Sir James Shelley KBE (1884–1961) was a notable New Zealand university professor, educationalist, lecturer, critic and director of broadcasting.
[1] During the 1920s to the late 1940s James Shelley was a major influence on New Zealand's cultural and educational scene.
After graduating from Cambridge he taught for year, then lectured at various English training colleges and in the Education Dept.
Demanded B.Ed paper be cultural not professional ‘It is impossible for a student to judge of the value of educational processes unless he has a fair grasp of the basic elements of culture’.
Shelley, Outline of a Scheme for the establishment of a School of Education at Canterbury College, 4 October 1920, cited in Carter, Gadfly, p. 90 In the 1949 King's Birthday Honours, Shelley was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to education, broadcasting and drama.