Sir James Carroll | |
|---|---|
Timi Kara | |
 Carrollc. 1914 | |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forEastern Maori | |
| In office 1887–1893 | |
| Preceded by | Wi Pere |
| Succeeded by | Wi Pere |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forWaiapu | |
| In office 1893–1908 | |
| Preceded by | New electorate |
| Succeeded by | Electorate abolished |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forGisborne | |
| In office 1908–1919 | |
| Preceded by | New electorate |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Lysnar |
| Member of theNew Zealand Legislative Council | |
| In office 2 September 1921 – 18 February 1926 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1857-08-20)20 August 1857 Wairoa, New Zealand |
| Died | 18 October 1926(1926-10-18) (aged 69) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Party | Independent Liberal |
| Spouse | Heni Materoa Carroll |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | British Empire |
| Battles/wars | Te Kooti's War[1] |
Sir James CarrollKCMG (Māori:Timi Kara; 20 August 1857 – 18 October 1926), was a New Zealand politician. Beginning his career as an interpreter and land agent, Carroll was elected to theEastern Maori seat in1887. He was actingcolonial secretary (equivalent to the minister of internal affairs[citation needed]) from 1897 to 1899. He was the first Māori to hold the cabinet position ofMinister of Native Affairs, which he held between 1899 and 1912. He was held in high regard within theLiberal Party and was acting prime minister in 1909 and 1911.
James Carroll was born atWairoa, one of eight children in 1857. His father, Joseph Carroll, was born inSydney of Irish descent, and his mother, Tapuke, was a Māori woman of theNgāti Kahungunuiwi. He was educated both at whare wānanga (traditional Māori college) and the Wairoa native school but left early to be a farm worker.
In 1870, while no more than thirteen, he was part of the Māori force pursuingTe Kooti in theUrewera, and his bravery was mentioned in dispatches. He became a cadet for the Native Department inHawke's Bay and later inWellington but was back on a farm by 1875.
In 1881 he marriedHēni Materoa and they settled inGisborne. The couple adopted several children but had no biological children.[1]
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887–1890 | 10th | Eastern Maori | Independent | ||
| 1890–1893 | 11th | Eastern Maori | Independent | ||
| 1893–1896 | 12th | Waiapu | Liberal | ||
| 1896–1899 | 13th | Waiapu | Liberal | ||
| 1899–1902 | 14th | Waiapu | Liberal | ||
| 1902–1905 | 15th | Waiapu | Liberal | ||
| 1905–1908 | 16th | Waiapu | Liberal | ||
| 1908–1911 | 17th | Gisborne | Liberal | ||
| 1911–1914 | 18th | Gisborne | Liberal | ||
| 1914–1919 | 19th | Gisborne | Liberal | ||
Carroll first stood forNew Zealand Parliament in 1884, unsuccessfully contesting theEastern Maori electorate againstWi Pere.[1] By the1887 election,John Ballance's paternalisticNative Land Administration Act of 1886, which proposed leasing Māori lands through a government commissioner, was a major issue. Carroll, an opponent of the act, won the electorate. He was confirmed in the next election in1890. In the1893 election, he stood in theWaiapu electorate. From1908, he represented theGisborne electorate, until he was defeated in 1919.[2]
Entering parliament, Carroll wanted to create equality for Māori by allowing them to lease land and use the revenue to invest in their own farms. The settler preference was for freehold title, and this solution was favoured by theAtkinson Government. He was appointed in March 1892 a member of theExecutive Council representing the native race, and had to support the government in compulsory acquisition.
Te Kotahitanga Māori MPs criticised Carroll's stance, and he decided to stand for the General Electorate ofWaiapu. He won this seat in 1893, the first time a Māori was elected to a general electorate seat.
Te Kotahitanga continued to promote a separate law-making assembly for Māori, and Carroll travelled to Māori communities speaking out against separatism. In 1899, he became Native Minister in the Liberal Government, the first person of Māori descent to hold this office. He established the Māori Councils Act, which allowed local Māori committees to deal with health, sanitation and liquor control, and the Māori land councils, controlled by Māori and which could sell or lease land.
The settler view was that much of the North Island under Māori control should be developed, and Carroll as Native Minister to 1912 was under pressure to allow more land sales. Many Māori consider that he made too many concessions, but he always fought for the rights of Māori at a time when there was little support for his views.
Twice in the Liberal Government, Carroll acted as Prime Minister, and his status was confirmed by the awarding in the1911 Coronation Honours of theKCMG, becoming the first Māori to be knighted. Carroll continued to represent the general electorate ofGisborne until 1919, when he was defeated byDouglas Lysnar.[3]
On 2 September 1921, Carroll was appointed to theLegislative Council by Prime MinisterWilliam Massey.[4] From the Upper House of New Zealand, he was able to supportĀpirana Ngata and other rising Māori leaders.[1]
He died suddenly in Auckland from kidney failure on 18 October 1926. His body was returned to Gisborne, where he was buried at Makaraka.[1]
Farmer and politicianTuri Carroll was a nephew.
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Eastern Maori 1887–1893 | Succeeded by Wi Pere |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Waiapu 1893–1908 | Constituency abolished |
| Member of Parliament for Gisborne 1908–1919 | Succeeded by | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
