James Macandrew of Otago: Slippery Jim or A Leader Staunch and True?

James Macandrew, a Scotsman who migrated to Dunedin in 1851, was variously a businessman, twice Superintendent of Otago Province, an imprisoned bankrupt and a Minister of the Crown. He was an active participant in provincial and colonial politics for 36 years and was associated with most of the major political events in New Zealand during that time. Macandrew was a passionate and persuasive advocate for the speedy development of New Zealand’s infrastructure to stimulate the expansion of settlement. He initiated a steamer service between New Zealand and Australia in 1858 but was bankrupt by 1860. While Superintendent of Otago in 1860 and 1867–76 he was able to advance major harbour, transport and educational projects. As Minister of Public Works in George Grey’s Ministry from 1878–79 he promoted an extensive expansion of the country’s railway system. In Parliament, he was a staunch advocate of easier access to land for all settlers, and a promoter of liberal social legislation which was enacted a decade later by the Seddon Government. His life was interwoven with three influential settlers, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, Julius Vogel and George Grey, who variously dominated the political landscape. Macandrew has been portrayed as an opportunist who exploited these relationships, but this study will demonstrate that while he often served these men as a subordinate, as a mentor he influenced their political beliefs and behaviour. Macandrew’s contribution to New Zealand politics and history has been neither widely nor impartially discussed. His activities, particularly as a provincial Superintendent, as a leader of the opposition to the abolition of the provinces and as a government minister, have elicited accounts which range from adulation to anathema, and descriptions of him range from ‘A leader staunch and true’ to ‘Slippery Jim.’ This biography explores the origins of Macandrew’s values and philosophy, traces his life story, and evaluates his role in New Zealand history. It examines his career as a Scotsman abroad and as a settler who exploited the boom and bust economy of the new colony. It also investigates the events which diminished his reputation and curtailed his career. Macandrew is revealed as an overlooked Scottish Presbyterian of conservative social values, liberal political ideals and visionary economic views, whose enthusiasms often exceeded his skills and led to the failure of many of his far-sighted and promising projects. He was a self-confident individual who had a substantial influence on his adopted country.