Aaron Buzacott the elder (4 March 1800 – 20 September 1864) was a British missionary, Congregationalist colleague of John Williams (the 'Martyr of Erromanga'), author of ethnographic works and co-translator of the Bible into Cook Islands Māori.

[3] Buzacott was stationed at Avarua, the largest town on Rarotonga, where he designed and led the construction of two buildings which still exist today: the Coral Church or Ziona Tapu (Holy Zion), now used by the Cook Islands Christian Church;[4] and the main building of Takamoa Theological College, an educational institution he founded in 1839 and served as both principal and educator until he retired from his station.

[9] Following several bouts of ill health, Buzacott retired to Sydney in 1857, and engaged in further work as a travelling agent for the London Missionary Society in the Australian colonies.

[10][9] Aaron Buzacott was born in South Molton, Devon where his father was a whitesmith and ironmonger and the family attended the local Congregational chapel.

[11] He received an early education at the village grammar school, and at the age of twelve was placed in the care of a gentleman farmer in the area for three years, to improve his constitution through outdoor manual labour.

At the end of the three years, he was advised by friends to dedicate himself to his father's business, whitesmithing; the agricultural and metalworking skills learned in his youth would prove useful in his work on Rarotonga.

Richard Knill toured North Devon shortly before departing for Madras, and gave addresses outlining his reasons for becoming a missionary, at one of which Buzacott was present and became interested.

During this time, he first engaged in missionary work, establishing a mission in Somers Town after hearing of the spiritual state of the mostly poor inhabitants, and seeking opportunities to preach.

James Parsons of York, his tutors commended him to the Board of the London Missionary Society, and after examination they accepted him for training at their Mission College under Dr David Bogue.

Aaron Buzacott considered schools constitute one of the most important departments of missionary labour, and he paid special attention to the selection and education of native people.

The building architecture was designed to withstand the most violent hurricanes and was still in good condition when the Buzacott family left in 1857 owing to Aaron's ill health.

In 1831 Buzacott visited all the islands in the Hervey Group, with John Williams, and found them to suffer badly from hurricanes and cyclones during the winter.

Buzacott later visited Samoa (in 1834, and again in 1836) where he found American and English sailors who had run away from whaling ships, living on the islands with the permission of Samoan Chiefs but without schools.

[15] Buzacott presented a copy of the translated Bible to Lieutenant-Governor William Denison to be one of the first books in the newly established Tasmanian Public Library.

[14] Buzacott retired for health reasons to New South Wales with his wife and daughter in 1857, and resided at Melbourne Cottage in Darlinghurst, a suburb of Sydney.

[16] Living in Sydney, with a climate cooler than that of Rarotonga, led to an improvement in his health and thus Buzacott engaged in further work on behalf of the London Missionary Society.

[19] His funeral was held on 21 September, a Presbyterian minister reading from Scripture, and the procession then moving on to the Bourke Street Congregational Church where Rev Hartley, a Primitive Methodist, gave out the hymn.

[21] The work was concluded by several letters to Mrs. Buzacott written just after the death of her husband and in high estimation of him, and a list of diseases prevalent in the islands of the South Seas.

Today the two-story Takamoa Mission House in the coastal town of Avarua, erected by Aaron Buzacott, is a government office; and the settlement of Arorangi, established by the Rev.

The fourth sister, Charlotte, married the Reverend James Sewell and accompanied him to engage in missionary work at Madras, where she became involved in promoting female education in the area.