Sir William Martin: The Life of the First Chief Justice of New Zealand BY Guy Lennard. 1961, first edition. SCARCE.

Sir William Martin: The Life of the First Chief Justice of New Zealand BY Guy Lennard.

Publisher: Whitcombe & Tombs, Christchurch, 1961, first edition. SCARCE.

Very good hardback with jacket. No inscriptions, light foxing to end-papers, binding firm, bookseller's label inside rear board. Jacket is rubbed, marked and chipped with fading to spine. 129 pages, illustrated.

In January 1841 William Martin was appointed chief justice of New Zealand. Free from official responsibilities after his return to New Zealand in 1858, Martin was able to devote himself to the education of Maori students at St Stephen's School, to the study of languages, and especially to the life and work of the church. Martin displayed a deep respect for the Maori people: throughout his life he was an earnest advocate of their interests, sometimes to the point of placing his judicial status in question. In 1846 he was a critic of the British government's instructions to the governor, as showing a disregard for the moral obligations of the Crown under the Treaty of Waitangi. He published his views of the proposals in a pamphlet, England and the New Zealanders, and also joined Selwyn and others in a strongly worded petition to the Crown proclaiming an intention to use all legal and constitutional measures to inform Maori of their rights as British subjects and to support their enjoyment of those rights. In a practical way he assisted in educating Maori about their legal rights by publishing a booklet with instructions about English law, Ko nga tikanga a te Pakeha, published in 1845.

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