James Cowan (14 April 1870 – 6 September 1943) was a pākehā New Zealand non-fiction author, noted for his books on colonial history and Māori ethnography. A fluent Māori speaker, he interviewed many veterans of the New Zealand Wars. His book "The New Zealand wars: a history of the Māori campaigns and the pioneering period" (1922–23) is his best known.