The Westland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1873 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital was

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . ...

Area and history

The area was part of

Canterbury Province The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential En ...

when the provinces were created in 1853. By 1868, triggered by the population growth associated with the

West Coast Gold Rush The West Coast Gold Rush, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, lasted from 1864 to 1867. Description The gold rush populated the area, which up until then had been visited by few Europeans. Gold was found near the Taramakau River in ...

, the West Coast region was separated from Canterbury Province with the formation of the County of Westland. The boundary to Canterbury was defined as the crest of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. This county was not a true province, as it had all the administrative powers of a provincial council, but saw the legislative powers remain with

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 ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. Members of Parliament were not happy with having to spend their time on local legislation, and in 1873 the government elevated the county to full provincial status – the last of the 10 New Zealand provinces to be established. The province covered an area roughly the same as the present day

Westland District Westland District is a Districts of New Zealand, territorial authority district on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is administered by the Westland District Council. The district's population is History ...

, on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

of New Zealand. The boundary with the Nelson Province was, as per

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

's proclamation from February 1853, the

Grey Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

and Arnold Rivers,

Lake Brunner Lake Brunner ( mi, Kōtuku Moana or ) is the largest lake in the West Coast Region of New Zealand, located southeast of Greymouth. The main settlement, Moana, is on its northern shore. It is an important settlement and waystation for local ...

, and from there to the headwaters of the Hurunui River through then virtually unknown territory. When

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

resigned as Westland county chairman the government appointed James Bonar. Bonar was chairman during the period of the

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicated ...

riots and is credited with "great tact in handling that explosive situation". In March

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

he swore in 640 special constables to suppress an

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

procession in

. Bonar was replaced by

Conrad Hoos Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washingto ...

, but later—when on 1 December 1873 Westland split from

—Bonar resumed, but as the provincial superintendent.

Anniversary Day

New Zealand law still provides for a

provincial anniversary day Public holidays in New Zealand (also known as statutory holidays) consist of a variety of cultural, national, and religious holidays that are legislated in New Zealand. Workers can get a maximum of 12 public holidays (eleven national holidays plu ...

Superintendents and officials

The Westland Province had one

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

: In 1874

John Lazar John Lazar (1 December 1801 − 8 June 1879) was an actor and theatre manager in Australia. He was Mayor of Adelaide from 1855 to 1858. History Lazar was born in Edinburgh, a son of Abraham Lazar, stockbroker, and his wife Rachel née Lazarus ...

, former Hokitika Town Clerk and Country Treasurer, was appointed Provincial Treasurer.

Legislation

No legislation passed by the Westland Provincial Council has survived to the present time.

References

External links

Map of the old provincial boundaries

The Seal of Westland
{{coord, 42, 42, 56, S, 170, 58, 5, E, region:NZ, display=title Provinces of New Zealand States and territories established in 1873 1876 disestablishments in New Zealand 1873 establishments in New Zealand