William Martin

William Martin was called to the English bar in 1836. In January 1841 he was appointed New Zealand's first chief justice, and presided over the first sitting of the Supreme Court at Auckland in February 1842.

One of the first trials involved Maketu, a Bay of Islands Maori charged with murdering the granddaughter of a leading Nga Puhi chief, two European adults and a European child. The trial raised the question of how to apply British law in the new colony. Martin's statement that the law should apply to all the Queen’s subjects, whatever their race or local custom, was said to have had a profound effect on Maori. Maketu was convicted and hanged.

Martin advised the early governors on a wide range of laws. He also helped prepare several key rulings, including those that established a legal system in New Zealand. He had deep respect for Maori, and was involved in Maori education. He believed that the Treaty of Waitangi was a sacred compact which alone justified British sovereignty.

In 1860, Martin received a knighthood. That same year, he published a strong attack on the government's Taranaki policies. He later opposed the confiscation of Maori land. In his view the King Movement leaders were more sinned against than sinners. He left New Zealand in 1874, and died in England in 1880.

See also: biography of William Martin at DNZB website