2nd_New_Zealand_Parliament

2nd New Zealand Parliament

Term of the Parliament of New Zealand

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 the first under which New Zealand had responsible government, meaning that unlike previously, the Cabinet was chosen (although not officially appointed) by Parliament rather than by the Governor-General of New Zealand.

Quick Facts Overview, Legislative body ...

2nd Parliament of New Zealand

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1st Parliament

3rd Parliament

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Overview

Legislative body

New Zealand Parliament

Term

15 April 1856 – 5 November 1860

Election

1855 New Zealand general election

Government

Sewell ministry (until 1856)
First Fox ministry (1856)
First Stafford ministry (from 1856)

House of Representatives

Members

Speaker of the House

Sir Charles Clifford

Colonial Secretary

Edward Stafford
— from 2 June 1856
William Fox
— 20 May – 2 June 1856
Henry Sewell
— until 20 May 1856

Legislative Council

Members

13 (at start)
19 (at end)

Speaker of the Council

Thomas Bartley
— Frederick Whitaker until 12 May 1856

Sovereign

Monarch

HM Queen Victoria

Governor

HE Rt. Hon Colonel Thomas Browne

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 first responsible government, led by Henry Sewell, 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.

Parliamentary sessions

Parliament sat for three sessions:^[1]

More information Session, from ...

Session	from	to
First	15 Apr 1856	16 Aug 1856
Second	10 Aug 1858	21 Aug 1858
Third	30 Jul 1860	5 Nov 1860

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 and the north-west corner of the South Island) were not part of any electorate, and so were not represented.

The 1858 Amendment changed the boundaries to:

Initial composition of the 2nd Parliament

More information Member, Electorate ...

Member	Electorate	Province	MP's term	Election date
John Cuff	Akaroa	Canterbury	First	28 December^[2]
John Logan Campbell	City of Auckland	Auckland	First	27 October^[3]
Thomas Beckham	City of Auckland	Auckland	First	27 October^[4]
William Daldy	City of Auckland	Auckland	First	27 October^[2]
Frederick Merriman	Auckland Suburbs	Auckland	Second	27 October^[5]
Walter Brodie	Auckland Suburbs	Auckland	First	27 October^[6]
Hugh Carleton	Bay of Islands	Auckland	Second	24 November^[3]
Dingley Brittin	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	First	20 December^[6]
John Hall	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	First	20 December^[7]
Henry Sewell	Town of Christchurch	Canterbury	Second	18 December^[8]
John Cargill	Dunedin Country	Otago	Second	11 December^[3]
William Cargill	Dunedin Country	Otago	First	11 December^[3]
James Macandrew	Town of Dunedin	Otago	Second	11 December^[9]
Charles Brown	Grey and Bell	New Plymouth	First	8 November^[6]
Alfred Ludlam	Hutt	Wellington	Second	16 November^[10]
Dillon Bell	Hutt	Wellington	First	16 November^[4]
James FitzGerald	Town of Lyttelton	Canterbury	Second	21 December^[11]
Charles Parker	Motueka and Massacre Bay	Nelson	First	8 November^[12]
Alfred Domett	Town of Nelson	Nelson	First	12 November^[13]
Edward Stafford	Town of Nelson	Nelson	First	12 November^[14]
William Richmond	Town of New Plymouth	New Plymouth	First	5 November^[15]
Thomas Henderson	Northern Division	Auckland	First	27 October^[16]
Walter Lee	Northern Division	Auckland	Second	27 October^[10]
Alfred East	Omata	New Plymouth	First	10 November^[13]
John Williamson	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	First	27 October^[17]
Joseph Greenwood	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	Second	27 October^[18]
Charles Taylor	Southern Division	Auckland	Second	26 October^[19]
Robert Graham	Southern Division	Auckland	First	26 October^[18]
Charles Elliott	Waimea	Nelson	First	5 November^[20]
William Travers	Waimea	Nelson	Second	5 November^[20]
John Smith	Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay	Wellington	First	26 November^[21]
William Wells	Wairau	Nelson	First	19 November^[22]
William Fox	Wanganui and Rangitikei	Wellington	First	27 November^[23]
Charles Clifford	City of Wellington	Wellington	Second	13 November^[24]
Isaac Featherston	City of Wellington	Wellington	Second	13 November^[25]
William Fitzherbert	City of Wellington	Wellington	First	13 November^[11]
Dudley Ward	Wellington Country	Wellington	First	15 November^[26]

Changes during term

Montage of portraits depicting members of the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Clerk of the House, during the Second Parliament in 1860. Government House, Auckland, is at the top. This is the first photo taken of the New Zealand Parliament.

