James Gunson

Who was James Gunson?

Sir James Henry Gunson CMG CBE was a New Zealand businessman and Mayor of Auckland City from 1915 to 1925. He was knighted in 1924.

As Mayor, he undertook the building of Auckland Museum and Cenotaph, the Wintergardens in Auckland Domain and the construction of Tamaki Drive. In later public life, he was responsible for the monument on One Tree Hill and the treeplanting of Cornwall Park, fulfilling Sir Logan Campbell's vision. Gunson was Chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board 1911–15, and was a member of the Government Railways Board 1931–35.

Born and educated in Auckland, he took over the seed-grain business of his father, William Gunson. He stood several times for Parliament, unsuccessfully;.

In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.

Several parts of the city bear his name or gift. His farming property to the South of Auckland in Manukau, called Totara Park, was later given to the city of Auckland. His main town residence, in St Andrew's Road, Epsom, became the Tongan royal residence, which it remains. A further Auckland property was by the same architect, Draffin, that Gunson had chosen to design Auckland Museum.