George Hunter (politician, born 1859)

Sir George Hunter
George Hunter in c. 1930
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waipawa
In office 1896 – 1899
Preceded by	Charles Hall
Succeeded by	Charles Hall
In office 1911 – 20 August 1930
Preceded by	Charles Hall
Succeeded by	Albert Jull
Personal details
Born	1859 Wellington, New Zealand
Died	20 August 1930 Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Reform
Spouse(s)	Edith May Munro
Relations	George Hunter (father) George Hunter (grandfather)
Children	one daughter
Profession	Politician, farmer, breeder of race horses

Sir George Hunter (1859 – 20 August 1930) was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party. Born in Wellington, he took over his father's large landholding in the Hawke's Bay at age 18. He was a breeder of sheep and race horses, with his horse Cynisca winning the Wellington Cup three times in a row. Hunter was prominent in local politics, and represented the Waipawa electorate in the House of Representatives for a total of 22 years.

Hunter was born in Wellington in 1859. He was a son of George Hunter, and a grandson of George Hunter, the first Mayor of Wellington. He worked on his father's farm in Te Aro, which is now part of the Wellington central business district. The central part of the land is now covered by Upper Dixon Street, Percival Street, and Macdonald Crescent.

His father had a further 15,000 acres (6,100 ha) farm in Porangahau in the Hawke's Bay Region, which he took up in circa 1854. Through purchasing neighbouring land, he increased the size to 32,000 acres (13,000 ha). As his father lived in Wellington, the Porangahau farm was run by his father's brothers David and William. Hunter junior took over the running of the farm from his uncles in 1877, and owned it in partnership with his brother Paul. Hunter lived at Porangahau for most of his life. The brothers bred Thoroughbreds at their farm, which have won many prominent races. One of his most famous horses was Cynisca, which won three consecutive Wellington Cups. Like his father, Hunter was prominent in the administration of horse racing, and he submitted the Gaming Amendment Bill to Parliament. The brothers' partnership ended in 1908, with both taking half the land, George Hunter keeping the portion with the homestead.