Donald McLean

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Donald McLean (27 October 1820 – 5 January 1877) was a 19th century New Zealand politician and government official. He was involved in negotiations between the settler government and Māori from 1844 to 1861, eventually as Native Secretary and Land Purchase commissioner, though he was incapacitated by sickness from 1859, so was not fully involved in the dispute over the “Waitara Purchase” which led up to the First Taranaki War. He was born on the Hebridean island of Tiree, and came to New Zealand via Australia in 1840.

He was elected Superintendent of Hawke's Bay Province from 1863 to 1869, and Member of Parliament for Napier from 1866 to 1870, and 1871 to 1877.

In 1867 he introduced the law providing for four Māori seats in Parliament from 1868. He was Minister of Defence from 1869 to 1872 and Minister of Māori Affairs from 1869 to 1876. He resigned as a minister on 7 December 1876, shortly before he died. He was knighted (KCMG) in 1874.

The National Library of New Zealand is currently digitising 100,000 pages of his papers, for a new website due to launch in 2008.

[edit] References

• New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840-1984 by J. O. Wilson (1985, Government Printer, Wellington)

[edit] External links

• Biography in the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
• The Best Man Who Ever Served the Crown? A Life of Donald McLean
• Photo (as a young man)
• Photo (as an older man)
• Illustration, Addressing a meeting at a Pa near Napier