Editing James Busby (section)

==Life==
He was born in [[Edinburgh]], Scotland, the son of English engineer [[John Busby]] and mother Sarah Kennedy. His parents and he emigrated from [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] to [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], in 1824.<ref name="DNZB Busby">{{DNZB|last=Orange |first=Claudia|id=1B54|title=Busby, James |access-date=2 February 2020|author-link=Claudia Orange}}</ref>

Busby received a [[Land grant#Australia|Grant of Land]] from the [[Governor of New South Wales]] and after much careful deliberation chose a block of 2,000 acres in the [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Coal River]] area of the [[Hunter Valley]], where he began growing grapes. At the same time, he took employment at the Male Orphans School at Bald Hills near [[Liverpool, New South Wales|Liverpool]] where he was in charge of the farm and taught [[viticulture]]. When the trustees of the Church and School Corporation took over control of the school in 1827, Busby lost the job. He was then appointed collector of internal revenue temporarily, until 1829. The government made him a new job offer but he was not happy with it nor with the terms of his severance from the orphan school, and returned to England in 1831 to petition the [[Colonial Office]]. He also visited Spain and France to further his study in [[viticulture]]. He wrote a number of reports that he presented to the Colonial Office and one on the state of [[New Zealand]] earned him appointment as [[Resident (title)|British Resident]] in New Zealand in March 1832. Busby returned to Sydney on 16 October 1832.<ref name="DNZB Busby" /><ref name=ADB>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Davidson |first=J. W. |author-link=James Wightman Davidson |title=Busby, James (1801–1871) |url= https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/busby-james-1858 |dictionary=Australian Dictionary of Biography |date=1966 |publisher=[[Australian National University]]}}</ref>

===In New Zealand===
Busby married [[Agnes Busby|Agnes Dow]] at Segenhoe, in the Hunter Region, on 1 November 1832. He left for New Zealand on [[HMS Imogene (1831)|HMS ''Imogene'']] in April 1833 and arrived in the [[Bay of Islands]] on 5 May.<ref name="CAR135">{{cite book |last1= Carleton |first1=Hugh |title= The Life of Henry Williams|year= 1874 |publisher=[[Early New Zealand Books]] (ENZB), University of Auckland Library|page=135 |chapter= Vol. I |chapter-url=http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/document?wid=1038&action=null}}</ref> Agnes followed him, arriving in July. [[Treaty House|A house]] (which still stands) was completed for him at [[Waitangi, Northland|Waitangi]], where he planted some of the vine stock he had collected in Europe, from which [[vineyard]] wine was being made before his vines were productive in Australia. His duties were to protect British commerce, control, and to mediate between the unruly [[European settlers in New Zealand|European settlers]] and [[Māori people|Māori]] in New Zealand.  However, he was not provided with any resources to impose this authority.

After an unregistered New Zealand ship was seized in Australia, Busby proposed that New Zealand should have a [[Flag of New Zealand|national flag]].  A selection of three or four designs was sent from Australia, and Māori chiefs chose one at a meeting at his residency on 20 March 1834; see [[United Tribes of New Zealand]].

====Independence and Treaty of Waitangi====
In 1835 Busby learned that Baron [[Charles de Thierry]], a [[France|Frenchman]], was proposing to declare French [[sovereignty]] over New Zealand. He drafted the [[Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand]] and at a meeting in October signed it together with 35 chiefs from the northern part of New Zealand.

After the arrival of [[William Hobson]] in 1840, Busby co-authored with him the [[Treaty of Waitangi]].  It was first signed on 5 and 6 February 1840 on the lawn outside his residence. Busby and his family left Waitangi that year. He declined an offer for a position in the new colonial government, and instead focused on farming interests, but became entangled in litigation over his own land titles: the [[New Zealand Banking Company]] seized his Waitangi property without giving Busby's debtors an opportunity to pay what they owed, and [[George Grey|Governor Grey]] expropriated Busby's land at [[Whangārei]].<ref name="Jamieson, Nigel 1986 pp. 250-255"/> He also edited a newspaper and in [[1853 New Zealand provincial elections|1853 was elected a member]] of the [[Auckland Province|Auckland Provincial Council]]. As a member of the provincial council, he became an outspoken supporter of establishing Auckland as a separate colony to the rest of New Zealand.{{sfn|Brett|2016|p=150}} Popular opinion at the time went against Busby, and some newspapers claimed his arguments for Auckland's separation were due to his inability to settle land claims with the colonial government.{{sfn|Brett|2016|p=152}}

He contested the [[1860–1861 New Zealand general election|1860 general election]] for a seat in the [[New Zealand House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] for the [[Bay of Islands (New Zealand electorate)|Bay of Islands electorate]], but was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite news |title= Page 6 Advertisements Column 1 |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=DSC18601207.2.30.1 |access-date= 4 June 2010| work= [[Daily Southern Cross]]|volume= XVII |issue= 1356 |date= 7 December 1860|page= 6}}
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===Later life===
He died in 1871 in [[Anerley]], England, after travelling back for an eye operation,<ref name="DNZB Busby" /> and is buried at [[West Norwood Cemetery]] in London. His wife returned to New Zealand where she died, at [[Pakaraka]], in 1889, and is buried at [[Paihia]]. James and Agnes had six children. Daughter Sarah married [[John William Williams]], son of missionary [[Henry Williams (missionary)|Henry Williams]].

The Waitangi property, on which the Treaty was signed, was derelict until the 1930s, when it was purchased by the [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor-General]] of the day, [[Viscount Bledisloe]] and donated to the nation.