John James Meikle

John James Meikle ( 1845 – 25 November 1937) was a New Zealand farmer and litigant.

He was born in Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland in 1845 and arrived in New Zealand in early 1870. On the evidence brought by a private detective who received a sizeable reward and despite a character reference by former prime minister, Sir Robert Stout, Meikle was convicted of sheep stealing and served five years in prison. After some years of collecting evidence, Meikle laid a charge of perjury against the private detective, who was sent to prison for four years. Meikle petitioned parliament for £10,000 compensation and after a lengthy debate, he was awarded £500 in 1897, which covered about 10% of his costs. Meikle continued his campaign to fully clear his name, but two Supreme Court judges assigned to the case took a dim view. Meikle died in 1937 a "bitter and broken" man. His case was "one of the most remarkable cases" in New Zealand's legal history.

Meikle contested the 1901 Caversham by-election. Of six candidates, he came last with just 0.59% of the vote.