John White

John White (1830 – 4 September 1876) was a 19th-century member of the House of Representatives from the West Coast, New Zealand.

White was born in England in 1830, the son of Richard White of London. He came to Hokitika as a purser for the Intercolonial Steamship Company running the Panama route and remained there as the company's shipping agent.

He gained a public profile through his intelligent letters to the editor, which he signed with his own name; at the time, it was common for writers to use pen names. White stood for election in October of that year and was returned as one of the new councillors. He resigned a year later to become a member of the Westland County Council (a predecessor of Westland Province), He represented the electorate until the end of the term in 1875 when he retired. He was known in the House as "Honest John". He remained a member of the provincial council until his death. He was the first Speaker of the Provincial Council (24 February 1874 – 8 June 1874) until he resigned to become a member of the short-lived first Westland Executive Council in June 1874. after a short illness of about four weeks. and he was buried at Hokitika Cemetery.