Sir James Henry Gunson CMG CBE (26 October 1877 – 12 May 1963) was a New Zealand businessman and Mayor of Auckland City from 1915 to 1925.

In October 1916, now mayor of Auckland, James sold his father's stock and station agency to Wright Stephenson.

In later public life, he was responsible for the monument on One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) and the treeplanting of Cornwall Park fulfilling Sir John Logan Campbell's vision.

After the death of Sir James, the model was presented to the museum by his son Wallace Gunson, where it remains on display to this day.

During World War One while in the RAMC EB Gunson assisted Thomas Lewis, the noted clinical scientist, in achieving an improved understanding of the Effort Syndrome.