election against George Warren Russell, but was defeated by him in 1899 by just one vote.
Rolleston served as Minister of Justice
in the government of Premier John Hall from December 1880 to April 1881. He was also appointed Minister of Native Affairs
in January 1881 after the resignation of John Bryce
, heading the department as the Government prepared to invade the Māori settlement of Parihaka
in November. Rolleston stood aside as minister on the night of 19 October 1881 after the Hall government's Executive Council
held an emergency meeting in the absence of Governor Sir Arthur Gordon to issue a proclamation against Māori prophet Te Whiti
and the inhabitants of Parihaka, ordering them to leave Parihaka and accept the sale and dismemberment of their land or face "the great evil which must fall on them". He was replaced as minister by his predecessor, John Bryce
, who three weeks later led a raid by 1600 Armed Constabulary on the settlement, the centre of a passive resistance campaign against the sale of Māori land.
, Christchurch
. They had five sons and four daughters. Rolleston died at his Rangitata farm at Kapunatiki on 8 February 1903. He is buried at Holy Trinity Avonside
. A statue
was erected in his honour in front of the Canterbury Museum.
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New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
politician, public administrator, educationalist and Canterbury
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
provincial superintendent.
Early life
Rolleston was born on 19 September 1831 at MaltbyMaltby, South Yorkshire
Maltby is a town and civil parish of 17,247 inhabitants in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, situated in a rural area about 7 miles east of Rotherham and 12 miles north-east of Sheffield...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
as the 9th child of the Rev. George Rolleston and Anne Nettleship. His brother was the physician and zoologist George Rolleston
George Rolleston
George Rolleston MA MD FRCP FRS was an English physician and zoologist. He was the first Linacre Professor of Anatomy and Physiology to be appointed at the University of Oxford, a post he held from 1860 until his death in 1881...
. He attended Rossall School
Rossall School
Rossall School is a British, co-educational, independent school, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was founded in 1844 by St. Vincent Beechey as a sister school to Marlborough College which had been founded the previous year...
and Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
, where he graduated in 1855 with second class honours in the classical tripos. He had intended to move to Canterbury but his father advised against it so he took up tutor
Tutor
A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
ing. However, this was merely a means of raising enough money to leave England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in order to reject 'Conservatives
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
and Ecclesiastics
Ecclesiology
Today, ecclesiology usually refers to the theological study of the Christian church. However when the word was coined in the late 1830s, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of churches and it is still, though rarely, used in this sense.In its theological sense, ecclesiology...
'.
Political career
Rolleston was the 4th (and last) SuperintendentSuperintendent (politics)
Superintendent was the elected head of each Provincial Council in New Zealand from 1853 to 1876.-Historical context:Provinces existed in New Zealand from 1841 until 1876 as a form of sub-national government. After the initial provinces pre-1853, new provinces were formed by the New Zealand...
of the Canterbury Provincial Council
Canterbury Province
The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south...
. He was elected unopposed on 22 May 1868 and held that office until 1 January 1877.
Rolleston represented the Avon electorate
Avon (New Zealand electorate)
Avon is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.-Population centres:The electorate is in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, based on the suburb of Avonside.-History:...
from 1868 to 1884. In the 1879 general election
New Zealand general election, 1879
The New Zealand general election of 1879 was held between 28 August and 15 September to elect a total of 88 MPs to the 7th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 1 and 8 September. A total number of 82,271 voters turned out to vote.The election came about when George...
, he was returned unopposed. He then representated Geraldine
Geraldine (New Zealand electorate)
Geraldine was a former parliamentary electorate in the South Canterbury region of New Zealand that existed three times from 1875 to 1911. It was represented by six Members of Parliament.-History:...
from 1884 to 1887. The Geraldine electorate was abolished in 1887 and replaced with the Rangitata
Rangitata
Rangitata is an electorate in the South Island of New Zealand. It first existed for two parliamentary terms in the late 19ths century and was re-established for the 2008 general election. It largely replaces the Aoraki electorate, but includes parts of the Rakaia electorate as well...