The key that goes with the montage of portraits.

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.^[27] The Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay electorate was split into two separate components, Wairarapa and County of Hawke. All the previously unincorporated areas in the lower North Island were divided between Wairarapa, County of Hawke, Wanganui and Rangitikei, and Wellington Country.^[27]

In the South Island, the southern portion of Wairau electorate, plus part of Christchurch Country, became the new Cheviot electorate.^[28] The western portion of Dunedin Country was split off and became the new Wallace electorate. The northwest of the South Island remained the colony's only territory not part of an electorate.^[28]

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.^[29]

At the opening of the 6th session of the Parliament on 10 April 1858,^[30] the speaker read out 14 resignations.^[31]

More information By-election, Electorate ...

By-election	Electorate	Date	Incumbent	Reason	Winner
1856	Motueka and Massacre Bay	19 May	Charles Parker^[12]	Resignation	Herbert Curtis^[2]^[32]
1856	Christchurch Country^[33]	14 October	Dingley Brittin^[6]	Resignation	John Ollivier^[34]
1856	Grey and Bell	14 October	Charles Brown^[6]	Resignation	John Lewthwaite^[10]
1856	Town of Christchurch^[35]	18 November	Henry Sewell^[8]	Resignation	Richard Packer^[12]
1856	Hutt	27 November	Alfred Ludlam^[10]	Resignation	Samuel Revans^[36]
1858	City of Auckland	27 April	John Logan Campbell^[3]	Resignation	Thomas Forsaith^[23]
1858	Pensioner Settlements^[37]	29 April	Joseph Greenwood^[18]	Resignation	Jermyn Symonds^[38]
1858	Southern Division	8 May	Charles Taylor^[19]	Resignation	Theodore Haultain^[39]
1858	Grey and Bell	17 May	John Lewthwaite^[10]	Resignation	Charles Brown^[6]
1858	Waimea	21 May	Charles Elliott^[13]	Resignation	David Monro^[40]
1858	Wairau	21 May	William Wells^[22]	Resignation	Frederick Weld^[22]
1858	Town of Lyttelton	28 May	James FitzGerald^[11]	Resignation	Crosbie Ward^[26]
1858	Akaroa	31 May	John Cuff^[2]	Resignation	William Moorhouse^[40]
1858	Dunedin Country	16 June	John Cargill^[3]	Resignation	John Taylor^[19]
1858^[41]	Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay	22 July	J. Valentine Smith^[21]	Resignation	James Ferguson^[25]
1858	City of Wellington	27 July	Isaac Featherston William Fitzherbert^[11]	Resignations	Isaac Featherston William Rhodes^[42]
1858	Wellington Country	29 July	Dudley Ward^[26]	Resignation	Alfred Brandon^[6]
1858	Hutt	31 July	Dillon Bell^[4] Samuel Revans^[36]	Resignations	Alfred Renall^[10] William Fitzherbert^[11]
1859	Town of Dunedin	14 January	James Macandrew	Resignation	James Macandrew^[9]
Supplementary election, 1859
Cheviot		18 December^[43]			Edward Jollie
Marsden		29 November^[25]			James Farmer
Wairarapa		7 November^[24]			Charles Carter
Wallace		30 November^[4]			Dillon Bell
By-election	Electorate	Date	Incumbent	Reason	Winner
2nd Parliament (continued)
1859	Waimea	26 December	William Travers	Resignation	Fedor Kelling
1860	Town of Christchurch^[44]	18 January	Richard Packer	Resignation	Henry Sewell
1860 (1st)	Suburbs of Auckland	25 January	Walter Brodie	Resignation	Theophilus Heale
1860	Dunedin Country	28 March	William Cargill^[3]	Resignation	Thomas Gillies^[45]
1860 (1st)	Christchurch Country	2 April	John Ollivier	Resignation	Isaac Cookson
1860	City of Auckland	5 April	Thomas Beckham	Resignation	Archibald Clark
1860 (2nd)	Suburbs of Auckland	5 April	Frederick Merriman	Resignation	Joseph Hargreaves
1860	Omata	16 April	Alfred East	Resignation	James Richmond
1860 (2nd)	Christchurch Country	21 April	John Hall	Resignation	Charles Brown
1860	County of Hawke	26 April	James Ferguson	Resignation	Thomas Fitzgerald
1860	Northern Division^[46]	23 May	Thomas Henderson	Resignation	Thomas Henderson
1860	Grey and Bell^[47]	28 May	Charles Brown	Resignation	Thomas King
1860 (3rd)	Suburbs of Auckland	4 August	Joseph Hargreaves	Resignation	John Logan Campbell

Existing electorates

Akaroa

Cuff resigned in 1858^[31] and was succeeded by William Sefton Moorhouse.

