Henry William Petre (1820 – 3 December 1889) was colonial treasurer of New Munster Province. He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 31 December 1853 to 6 November 1860, when he was disqualified for absence. Petre lived in the Hutt Valley, and with Vavasour and Charles Clifford established a sheep station in the Wairarapa. Governor Sir George Grey appointed Petre to be Postmaster-General on 13 August 1853, but his appointment was not accepted by the First Parliament that met in 1854, and he left for England early in the new year. The architect Francis Petre was his son.