William Hobson, British consul to New Zealand…

William Hobson, British consul to New Zealand and Lieutenant Governor under the Governor of New South Wales, Sir George Gipps, arrives in the Bay of Islands on January 29, 1840, with a small group of officials, including an Executive Council comprised of the Colonial Secretary Willoughby Shortland, Colonial Treasurer George Cooper and Attorney-General Francis Fisher.

The Legislative Council comprises the above officials and three Justices of the Peace.

Upon arrival, Hobson almost immediately drafts the Treaty of Waitangi, together with his secretary James Freeman and Busby.

After obtaining signatures at the Bay of Islands, he travels to Waitemata Harbour to obtain more signatures and survey a suitable location for a new capital (he also sends the Deputy Surveyor-General, William Cornwallis Symonds, to other areas to obtain more signatures).