13th_New_Zealand_Parliament

The 1896 general election was held on Wednesday, 4 December in the general electorates and on Thursday, 19 December in the Māori electorates, respectively.^[1] In the 1896 electoral redistribution, rapid population growth in the North Island required the transfer of three seats from the South Island to the north. Four electorates that previously existed were re-established (Geraldine, Manawatu, Motueka, and Taranaki), and three electorates were established for the first time (Ohinemuri, Hawera, and Pahiatua).^[2] A total of 74 MPs were elected; 34 represented North Island electorates, 36 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates.^[3] 337,024 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 76.1%.^[1]

Sessions

The 13th Parliament sat for four sessions (there were two sessions in 1897), and was prorogued on 15 November 1899.^[4]

More information Session, Opened ...

Session	Opened	Adjourned
first	6 April 1897	10 April 1897
second	23 September 1897	22 December 1897
third	24 June 1898	6 November 1898
fourth	23 June 1899	24 October 1899

Overview of seats

More information Affiliation, Members ...

Affiliation		Members
Affiliation		At election	At dissolution
	Liberal	37	35
	Liberal–Labour	4	4
Government total		41	39
	Conservative	27	29
	Independent	4	4
	Independent Liberal	2	2
Opposition total		33	35
Total		74	74
Working government majority		8	4

Ministries

The Liberal Government of New Zealand had taken office on 24 January 1891.^[5] The Seddon Ministry under Richard Seddon had taken office in 1893 during the term of the 11th Parliament.^[6] The Seddon Ministry remained in power for the whole term of this Parliament and held power until Seddon's death on 10 June 1906.^[7]

Initial composition of the 13th Parliament

The table below shows the results of the 1896 general election:

Key

Liberal Conservative Independent Liberal Liberal–Labour Independent

More information Electorate, Incumbent ...

Electorate results for the 1896 New Zealand general election^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]
Electorate	Incumbent			Majority
General electorates
Ashburton		John McLachlan	Edward George Wright	242^[12]	John McLachlan
Ashley		Richard Meredith		372^[13]	Henry Fear Reece^[14]
Auckland, City of		Thomas Thompson		2,516^[15]	Arthur Rosser
		Charles Button	James Job Holland	1,622^[15]
		William Crowther		1,328^[15]
Avon		William Tanner		457^[16]	George McIntyre^[16]
Awarua		Joseph Ward		783^[17]	Cuthbert Cowan^[18]
Bay of Islands		Robert Houston		627^[15]	John Press^[19]
Bay of Plenty		William Kelly	William Herries	132^[15]	William Kelly
Bruce		James Allen		1,059^[17]	William Auld
Buller		Roderick McKenzie	Patrick O'Regan	292^[20]	James Colvin^[21]
Caversham		Arthur Morrison		1,178^[17]	Thomas Sidey
Christchurch, City of		Charles Lewis		6,570^[22]	William Whitehouse Collins
		George Smith		5,940^[22]
		William Whitehouse Collins	Tommy Taylor	5,445^[22]
Clutha		Thomas Mackenzie	James Thomson	903^[17]	John Edie
Dunedin, City of		William Hutchison	Scobie Mackenzie	2,132^[17]	David Pinkerton
		David Pinkerton	John A. Millar	547^[17]
		William Earnshaw	Henry Fish	378^[17]
Eden		Edwin Mitchelson	John Bollard	214^[15]	Jackson Palmer
Egmont		Felix McGuire	Walter Symes	270^[23]	William Monkhouse
Ellesmere		William Montgomery Jr.		564^[24]	Frederick Arthur Anson^[14]
Franklin		Benjamin Harris	William Massey	474^[15]	Benjamin Harris
Geraldine	New electorate		Frederick Flatman	211^[25]	Arthur Rhodes
Grey		Arthur Guinness		1,777^[26]	Robert Francis Bell^[26]
Hawera	New electorate		Felix McGuire	36^[27]	Benjamin Robbins
Hawke's Bay		William Russell		833^[28]	Alfred Fraser^[29]
Invercargill		James Whyte Kelly^[30]		578^[31]	John Sinclair
Kaiapoi		David Buddo	Richard Moore	259^[13]	David Buddo
Lyttelton	New electorate		John Joyce	446^[32]	William Jacques
Manawatu	New electorate		John Stevens	71^[33]	Robert Bruce^[34]
Manukau		Maurice O'Rorke		215^[15]	Frank Buckland
Masterton		Alexander Hogg		263^[33]	Donald John Cameron^[35]
Marsden		Robert Thompson^[36]^{[nb 1]}		402^[15]	Alfred H Mason^[37]
Mataura		Robert McNab	George Richardson	201^[31]	Robert McNab
Motueka	New electorate		Roderick McKenzie	126^[38]	Richmond Hursthouse
Napier		Samuel Carnell	Douglas Maclean	747^[28]	Samuel Carnell
Nelson		John Graham		343^[39]	Jesse Piper
Oamaru		Thomas Duncan		771^[40]	James Dickson Sievwright
Ohinemuri	New electorate		Alfred Cadman	2,037^[15]	Edwin Edwards
Otaki		James Wilson	Henry Augustus Field	408^[33]	Alfred Newman
Pahiatua	New electorate		John O'Meara	30^[33]	Robert Manisty^[41]
Palmerston		Frederick Pirani^{[nb 2]}		50^[33]	David Buick^[42]
Parnell		Frank Lawry		470^[15]	Samuel Vaile^[43]
Patea		George Hutchison		605^[33]	Arthur Remington
Rangitikei		John Stevens	Frank Lethbridge	271^[33]	Walter A L Bailey^[44]^[45]
Riccarton		George Warren Russell	William Rolleston	391^[16]	George Warren Russell^{[nb 3]}
Selwyn		Alfred Saunders	Cathcart Wason	182^[47]	Alfred Saunders
Taieri		Walter Carncross		554^[17]	John Graham^[48]
Taranaki	New electorate		Henry Brown	97^[23]	Edward Smith
Thames		James McGowan		323^[49]	Edmund Taylor
Timaru		William Hall-Jones		640^[50]	Francis Henry Smith
Tuapeka		William Larnach		21^[17]	Charles Rawlins
Waiapu		James Carroll		368^[28]	Cecil Fitzroy^[51]
Waihemo		John McKenzie		554^[17]	John Duncan
Waikato		Alfred Cadman	Frederic Lang	1,012^[15]	Edward Walker
Waipawa		Charles Hall	George Hunter	211^[28]	Charles Hall
Waikouaiti		James Green	Edmund Allen	761^[17]	John J Ramsay
Wairarapa		Walter Clarke Buchanan		333^[33]	J. T. Marryat Hornsby
Wairau		Lindsay Buick	Charles H. Mills	58^[52]	Lindsay Buick^{[nb 4]}
Waitaki		William Steward		999^[55]	Duncan Sutherland
Waitemata		William Massey	Richard Monk	171^[15]	Heathcote Jackman^[56]^[57]^[58]
Wakatipu		William Fraser		335^[31]	James George
Wallace		James Mackintosh	Michael Gilfedder	116^[17]	Rev. Thomas Neave^[59]
Wanganui		Archibald Willis	Gilbert Carson	84^[33]	Archibald Willis
Wellington, City of		Robert Stout	Robert Stout^{[nb 5]}	475^[60]	Arthur Atkinson
		Francis Bell	John Hutcheson	580^[60]
		John Duthie	George Fisher	28^[60]
Wellington Suburbs		Alfred Newman	Thomas Wilford	252^[33]	Thomas William Hislop
Westland		Richard Seddon		1,883^[61]	Joseph Grimmond
Māori electorates
Eastern Maori		Wi Pere		1,744^[62]	Tamati Tautuhi
Northern Maori		Hone Heke		1,316^[63]	Eparaima Te Mutu Kapa
Southern Maori		Tame Parata		113^[64]	Thomas Ellison^{[nb 6]}
Western Maori		Ropata Te Ao	Henare Kaihau	731^[62]	Ropata Te Ao

