2nd New Zealand Parliament
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2nd 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: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
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 the first under which New Zealand had
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 bran ...
, meaning that unlike previously, the
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 * Filing ...
was chosen (although not officially appointed) by Parliament rather than by the
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 ...
.


Historical context

At this time political parties had not been established (they were not established until after the 1890 election), meaning that anyone attempting to form an administration had to win support directly from individual MPs. This made forming (and retaining) a government difficult. The
Sewell Ministry The Sewell Ministry was the first responsible government in New Zealand. Unlike previous executives, its members were held accountable to Parliament. This would form the basis for future governments in New Zealand. The ministry formed in 1856, ...
, the first
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 bran ...
, led by
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 office th ...
, lasted only two weeks. The first Fox Ministry, the second responsible government, led by William Fox, also lasted only two weeks. The third responsible government, the first Stafford Ministry, led by Edward Stafford, was more stable, governing for the remainder of the 2nd Parliament and for the beginning of the
3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...
.


Parliamentary sessions

Parliament sat for three sessions:


Electoral boundaries for the 2nd Parliament

The 2nd Parliament, which initially used the same electoral boundaries as 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-largest ...
and the north-west 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. The 1858 Amendment changed the boundaries to:


Initial composition of the 2nd Parliament


Changes during term

The turnover of MPs was very high in the 2nd Parliament, with 32 by-elections and a supplementary election being held. This situation was partly the result of a redistribution of boundaries to seven electorates, and the creation of four new electorates – agreed upon in the ''Electoral Districts Act, 1858'', with the total number of MPs in Parliament rising from 37 to 41, and the number of electorates rising from 24 to 28. The northern portion of the Northern Division electorate was split off and became the electorate of Marsden. The Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay electorate was split into two separate components, and . All the previously unincorporated areas in 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-largest ...
were divided between Wairarapa, County of Hawke, , and . In 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 ...
, the southern portion of Wairau electorate, plus part of
Christchurch Country Christchurch Country was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region of New Zealand from 1853 to 1860. It was thus one of the original 24 electorates used for the 1st New Zealand Parliament. Geography The area covered by the Christchurc ...
, became the new Cheviot electorate. The western portion of
Dunedin Country Dunedin Country was a parliamentary electorate in the rural area surrounding the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, from 1853 to 1860. It was a two-member electorate and was represented by a total of five members of parliament. Population c ...
was split off and became the new
Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...
electorate. The northwest of the South Island remained the colony's only territory not part of an electorate. Members of Parliament belonging to one of the electorates that was split could choose which of the two new electorates they would want to represent, and by-elections were held during 1859 in the thus unrepresented electorates. At the opening of the 6th session of the Parliament on 10 April 1858, the
speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...
read out 14 resignations.


