HOBBS, JOHN (1800-83) was born at St Peter's, Isle of Thanet, the son of Richard Hobbs, a coach builder and Wesleyan local preacher. His father was admitted to the Wesleyan Society by John Wesley. He learned his father's trade and followed in his footsteps, joining the Church in 1816 and becoming a local preacher in 1819.

In 1822 Hobbs decided to emigrate to Tasmania to work among the convicts. Nathaniel Turner, whom he met there, urged him to offer himself to the Wesleyan Missionary Society, but Marsden had already offered to employ him under the Church Missionary Society in New Zealand. He accordingly, on 3 Aug 1823, sailed from Port Jackson in the Brampton (with Marsden, Williams and Turner) and walked from Bay of Islands to join the mission at Wesleydale, Whangaroa. The Rev Samuel Leigh having returned to New South Wales sick, Hobbs remained to assist Turner at Wesleydale. He was a skilled mechanic and built himself a house; cultivated a garden, had a good knowledge of medicine and became so proficient in Maori as to become one of the translators of the Bible into the vernacular. He translated the book of Job into Maori and composed and translated many Maori hymns (including a translation of Toplady's Rock of Ages). Unfortunately, when Hobbs arrived at Whangaroa, George, the local chief, was already failing in health and unable longer to protect the mission. On his death hostile natives made a violent attack on the station (Jan 1827), which had to be abandoned. Turner and his colleagues, with their families, protected by Patuone, walked through the bush to Bay of Islands.

Hobbs went to Sydney, where he married an English lady, Miss Jane Blogreff (1799-1887), and returned a few months later with unflinching courage to renew his exertions. Cooperating with Stack in the selection of a site, they opened a new station at Mangungu in Apr 1828 under the protection of Patuone and Nene, who gave them 850 acres of land. Hobbs had now received full ministerial standing, and he and Stack worked under the Rev W. White. In 1833, on his request to be moved, the home committee sent him to Tonga, where, having speedily acquired command of the language, he took charge of the press. Owing to the health of his wife he was designated for Tasmania, but the vessel springing a leak, put into Bay of Islands, and Turner claimed the services of Hobbs to take charge of his station. There he built boats and houses, operated the printing press and (with the assistance of Abraham Taonui) translated part of the Bible. He made several journeys with Bumby for the extension of the mission. Sailing in a small schooner from Hokianga they visited North Cape, Bay of Islands, East Cape, Port Nicholson, Cloudy Bay, Kapiti, Taranaki and Kawhia. They fixed a site at Port Nicholson on 8 Jun 1840 for a permanent mission. With Bumby and Whiteley, Hobbs travelled overland to Taranaki with the object of stopping a tribal war, and on another occasion he walked from Hokianga to Port Nicholson. He had great influence with Patuone, Nene, Muriwai, Moetara and Tawhai, and rendered service to the government as interpreter for Hobson at a gathering of 3,000 natives held at Mangungu to consider the Treaty of Waitangi (1840).

The outbreak of Heke's war was fatal to the prosperity of the Wesleyan mission, but Hobbs did much to wean the Ngapuhi from their warlike habits. In 1848 he was designated by conference to open a mission up the Whanganui river. The ship Harriet Leathart, which was engaged to take the missionaries there, was stranded in a storm. Hobbs spent the night lashed in the rigging and thus incurred deafness which increased so as to incapacitate him for heavy duty. In 1855-56 he spent a year resting at Three Kings Institution, Auckland, after which he retired. He died on 24 Jun 1883. Hobbs lived a life of strict integrity, devoted to the service of the mission. He never acquired property in New Zealand, the regulations of the Wesleyan mission forbidding any of its agents to acquire land or to engage in business. Mrs Hobbs died on 16 Dec 1887. (See RICHARD HOBBS, Rev W. KIRK, and Rev W. GITTOS.)

Marsden, L. and J.; Morley; W. J. Williams; Buller; M. A. R. Pratt (information); N.Z. Herald 25, 28 Jun 1883.

Reference: Volume 1, page 214

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