Auckland Suburbs

Merriman resigned on 13 March 1860.^[48] He was succeeded by Joseph Hargreaves, who was elected on 5 April 1860, and resigned on 24 July 1860.^[39] Hargreaves was replaced by Logan Campbell, who was returned unopposed on 4 August 1860.^[49]

Brodie resigned on 6 December 1859^[48] and was succeeded by Theophilus Heale.^[50]

Christchurch Country

Brittin resigned in 1856, returned to England on 'urgent business' and did not return to New Zealand.^[51] He was succeeded in 1856 by John Ollivier,^[52] who himself resigned in 1860. Ollivier was succeeded by Isaac Cookson.

Hall resigned in 1860 and was succeeded by Charles Hunter Brown.

City of Auckland

Campbell resigned in 1858.^[31] He was succeeded by Thomas Forsaith.

Beckham resigned in 1859. He was succeeded by Archibald Clark.^[53]

City of Wellington

In 1858, Featherston and Fitzherbert resigned their seats in Parliament.^[31] Featherston apparently wanted to return to England.^[54] Instead, he successfully stood for re-election within months. The other person returned in the same by-election was William Barnard Rhodes.^[55]

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). Thomas Henry FitzGerald was elected as its representative on 26 April 1860.

Dunedin Country

John and his father William Cargill resigned in 1858^[31] and October 1859, respectively. The first vacancy was filled by John Parkin Taylor, who retired from parliament at the end of this term. The second vacancy was filled by Thomas Gillies.^[48]

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.^[56] In between Brown's terms, John Lewthwaite (who resigned in 1858) represented the electorate.^[31]

Hutt

Bell resigned in 1858^[31] and was succeeded by William Fitzherbert. Ludlam, the other representative of Hutt, resigned in 1856 and was replaced by Samuel Revans, who resigned again on 22 March 1858^[31] and was succeeded by Alfred Renall.

Motueka and Massacre Bay

Parker resigned in 1856 and was succeeded by Herbert Curtis.^[57]

Omata

East resigned in 1860. The subsequent by-election on 16 April 1860 was won unopposed by James Crowe Richmond.^[58]

Pensioner Settlements

Greenwood resigned^[31] and Captain Jermyn Symonds was elected on 30 April 1858.^[59]

Southern Division

Taylor resigned on 13 April 1858 and was succeeded through an 1858 by-election by Theodore Haultain.

Town of Christchurch

Sewell resigned his seat in late 1856 to return to England. He was succeeded by Richard Packer.^[60] Packer resigned in 1859. Sewell, having returned from England, won the 1860 by-election.^[61] He did not seek re-election at the end of the term, but was appointed Registrar-General of Lands towards the end of 1860.^[62]

Town of Dunedin

Macandrew resigned on 2 November 1858. He successfully contested the January 1859 by-election in the same electorate.^[63]

Town of Lyttelton

FitzGerald] resigned in 1857 due to ill health.^[31]^[64] Crosbie Ward won the resulting by-election in May 1858.^[65]

Waimea

Elliot resigned in 1858.^[31] He was succeeded by David Monro, who had already represented the electorate in the 1st Parliament.

Travers resigned in 1859 and was succeeded by Fedor Kelling.^[57]

Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay

Smith resigned on 10 March 1858.^[31] He was succeeded by James Burne Ferguson.^[66]

Wairau

Wells resigned in 1858.^[31] He was succeeded by Frederick Weld, who had already represented the electorate in the 1st Parliament.

Wellington Country

Ward resigned on 22 March 1858.^[31] He was succeeded by Alfred Brandon.

New electorates

Cheviot

Cheviot was first created in 1859, with Edward Jollie its first representative.

Marsden

Marsden was established in 1859. James Farmer was the first representative, elected on 16 December 1859.^[67]

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 was the first elected representative.