Table footnotes:

[N 1]
Robert Thompson was regarded as Liberal in the previous Parliament
[N 2]
Frederick Pirani was regarded as Liberal in the previous Parliament
[N 3]
George Warren Russell distanced himself from the Liberal Party and, together with Frederick Pirani, unsuccessfully tried to form the Radical Party^[46]
[N 4]
Lindsay Buick distanced himself from the Liberal Party and became an Independent Liberal-Labour candidate^[53]^[54]
[N 5]
Robert Stout was regarded as Liberal in the previous Parliament
[N 6]
The affiliation of Thomas Ellison, who is listed in most contemporary sources under his Māori name Tame Rangiwahia Erihana, is not known

By-elections during 13th Parliament

There were a number of changes during the term of the 13th Parliament.

More information Electorate and by-election, Date ...

Electorate and by-election		Date		Cause
Suburbs of Wellington	1897	23 April	Thomas Wilford	Election declared void	Charles Wilson
Awarua	1897	5 August	Sir Joseph Ward	Bankruptcy	Sir Joseph Ward
City of Dunedin	1897	13 October	Henry Fish	Death	Alexander Sligo
City of Wellington	1898^[65]	9 March	Sir Robert Stout	Resignation	John Duthie
Mataura	1898	26 May	George Richardson	Bankruptcy	Robert McNab
Tuapeka	1898	2 November	William Larnach	Death	Charles Rawlins
City of Wellington	1899	25 July	John Hutcheson	Resignation	John Hutcheson

