John Hobbs (missionary)

At the end of 1822, Hobbs emigrated to Van Dieman's land in Tasmania, Australia to do missionary work among the convicts.

[2] Even with Hobbs' help, the Ngati Pou chief of Whangaroa, Te Ara (George), found it difficult to protect the mission in Wesleydale.

After Te Ara's death in 1827, the missionaries in the area were forced to flee to the Bay of Islands after hostile natives attacked the station.

Wesleyan authorities in Sydney were unwilling to abandon their missionary efforts in New Zealand, and established a new mission in the Hokianga district where thriving European businesses already existed.

He was called upon to tend to the sick, and his relationship with the Maori population was relatively successful due to his ability to speak their language fluently.