Existing electorates

;Akaroa Cuff resigned in 1858 and was succeeded by
William Sefton Moorhouse William Sefton Moorhouse ( 1825 – 15 September 1881) was a British-born New Zealand politician. He was the second Superintendent of Canterbury Province. Early life Moorhouse was born in Yorkshire, England, and baptised on 18 December 1825; th ...
. ;Auckland Suburbs Merriman resigned on 13 March 1860. He was succeeded by Joseph Hargreaves, who was elected on 5 April 1860, and resigned on 24 July 1860. Hargreaves was replaced by Logan Campbell, who was returned unopposed on 4 August 1860. Brodie resigned on 6 December 1859 and was succeeded by
Theophilus Heale Theophilus Heale (1816–1885) was a 19th-century British Pākehā settler, later a Member of Parliament from Auckland, New Zealand. Biography Heale was the captain part-owner of one of the first British migrant ships to arrive in Wellington ...
. ;Christchurch Country Brittin resigned in 1856, returned to England on 'urgent business' and did not return to New Zealand. He was succeeded in 1856 by
John Ollivier John Ollivier (25 March 1812 – 31 July 1893) was a Member of Parliament in New Zealand, but was better known for his membership of the Canterbury Provincial Council. He was the second chairman of the Christchurch Town Council. Early lif ...
, who himself resigned in 1860. Ollivier was succeeded by
Isaac Cookson Isaac Cookson (1679–1743) was the founder of Cookson Group, a United Kingdom-based materials technology businesses. Career Baptised and brought up in Penrith, Isaac Cookson moved to Newcastle upon Tyne in 1704 to further his career. In partner ...
. Hall resigned in 1860 and was succeeded by
Charles Hunter Brown Charles Hunter Brown (1825–1898) was a New Zealand politician from Canterbury, New Zealand. He represented Christchurch Country Christchurch Country was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region of New Zealand from 1853 to 1 ...
. ;City of Auckland Campbell resigned in 1858. He was succeeded by
Thomas Forsaith Thomas Spencer Forsaith, JP (18 July 1814 – 29 November 1898), was a New Zealand politician and an Auckland draper. According to some historians, he was the country's second premier, although a more conventional view states that neither he nor ...
. Beckham resigned in 1859. He was succeeded by Archibald Clark. ;City of Wellington In 1858, Featherston and Fitzherbert resigned their seats in Parliament. Featherston apparently wanted to return to England. Instead, he successfully stood for re-election within months. The other person returned in the same by-election was
William Barnard Rhodes William Barnard Rhodes (1807? – 11 February 1878), casually referred to as Barney Rhodes, was a New Zealand landowner, pastoralist, businessman and politician. He was probably born in Lincolnshire, England, but took up a career at sea at an ...
. ;County of Hawke The renamed County of Hawke (it had previously been Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay, until its southern portion was made into the separate electorate of
Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...
). Thomas Henry FitzGerald was elected as its representative on 26 April 1860. ;Dunedin Country John and his father William Cargill resigned in 1858 and October 1859, respectively. The first vacancy was filled by
John Parkin Taylor John Parkin Taylor (1812 – 12 August 1875) was a 19th-century New Zealand wiktionary:runholder, runholder, and a politician in Otago and Southland, New Zealand, Southland. In his early life, Taylor lived in various countries and studied langua ...
, who retired from parliament at the end of this term. The second vacancy was filled by
Thomas Gillies Thomas Bannatyne Gillies (17 January 1828 – 26 July 1889) was a 19th-century New Zealand lawyer, judge and politician. Early life He was born at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, on 17 January 1828. He was the eldest of nine children of ...
. ;Grey and Bell Brown resigned on 16 August 1856 to (unsuccessfully) contest the Taranaki superintendency. He was again elected in 1858 and resigned in 1860, when his militia service required his full attention. In between Brown's terms,
John Lewthwaite John Lewthwaite (1816 – 2 August 1892) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in the Taranaki Region of New Zealand. He represented the Grey and Bell Grey and Bell was a Taranaki electorate in the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 to 1881 ...
(who resigned in 1858) represented the electorate. ;Hutt Bell resigned in 1858 and was succeeded by
William Fitzherbert William Fitzherbert may refer to: *Saint William of York, Archbishop of York *William Fitzherbert (New Zealand politician) (1810–1891), New Zealand politician * Sir William FitzHerbert, 1st Baronet (1748–1791), of Derbyshire *William Fitzherb ...
. Ludlam, the other representative of Hutt, resigned in 1856 and was replaced by
Samuel Revans Samuel Revans (ca. 1807 – 14 July 1888) was a New Zealand newspaper owner, entrepreneur and politician. He was the ''Father of Journalism in New Zealand.'' Early life Samuel Revans is known to have been a native of London but, as was commo ...
, who resigned again on 22 March 1858 and was succeeded by
Alfred Renall Alfred William Renall (1813 – 30 January 1902) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa, New Zealand. He represented the Hutt Valley electorate of Hutt from 1858 to 1866 when he retired. He had been a May ...
. ;Motueka and Massacre Bay Parker resigned in 1856 and was succeeded by
Herbert Curtis Herbert Evelyn Curtis (1818–1890) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in Nelson, New Zealand. He represented the Motueka and Massacre Bay electorate from to 1860, then the Motueka electorate from 1861 Statistically, this year is ...
. ;Omata East resigned in 1860. The subsequent by-election on 16 April 1860 was won unopposed by
James Crowe Richmond James Crowe Richmond (22 September 1822 – 19 January 1898) was a New Zealand politician, engineer, and an early painter in watercolours of the New Zealand landscape. Early life Richmond was born in London, England, the son of Christopher Ric ...
. ;Pensioner Settlements Greenwood resigned and Captain
Jermyn Symonds Captain John Jermyn Symonds (4 January 1816 – 3 January 1883) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in Auckland, New Zealand. He purchased land for the New Zealand Company and was later a judge of the Native Land Court. Biography Symonds was ...
was elected on 30 April 1858. ;Southern Division Taylor resigned on 13 April 1858 and was succeeded through an 1858 by-election by
Theodore Haultain Theodore Minet Haultain (27 May 1817 – 18 October 1902) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician and Minister of Colonial Defence (1865–69). He came to New Zealand as a soldier and farmed in south Auckland. Personal life Theodore Minet Ha ...
. ;Town of Christchurch Sewell resigned his seat in late 1856 to return to England. He was succeeded by Richard Packer. Packer resigned in 1859. Sewell, having returned from England, won the 1860 by-election. He did not seek re-election at the end of the term, but was appointed Registrar-General of Lands towards the end of 1860. ;Town of Dunedin Macandrew resigned on 2 November 1858. He successfully contested the January 1859 by-election in the same electorate. ;Town of Lyttelton FitzGerald] resigned in 1857 due to ill health.
Crosbie Ward Crosbie Ward (10 February 1832 – 10 November 1867) was a 19th-century member of parliament in New Zealand. Early life Ward was born in Killinchy in County Down, Ireland, in 1832. His father was Rev. Henry Ward. His paternal grandfather was ...
won the resulting by-election in May 1858. ;Waimea Elliot resigned in 1858. He was succeeded by
David Monro Sir David Monro (27 March 1813 – 15 February 1877) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1861 to 1870. Early life Monro was born in Edinburgh. His father was Alexander Monro, ...
, who had already represented the electorate in the 1st Parliament. Travers resigned in 1859 and was succeeded by
Fedor Kelling John Fedor Augustus Kelling, JP (11 February 1820 – 24 October 1909), known as Fedor Kelling, was a 19th-century Member of the New Zealand Parliament, representing Nelson. A leader of a group of immigrants from Germany, he also served as the ...
. ;Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay Smith resigned on 10 March 1858. He was succeeded by
James Burne Ferguson James Burne Ferguson was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in New Zealand. He represented the Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay electorate from 1858 to 1860, when he resigned. In the by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in ...
. ;Wairau Wells resigned in 1858. He was succeeded by
Frederick Weld Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld (9 May 1823 – 20 July 1891), was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the sixth premier of New Zealand, and later served as Governor of Western Australia, Governor of Tasman ...
, who had already represented the electorate in the 1st Parliament. ;Wellington Country Ward resigned on 22 March 1858. He was succeeded by Alfred Brandon.


