Edward Marsh Williams

Edward Marsh Williams (2 November 1818 – 11 October 1909) was a missionary, interpreter, and judge who played a significant role in the British colonisation of New Zealand. He was born in Hampstead, Middlesex, the eldest son of Archdeacon Henry Williams and Marianne Williams.

At the age of 21 in 1840, when Captain William Hobson arrived in New Zealand, Edward — who had grown up among the Māori at Paihia, and as a result was fluent in Te Reo and understood Māori culture — helped his father translate the Treaty of Waitangi into Te Reo. Edward was appointed by Lieutenant Governor Hobson as government interpreter, Clerk to the Court, and the first postmaster at Auckland. Edward was appointed to judicial positions: as Resident Magistrate for the Bay of Islands and in 1881 Edward was appointed a judge of the Native Land Court (which became the Māori Land Court) of New Zealand.

Williams translated into Māori over 210 hymns and also The Pilgrim's Progress. In 1860, he translated God Save the Queen into Maori. He drew HMS Herald in Sylvan Cove, Stewart Island / Rakiura in 1840.