Joel Samuel Polack
Joel Samuel Polack (28 March 1807 – 17 April 1882) was an English-born New Zealand and American businessman and writer. He was one of the first Jewish settlers in New Zealand, arriving in 1831. He is regarded as an authority on pre-colonial New Zealand and his two books are often cited. He was a maternal uncle of Alexander Salmon. Early life
Joel Samuel Polack was born in London, England on 28 March 1807 to Sarah and Solomon Joel Polack (died 1839). Originally from Holland, the family had settled in Ireland and then England where Soloman was a successful painter and engraver. Polack worked for the War Office (Commissariat and Ordnance) for four years, serving in South Africa and in Mauritius, before leaving to travel in America. In 1830 he joined his brother Abraham in New South Wales. First visit to New Zealand

In 1831 he arrived in New Zealand and settled in the Hokianga, exploring the surrounding area as well as Poverty Bay and the East Cape. As such he was one of the first Jews in the colony. In 1832 he moved to Kororareka (now Russell) in the Bay of Islands, establishing a successful general store. In 1835 he built New Zealand's first brewery. Critical of James Busby's weak administration he signed the 1837 petition requesting the British government assume responsibility for the protection and government of European settlers. Return to England
He returned to England in 1837 and the following year his Kororareka store, which had been used against his wishes to store military and naval explosives, was destroyed in an explosion. He fought unsuccessfully for years for compensation. In 1838 he appeared before a House of Lords Select Committee advocating planned colonisation of New Zealand. He believed that unorganised European settlement would destroy Māori society. He wrote two successful books based on his experiences in New Zealand, which he also illustrated. These books are an invaluable insight into pre-colonial New Zealand. Second visit to New Zealand
Polack returned to New Zealand in 1842 but his store was destroyed again in 1845, when Kororareka was attacked by Hone Heke—the Battle of Kororāreka commencing the Flagstaff War. He moved to Auckland (the new capital) where he operated a bonded warehouse and branched out into shipping, profiting from trade with California. From 1845 to 1848 he was the vice consul for the United States of America. Later life
In 1850 Polack left New Zealand for California. He settled in San Francisco, where he married Mary, the widow of William Hart (who had both lived in New Zealand). He died on 17 April 1882 (28 Nisan 5642) in San Francisco and was buried in the Laurel Hill cemetery. In 1946 his remains were moved to the Cypress Lawn Memorial Park. Writings
 New Zealand; Being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures during a Residence in that Country between the Years 1831 and 1837 (1838). Full text Vol. I, Vol. II
 Manners and Customs of the New Zealanders (1840). Full text Vol. I, Vol. II

See also
 History of the Jews in New Zealand

References

1807 births
1882 deaths
American brewers
American businesspeople in retailing
American business writers
American people of British-Jewish descent
British business writers
British Jewish writers
Merchants from London
Businesspeople from the San Francisco Bay Area
English emigrants to New Zealand
English Jews
Jewish American writers
New Zealand writers
New Zealand businesspeople in retailing
New Zealand emigrants to the United States
New Zealand Jews
New Zealand people of Dutch-Jewish descent
Businesspeople from Auckland
People from the Hokianga
Jewish New Zealand history
19th-century English businesspeople
Flagstaff War
19th-century American businesspeople
Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (San Francisco)
Burials at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park