New electorates

;Cheviot Cheviot was first created in 1859, with
Edward Jollie Edward Jollie (1 September 1825 – 7 August 1894) was a pioneer land surveyor in New Zealand, initially as a cadet surveyor with the New Zealand Company. The Christchurch Central City is laid out to his survey. Biography Jollie was born in ...
its first representative. ;Marsden Marsden was established in 1859.
James Farmer James Leonard Farmer Jr. (January 12, 1920 – July 9, 1999) was an American civil rights activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement "who pushed for nonviolent protest to dismantle segregation, and served alongside Martin Luther King Jr." H ...
was the first representative, elected on 16 December 1859. ;Wairarapa The Wairarapa electorate was created in 1859. Charles Carter was the first elected representative. ;Wallace The Wallace electorate was created in 1859 and the first elections held on 30 November.
Dillon Bell Sir Francis Dillon Bell (8 October 1822 – 15 July 1898) was a New Zealand politician of the late 19th century. He served as New Zealand's third Minister of Finance (New Zealand), Minister of Finance (the first parliamentary finance minister), ...
was the first elected representative.


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * *{{cite book , last= Wilson , first= James Oakley , title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 , edition= 4th , orig-year=First published in 1913 , year= 1985 , publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer , location= Wellington , oclc= 154283103


External links


Cartoon of drunk MP, 1856
by Alfred Domett 02