| Hon William Rolleston MP |
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|---|---|
| William Rolleston in retirement in 1900 | |
| 6th Minister of Justice | |
| In office 15 December 1880 – 23 April 1881 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Hall |
| 12th Minister of Native Affairs | |
| In office February 1881 – 19 October 1881 |
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| Prime Minister | John Hall |
| 3rd Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 31 August 1891 – 8 November 1893 |
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| Preceded by | John Bryce |
| Succeeded by | William Russell |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Avon |
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| In office 1868 – 1884 |
|
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Geraldine |
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| In office 1884 – 1887 |
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Halswell |
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| In office 1890 – 1893 |
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Riccarton |
|
| In office 1896 – 1899 |
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| 4th Superintendent of Canterbury Province | |
| In office 22 May 1868 – 1 January 1877 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 September 1831 Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 8 February 1903 (aged 71) Canterbury, New Zealand |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Mary Brittain (married 1865), nine children |
| Relations | George Rolleston (brother) |
| Profession | Farmer |
William Rolleston (19 September 1831 – 8 February 1903) was a New Zealand politician, public administrator, educationalist and Canterbury provincial superintendent.
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Rolleston was born on 19 September 1831 at Maltby, Yorkshire as the 9th child of the Rev. George Rolleston and Anne Nettleship. His brother was the physician and zoologist George Rolleston.[1] He attended Rossall School and Emmanuel College,[2] 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 tutoring. However, this was merely a means of raising enough money to leave England in order to reject 'Conservatives and Ecclesiastics'.[3]
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| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1868–1871 | 4th | Avon | Independent | |
| 1871–1876 | 5th | Avon | Independent | |
| 1876–1879 | 6th | Avon | Independent | |
| 1879–1881 | 7th | Avon | Independent | |
| 1881–1884 | 8th | Avon | Independent | |
| 1884–1887 | 9th | Geraldine | Independent | |
| 1890–1893 | 11th | Halswell | Independent | |
| 1896–1899 | 13th | Riccarton | Independent | |
Rolleston was the 4th (and last) Superintendent of the Canterbury Provincial Council. He was elected unopposed on 22 May 1868[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]
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".[7] 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.
He married Elizabeth Mary Brittan in 1865 at Avonside, 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.[8] A statue was erected in his honour in front of the Canterbury Museum.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Sheehan |
Minister of Justice 1880–81 |
Succeeded by Thomas Dick |
| Preceded by John Bryce |
Minister of Native Affairs 1881 |
Succeeded by John Bryce |
| Preceded by William Sefton Moorhouse |
Superintendent of Canterbury Province 1868–77 |
Provincial Councils abolished |
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||
| Preceded by William Reeves |
Member of Parliament for Avon 1868–84 |
Succeeded by Leonard Harper |
| Preceded by William Postlethwaite |
Member of Parliament for Geraldine 1884–87 |
In abeyance
Title next held by
Arthur Rhodes |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Halswell 1890–93 |
Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by George Russell |
Member of Parliament for Riccarton 1896–99 |
Succeeded by George Russell |