The 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's
first general election (held the previous year). It was dissolved on 15 September 1855 in preparation for
that year's election. 37 Members of the House of Representatives (MHRs) represented 24 electorates.
Parliamentary sessions
The Parliament sat for three sessions:
New Zealand had not yet obtained
responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...
(that is, the power to manage its own affairs), and so the 1st Parliament did not hold any significant power.
The 1st Parliament was held before the creation of either
political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
or the office of
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
. There were, however, appointments made to the
Executive Council (the formal institution upon which
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filin ...
is based). From 14 June 1854 to 2 August 1854, there was a four-person cabinet, New Zealand's
first ministry, led by
James FitzGerald, with
Henry Sewell
Henry Sewell (7 September 1807 – 14 May 1879) was a prominent 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first premier (an offic ...
,
Frederick Weld, and
Thomas Bartley (a fifth member,
Dillon Bell, also joined for a short time). Then, from 31 August 1854 to 2 September 1854, there was another four-person cabinet led by
Thomas Forsaith, with
James Macandrew
James Macandrew (1819(?) – 25 February 1887) was a New Zealand ship-owner and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1853 to 1887 and as the last Superintendent of Otago Province.
Early life
Macandrew was born in Scotland, prob ...
,
William Travers, and
Jerningham Wakefield. Some historians consider FitzGerald and Forsaith to be New Zealand's first Prime Ministers, but neither held any formal leadership role and since "responsible government" had not yet been obtained, they had little real power.
Henry Sewell
Henry Sewell (7 September 1807 – 14 May 1879) was a prominent 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first premier (an offic ...
, appointed shortly after the
2nd New Zealand Parliament
The 2nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 15 April 1856, following New Zealand's 1855 election. It was dissolved on 5 November 1860 in preparation for 1860–61 election. The 2nd Parliament was th ...
opened, is more often considered to have been the first Prime Minister.
On 17 August 1854 when the newly convened House of Representatives met,
Administrator of the Government
An administrator (administrator of the government or officer administering the government) in the constitutional practice of some countries in the Commonwealth is a person who fulfils a role similar to that of a governor or a governor-general.
...
(acting
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
)
Robert Wynyard
Robert Henry Wynyard (24 December 1802 – 6 January 1864) was a New Zealand colonial administrator, serving at various times as Lieutenant Governor of New Ulster Province, Administrator of the Government, and was the first Superintendent ...
was proposing to
prorogue
Prorogation in the Westminster system of government is the action of proroguing, or interrupting, a parliament, or the discontinuance of meetings for a given period of time, without a dissolution of parliament. The term is also used for the peri ...
the General Assembly as he had not received authority from London. Sewell wanted to continue the debate and the suspension of standing orders was moved. The minority "Wakefieldites" (followers of
Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Edward Gibbon Wakefield (20 March 179616 May 1862) is considered a key figure in the establishment of the colonies of South Australia and New Zealand (where he later served as a member of parliament). He also had significant interests in Brit ...
) opposed the move and tried to leave so that there would not be two-thirds of members present. This led to a violent turn when Sewell was reported to have pounced on the member for Nelson
James Mackay and seized him by the throat. Suspension was moved an hour later when some members of the absent majority returned. Mackay was later found guilty of gross and premeditated contempt. There were moves to find the member from Dunedin
James Macandrew
James Macandrew (1819(?) – 25 February 1887) was a New Zealand ship-owner and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1853 to 1887 and as the last Superintendent of Otago Province.
Early life
Macandrew was born in Scotland, prob ...
guilty of contempt for entering the house with his hat on, but this was withdrawn.
The 1st Parliament consisted of thirty-seven representatives representing twenty-four electorates. Two regions of the colony (the inland regions of the lower
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...
and the northwest corner of the
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
) were not part of any electorate, and so were not represented.
Electoral boundaries for the 1st Parliament
Initial composition of the 1st Parliament
Changes during term
There were few changes during the term of the 1st Parliament, with only three by-elections being held. There were six resignations and one death during 1855, and those seats remained vacant for the remainder of the term.
;Christchurch Country
Stuart-Wortley resigned on 18 July 1855. His seat remained vacant.
;City of Auckland
Bartley resigned on 11 July 1854. He was replaced by
William Brown, who was elected on 4 August 1854.
;City of Wellington
Kelham resigned on 3 August 1855. His seat remained vacant.
;Dunedin Country
Cutten resigned on 23 July 1855. His seat remained vacant.
;Hutt
Ludlam resigned on 9 July 1855. His seat remained vacant.
;Town of Nelson & Waimea
Cautley, MP for Waimea, and Travers, MP for Town of Nelson, both resigned on 26 May 1854. Travers subsequently contested the Waimea seat that Cautley had vacated, being elected on 21 June. Travers' own Nelson seat was won by
Samuel Stephens on 19 June. Stephens died on 26 June 1855. His seat remained vacant.
;Wairau
Weld resigned on 13 June 1855. His seat remained vacant.
;Wanganui and Rangitikei
Featherston resigned on 9 August 1855. His seat remained vacant.
Notes
References
*
*
* {{cite book
, last = Wilson
, first = David
, last2 = Rankin
, first2 = Carol
, title = Tales of Two Contempts
, publisher = Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives
, year = 1998
, isbn = 0-477-01812-2
01