Notes

[1]
Scholefield 1950, p. 68.
[2]
Scholefield 1950, p. 102.
[3]
Scholefield 1950, p. 99.
[4]
Scholefield 1950, p. 95.
[5]
Scholefield 1950, p. 126.
[6]
Scholefield 1950, p. 97.
[7]
Scholefield 1950, p. 111.
[8]
Scholefield 1950, p. 138.
[9]
Scholefield 1950, p. 121.
[10]
Scholefield 1950, p. 120.
[11]
Scholefield 1950, p. 106.
[12]
Scholefield 1950, p. 131.
[13]
Scholefield 1950, p. 104.
[14]
Scholefield 1950, p. 140.
[15]
Scholefield 1950, p. 136.
[16]
Scholefield 1950, p. 113.
[17]
Scholefield 1950, p. 148.
[18]
Scholefield 1950, p. 109.
[19]
Scholefield 1950, p. 143.
[20]
"Election of members to represent the Waimea districts". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XIV. 7 November 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
[21]
Scholefield 1950, p. 139.
[22]
Scholefield 1950, p. 147.
[23]
Scholefield 1950, p. 107.
[24]
Scholefield 1950, p. 100.
[25]
Scholefield 1950, p. 105.
[26]
Scholefield 1950, p. 146.
[27]
McRobie 1989, p. 28.
[28]
McRobie 1989, p. 31.
[29]
McRobie 1989, p. 29.
[30]
"The General Assembly of New Zealand". Otago Witness. No. 340. 5 June 1858. p. 4. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
[31]
"House of Representatives". Otago Witness. No. 340. 5 June 1858. p. 5. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
[32]
Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Present And Past Members Of Parliament". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 26 June 2010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
[33]
"Canterbury". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. XIII, no. 978. 11 November 1856. p. 3. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
[34]
Scholefield 1950, p. 130.
[35]
"Canterbury". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XV, no. 79. 31 December 1856. p. 3. Retrieved 2 May 2013 – via Papers Past.
[36]
Scholefield 1950, p. 134.
[37]
"The Elections". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. XV, no. 1132. 4 May 1858. p. 3. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
[38]
Scholefield 1950, p. 142.
[39]
Scholefield 1950, p. 112.
[40]
Scholefield 1950, p. 127.
[41]
"Nomination and Election of a Member of the House of Representatives for the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay Districts". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. 1, no. 45. 31 July 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
[42]
Scholefield 1950, p. 135.
[43]
Scholefield 1950, p. 117.
[44]
"Canterbury". Wellington Independent. 17 May 1863.
[45]
Scholefield 1950, p. 108.
[46]
"Northern Division election". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. XVII, no. 1297. 25 May 1860. p. 3. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
[47]
"Grey and Bell election". Taranaki Herald. Vol. VIII, no. 409. 2 June 1860. p. 3. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
[48]
Wilson 1985, p. ?.
[49]
"Election for the Suburbs". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. XVII, no. 1319. 7 August 1860. p. 2. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
[50]
Cyclopedia Company Limited 1902, p. 103.
[51]
Cyclopedia Company Limited 1903, p. 92.
[52]
"Canterbury". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. XIII, no. 978. 11 November 1856. p. 3. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
[53]
Cyclopedia Company Limited 1902, p. 102.
[54]
Hamer, David (22 June 2007). "Featherston, Isaac Earl 1813 – 1876". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
[55]
"Wellington". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. 1, no. 47. 14 August 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
[56]
Foster 1966, p. ?.
[57]
Cyclopedia Company Limited 1906, p. 33.
[58]
"Election". Taranaki Herald. Vol. VIII, no. 403. 21 April 1860. p. 2. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
[59]
"The Elections". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. XV, no. 1132. 4 May 1858. p. 3. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
[60]
"Canterbury". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XV, no. 79. 31 December 1856. p. 3. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
[61]
"Mr. Sewell's Policy". Wellington Independent. Vol. XV, no. 1402. 31 January 1860. p. 3. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
[62]
"New Plymouth, December 8, 1860". Taranaki Herald. Vol. IX, no. 436. 8 December 1860. p. 2. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
[63]
"Election of a Member for the House of Representatives". Otago Witness. No. 372. 15 January 1859. p. 5. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
[64]
McIntyre, W. David (22 June 2007). "FitzGerald, James Edward 1818 – 1896". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
[65]
Rice, Geoffrey W. "Ward, Crosbie". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
[66]
"Nomination and Election of a Member of the House of Representatives for the Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay Districts". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. 1, no. 45. 31 July 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
[67]
Scholefield 1925, p. 90.

References

Cyclopedia Company Limited (1902). The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Auckland Provincial District. Christchurch. Retrieved 23 June 2010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Cyclopedia Company Limited (1903). The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch. Retrieved 8 March 2010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Present And Past members of parliament". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 26 June 2010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Cyclopedia Company Limited (1908). "Former Members of the House of Representatives". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Taranaki, Hawke's Bay & Wellington Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 22 June 2010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Foster, Bernard John (1966). "BROWN, Charles". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
Scholefield, Guy (1925) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record (2nd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

External links

Cartoon of drunk MP, 1856 by Alfred Domett

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