Notes

[1]
"General elections 1853–2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
[2]
McRobie 1989, p. 63.
[3]
Scholefield 1950, p. 90.
[4]
Scholefield 1950, p. 69.
[5]
Scholefield 1950, p. 40.
[6]
Scholefield 1950, pp. 40–41.
[7]
Hamer, David. "Seddon, Richard John - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
[8]
"The New Parliament". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. XXXI, no. 10478. 7 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
[9]
"The Elections". No. 5739. Christchurch: The Star. 5 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
[10]
"List of Candidates". No. 5733. Christchurch: The Star. 28 November 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
[11]
"The General Election". No. 1802. Dunstan Times. 18 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
[12]
"Public Notices". Ashburton Guardian. Vol. XVII, no. 4061. 7 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
[13]
"Election Notices". The Press. Vol. LIII, no. 9596. 10 December 1896. p. 8. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
[14]
"Electoral District of Ellesmere". The Press. Vol. LIII, no. 9585. 27 November 1896. p. 8. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
[15]
"The General Election". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
[16]
"Page 1 Advertisements Column 5". The Press. Vol. LIII, no. 9593. 7 December 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
[17]
"Otago". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
[18]
"The General Election". The Press. Vol. LIII, no. 9565. 4 November 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
[19]
"Interprovincial". North Otago Times. Vol. XXXVI, no. 8730. 18 November 1896. p. 4. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[20]
"Nelson". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[21]
"Buller Electoral District". Inangahua Times. Vol. XXI, no. 1092. 2 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[22]
"Page 3 Advertisements Column 3". The Star. No. 5740. 7 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
[23]
"The General Election". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[24]
"The General Election". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
[25]
"General Election". The Timaru Herald. Vol. LX, no. 2263. 8 December 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
[26]
"Electoral District of Grey". Grey River Argus. Vol. LVII, no. 9527. 11 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[27]
"Electoral District of Hawera". Hawera & Normanby Star. Vol. XXXIII, no. 3418. 9 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[28]
"The General Election". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
[29]
"To the Electors of Hawke's Bay". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. XXXI, no. 10465. 21 November 1896. p. 4. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
[30]
"The New Parliament". Otago Witness. No. 2232. 10 December 1896. p. 20. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
[31]
"Wakatipu Electoral District". No. 228. Christchurch: Mataura Ensign. 15 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
[32]
"Electoral District of Lyttelton". The Press. Vol. LIII, no. 9594. 7 December 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
[33]
"The General Election". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
[34]
"Electoral District of Manawatu". Manawatu Herald. 3 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
[35]
"Masterton Electorate". Wairarapa Daily Times. Vol. XVI, no. 5497. 28 November 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
[36]
"The General Election". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 285. 1 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[37]
"The National Association of New Zealand". Observer. Vol. XVI, no. 934. 5 December 1896. p. 14. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[38]
"Page 2 Advertisements Column 2". Colonist. Vol. XL, no. 8744. 15 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[39]
"The Nelson Election". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. XXX, no. 292. 10 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
[40]
"Electoral District of Oamaru". The Oamaru Mail. Vol. XXI, no. 6763. 10 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
[41]
"Pahiatua Electorate". Wairarapa Daily Times. Vol. XVI, no. 5498. 30 November 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
[42]
"David Buick : Member of Parliament for Palmerston North 1908–1918" (PDF). New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
[43]
"Electoral District of Parnell". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 284. 30 November 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
[44]
"Rangitikei Election". Vol. XVIII, no. 126. Feilding Star. 26 November 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[45]
"Obituary". Vol. XIII, no. 3146. Feilding Star. 20 January 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[46]
Rice, Geoffrey W. "Russell, George Warren". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
[47]
"Canterbury". Vol. XL, no. 8746. Colonist. 21 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
[48]
"Untitled". No. 5691. Christchurch: The Star. 9 October 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
[49]
"Electoral District of Thames". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXVIII, no. 8607. 10 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[50]
"Untitled". The Timaru Herald. Vol. LX, no. 2265. 10 December 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
[51]
"Notice of Nominations". Poverty Bay Herald. Vol. XXIII, no. 7788. 27 November 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
[52]
"Wairau". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 305. 23 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[53]
"Mr Buick as a Liberal". The Marlborough Express. Vol. XXXI, no. 272. 21 November 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[54]
Traue, J. E. "Buick, Thomas Lindsay". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
[55]
"Electoral District of Waitaki". The Oamaru Mail. Vol. XXI, no. 6764. 11 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
[56]
"St Alban's Church (Anglican)". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[57]
"Waitemata Electoral District". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 283. 28 November 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[58]
"The Waitemata Election". Auckland Star. Vol. XXVII, no. 256. 29 October 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
[59]
Cyclopedia Company Limited (1905). "The Rev. Thomas Neave". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Otago & Southland Provincial Districts. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
[60]
"A Mistake in the Wellington Vote". The Evening Post. 10 December 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
[61]
"Electoral District of Westland". West Coast Times. No. 10438. 17 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
[62]
"Untitled". Poverty Bay Herald. Vol. XXIV, no. 7816. 4 January 1897. p. 2. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
[63]
"Untitled". Poverty Bay Herald. Vol. XXIII, no. 7810. 24 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
[64]
"Untitled". The Evening Post. Vol. LIII, no. 1. 2 January 1897. p. 4. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
[65]
"The Wellington City Election". Vol. XXXII, no. 9384. Wanganui Herald. 10 March 1898. p. 2. Retrieved 22 August 2011.

References

McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.

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