The

New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 (15 & 16 Vict. c. 72) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that granted self-government to the Colony of New Zealand. It was the second such Act, the previous 1846 Act not having been fully i ...

authorised the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

to establish new

electoral districts An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

and to alter the boundaries of, or abolish, existing districts whenever this was deemed necessary. The rapid growth of New Zealand's European population in the early years of representative government (particularly in

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

) meant changes to electoral districts were implemented frequently, both at

general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, and on four occasions as supplementary elections within the lifetime of a parliament.

1859 supplementary election

The Electoral Districts Act 1858 established four new electorates; Marsden and

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 ...

in the North Island, and Cheviot and

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 ...

in the South Island. Elections were held from 7 November to 18 December 1859 during the term of the

2nd New Zealand Parliament The 2nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament, Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 15 April 1856, following New Zealand's 1855 New Zealand general election, 1855 election. It was dissolved on 5 November 1860 in prep ...

and required redrawing of the electoral boundaries of

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...

, Northern Division, Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay (renamed as County of Hawke), Wairau,

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 ...

and

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 ...

electorates.

Results

Wairarapa

The Wairarapa election was won unopposed by Charles Carter on 7 November 1859.

Marsden

The Marsden election was won by

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 ...

on 29 November 1859. On nomination day (21 November) James Farmer and John Munro were nominated, and after a show of hands in favour of Farmer, Munro demanded a poll. James Farmer was subsequently elected the following week, although voting figures are currently unknown.

Wallace

The Wallace election was won unopposed by

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), ...

on 30 November 1859.

Cheviot

The Cheviot election was won unopposed by

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 ...

on 18 December 1859.

1863 supplementary election

The Representation Act 1862 added two new electorates and four additional MPs to

Otago Province The Otago Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital of the province was Dunedin. Southland Province split from Otago in 1861, but became part of the province again in 1870. Area an ...

in the South of the South Island. Gold Fields electorate was overlaid over the entire province, and the electorates of Bruce and City of Dunedin were substantially redrawn, with City of Dunedin disappearing and two new electorates,

Dunedin and Suburbs North Dunedin and Suburbs North was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand from 1863 to 1866. It was a multi-member electorate. History During the second session (from 7 July to 15 September 1862) of the 3rd Parliam ...

and

Dunedin and Suburbs South Dunedin and Suburbs South was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand from 1862 to 1866. From 1863 it was a multi-member electorate. History During the second session (from 7 July to 15 September 1862) of the 3 ...

replacing it. Elections were held from 28 March to 14 April 1863. All electorates before and after changes returned two members, with each of the previous incumbents in City of Dunedin being assigned an incumbency in one of the Dunedin Suburbs electorates although Thomas Dick resigned before taking up his entitlement in Dunedin and Suburbs North.

Results

Dunedin and Suburbs North

The Dunedin and Suburbs North election was won unopposed by John Richardson on 28 March 1863.

Dunedin and Suburbs South

The Dunedin and Suburbs South election was won by William Reynolds on 6 April 1863. On nomination day (2 April) Reynolds,

William Cutten William Henry Cutten (10 April 1822 – 30 June 1883) was a New Zealand politician from the Otago region. Biography Cutten was born in London in 1822. He received a good education and then studied law, which earned him a job at the departme ...

and

Julius Vogel Sir Julius Vogel (24 February 1835 – 12 March 1899) was the eighth premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works. He was the first Jewish prime min ...

were nominated, and after a show of hands in favour of Reynolds, Cutten and Vogel demanded a poll. Reynolds was subsequently elected the following week.

Gold Fields

The election returned two members, and was won unopposed by

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963), Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. known also as Billy Baldwin,is an America ...

and George Brodie on 14 April 1863.

1868 supplementary election

The Westland Representation Act 1867 introduced changes to the Waimea and

Westland Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila ...

electorates. Their areas were reassigned and four electorates formed. Waimea lost some area, but continued to exist. Westland was abolished in 1867. A new electorate

Westland Boroughs Westland Boroughs was a parliamentary electorate in the West Coast of New Zealand from 1866 to 1870. Population centres Westland Boroughs was made up of the areas covered by the boroughs of Greymouth and Hokitika. The enabling legislation allow ...

(comprising the towns of Greymouth and Hokitika) was established, and the Act stipulated that the sitting Westland member,

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 ...

, was transferred to it. Other new electorates,

Westland North Westland North was a parliamentary electorate on the West Coast of New Zealand from 1868 to 1870. History The Westland Representation Act 1867 introduced changes to the Waimea and Westland electorates. Their areas were reassigned and four elec ...

and

Westland South Westland South was a parliamentary electorate on the West Coast of New Zealand from 1868 to 1870. History The Westland Representation Act 1867 introduced changes to the Waimea and Westland electorates. Their areas were reassigned and four elec ...

held elections from 3–9 April 1868.

Results

Westland South

The Westland South election was won by

Edmund Barff Edmund Barff (5 March 1833 – 29 June 1882) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from the West Coast, New Zealand. Barff was born in the English county of Kent on 5 March 1833, probably at Lee (now part of Greater London), where he was ba ...

on 6 April 1868. On nomination day (30 March) Barff and

Charles Button Charles Edward Button (23 August 1838 – 27 December 1920) was a solicitor, Supreme Court judge, Mayor of Hokitika and later Birkenhead, and an independent conservative Member of Parliament in New Zealand. Born in Tasmania, he came to New Zeala ...

were nominated, and after a show of hands in favour of Button, a poll was demanded. Edmund Barff was subsequently elected the following week.

Westland North

The Westland North election was won by Timothy Gallagher on 9 April 1868. On nomination day (4 April) Gallagher, George Donne, and George Horne were nominated, and after a show of hands in favour of Horne, Donne demanded a poll. Timothy Gallagher was subsequently elected the following week.

1868 Māori election

The Maori Representation Act 1867 established four electorates to represent the indigenous Māori population. The European (or General) electorates at the time only enfranchised adult males who were the owners of freehold or leasehold land, and as Māori land was generally communally owned under customary title this put them outside the definitions of the Constitution Act, and unable to register to vote.

Elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

to the four electorates;

Eastern Maori Eastern Maori was one of New Zealand's four original parliamentary Māori electorates established in 1868, along with Northern Maori, Western Maori and Southern Maori. In 1996, with the introduction of MMP, the Maori electorates were updated, an ...

Northern Maori Northern Maori was one of New Zealand's four original parliamentary Māori electorates established in 1868, along with Eastern Maori, Western Maori and Southern Maori. In 1996, with the introduction of MMP, the Maori electorates were updated, an ...

Southern Maori Southern Maori was one of New Zealand's four original parliamentary Māori electorates established in 1868, along with Eastern Maori, Western Maori and Eastern Maori. In 1996, with the introduction of MMP, the Maori electorates were updated, an ...

and

Western Maori Western Maori was one of New Zealand's four original parliamentary Māori electorates established in 1868, along with Northern Maori, Eastern Maori and Southern Maori. In 1996, with the introduction of MMP, the Maori electorates were updated, ...

were held on or around 15 April 1868.

References

{{Parliament of NZ Elections in New Zealand 1859 elections in New Zealand 1863 elections in New Zealand 1868 elections in New Zealand