, where he was defeated by Searby Buxton
Searby Buxton
Searby Buxton was a 19th century Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand.He represented the Rangitata electorate from 1887 to 1890, when he was defeated in the Geraldine electorate by Arthur Rhodes. He represented the Liberal Opposition, and lost with 671 votes to Rhodes' 994, despite an...
. He then represented Halswell
Halswell (New Zealand electorate)
Halswell was a parliamentary electorate in Christchurch, New Zealand from 1890 to 1893.The electorate was represented by one Member of Parliament, William Rolleston....
from 1890 to 1893. The Halswell electorate was abolished in 1893, and he contested Ellesmere
Ellesmere (New Zealand electorate)
Ellesmere was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. It existed for two periods between 1861 and 1928 and was represented by six Members of Parliament.-Population centres:Ellesmere was a rural electorate...
, where he was defeated. He then represented Riccarton
Riccarton (New Zealand electorate)
-Population centres:The electorate was in the south-western suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, and was based on the suburb of Riccarton.-History:The electorate was created in 1893, and existed to 1978 when it was abolished....
from 1896 to 1899. He had won the 1896 election against George Warren Russell, but was defeated by him in 1899 by just one vote.
Rolleston served as Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice (New Zealand)
The Minister of Justice is a minister in the government of New Zealand. The minister has responsibility for the formulation of justice policy and for the administration of law courts....
in the government of Premier John Hall from December 1880 to April 1881. He was also appointed Minister of Native Affairs
Minister of Maori Affairs
The Minister of Māori Affairs is the minister of the New Zealand government with broad responsibility for government policy towards Māori, the first inhabitants of New Zealand. The current Minister of Māori Affairs is Dr. Pita Sharples.-Role:...
in January 1881 after the resignation of John Bryce
John Bryce
John Bryce was a New Zealand politician from 1871 to 1891 and Minister of Native Affairs from 1879 to 1884...
, heading the department as the Government prepared to invade the Māori settlement of Parihaka
Parihaka
Parihaka is a small community in Taranaki Region, New Zealand, located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. In the 1870s and 1880s the settlement, then reputed to be the largest Māori village in New Zealand, became the centre of a major campaign of non-violent resistance to European...
in November. Rolleston stood aside as minister on the night of 19 October 1881 after the Hall government's Executive Council
Executive Council of New Zealand
The Executive Council of New Zealand is the body which legally serves the functions of the Cabinet. It has a function similar to that served by the Privy Council in the United Kingdom...
held an emergency meeting in the absence of Governor Sir Arthur Gordon to issue a proclamation against Māori prophet Te Whiti
Te Whiti o Rongomai
Te Whiti o Rongomai III was a Māori spiritual leader and founder of the village of Parihaka, in New Zealand's Taranaki region.-Biography:...
and the inhabitants of Parihaka, ordering them to leave Parihaka and accept the sale and dismemberment of their land or face "the great evil which must fall on them". He was replaced as minister by his predecessor, John Bryce
John Bryce
John Bryce was a New Zealand politician from 1871 to 1891 and Minister of Native Affairs from 1879 to 1884...
, who three weeks later led a raid by 1600 Armed Constabulary on the settlement, the centre of a passive resistance campaign against the sale of Māori land.
Later life and commemoration
He married Elizabeth Mary Brittan in 1865 at AvonsideAvonside
Avonside is an eastern suburb in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is one of the oldest suburbs of the city, with only Heathcote being older.-History:...
, Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. They had five sons and four daughters. Rolleston died at his Rangitata farm at Kapunatiki on 8 February 1903. He is buried at Holy Trinity Avonside
Holy Trinity Avonside
Holy Trinity Avonside was a heritage-listed Anglican church located in Linwood, Christchurch, New Zealand. It is registered as a "Historic Place – Category I" by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust...
. A statue
Rolleston Statue
The Rolleston Statue is a white marble statue situated outside Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand. It commemorates William Rolleston, who was Superintendent of the Canterbury Province from 1868 until 1877.-History:...
was erected in his honour in front of the Canterbury Museum.
External links
- Gardner, W. J. Rolleston, William 1831 - 1903. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 7 July 2005
- Biography in the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
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