2nd New Zealand Parliament
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox legislative term 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.
Historical contextEdit
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 sessionsEdit
Parliament sat for three sessions:Template:Sfn
| 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 ParliamentEdit
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.
File:NewZealandElectorates1853-Labeled.png
The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 allowed the General Assembly to add or alter electorates whenever this was desired, and this was first done in 1858 as described below. The amendment changed the boundaries to some electorates and supplementary elections were held the following year—held between 7 November and 18 December 1859—to fill vacancies.Template:Sfn
Initial composition of the 2nd ParliamentEdit
{{#section:1855 New Zealand general election|Results}}
Changes during termEdit
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 electorates Bay of Islands and Northern Division were combined and then redivided, with Marsden resulting as a new electorate.Template:Sfn The Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay electorate was split into two separate components, Template:NZ electorate link and Template:NZ electorate link. All the previously unincorporated areas in the lower North Island were divided between Wairarapa, County of Hawke, Template:NZ electorate link, and Template:NZ electorate link.Template:Sfn
In the South Island, the southern portion of Wairau electorate, plus part of Christchurch Country, became the new Cheviot electorate.Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn
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.Template:Sfn
At the opening of the 6th session of the Parliament on 10 April 1858,<ref name="Governor's speech">Template:Cite news</ref> the speaker read out 14 resignations.<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:New Zealand by-elections during the 2nd Parliament| By-election | Electorate | Date | Incumbent | Reason | Winner |
|---|
Existing electoratesEdit
- Akaroa
Cuff resigned on 12 January 1858<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" />Template:Sfn and was succeeded by William Sefton Moorhouse.
- Auckland Suburbs
Merriman resigned on 13 March 1860.Template:Sfn He was succeeded by Joseph Hargreaves, who was elected on 5 April 1860, and resigned on 24 July 1860.Template:Sfn Hargreaves was replaced by John Logan Campbell, who was returned unopposed on 4 August 1860.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Brodie resigned on 6 December 1859Template:Sfn and was succeeded by Theophilus Heale.Template:Sfn
- Christchurch Country
Brittin resigned on 7 July 1856, returned to England on 'urgent business' and did not return to New Zealand.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He was succeeded in 1856 by John Ollivier,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who himself resigned on 21 January 1860.Template:Sfn Ollivier was succeeded by Isaac Cookson.
Hall resigned on 10 March 1860Template:Sfn and was succeeded by Charles Hunter Brown.
- City of Auckland
Campbell resigned on 19 November 1856.Template:Sfn<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> He was succeeded by Thomas Forsaith.
Beckham resigned on 31 May 1859.Template:Sfn He was succeeded by Archibald Clark.Template:Sfn
- City of Wellington
Fitzherbert resigned on 17 March 1858,Template:Sfn and Featherston resigned on 24 March 1858.Template:Sfn<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> Featherston apparently wanted to return to England.<ref name="DNZB Featherston">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Instead, he successfully stood for re-election within months. The other person returned in the same by-election was William Barnard Rhodes.<ref name="Wellington 1858 by-election">Template:Cite news</ref>
- County of Hawke
The renamed County of Hawke (it had previously been Wairarapa and Hawke's 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 on 5 March 1858Template:Sfn<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> and 16 December 1859,Template:Sfn 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.Template:Sfn
- Grey and Bell
Brown resigned on 14 August 1856Template:Sfn to (unsuccessfully) contest the Taranaki superintendency. He was again elected in 1858 and resigned in 1860, when his militia service required his full attention.Template:Sfn In between Brown's terms, John Lewthwaite (who resigned in 1858) represented the electorate.<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858"/>
- Hutt
Bell resigned in 1858<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> 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<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> and was succeeded by Alfred Renall.
- Motueka and Massacre Bay
Parker resigned in 1856 and was succeeded by Herbert Curtis.Template:Sfn
- Omata
East resigned in 1860. The subsequent by-election on 16 April 1860 was won unopposed by James Crowe Richmond.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Pensioner Settlements
Greenwood resigned<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> and Captain Jermyn Symonds was elected on 30 April 1858.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 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.<ref name="Packer 1856 election1">Template:Cite news</ref> Packer resigned in 1859. Sewell, having returned from England, won the 1860 by-election.<ref name="1860 by-election win">Template:Cite news</ref> He did not seek re-election at the end of the term, but was appointed Registrar-General of Lands towards the end of 1860.<ref name="Registrar-General of Lands">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Town of Dunedin
Macandrew resigned on 2 November 1858. He successfully contested the January 1859 by-election in the same electorate.<ref name="1859 Dunedin by-election">Template:Cite news</ref>
- Town of Lyttelton
FitzGerald] resigned in 1857 due to ill health.<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /><ref name="DNZB FitzGerald">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Crosbie Ward won the resulting by-election in May 1858.<ref name="DNZB Ward">Template:DNZB</ref>
- Waimea
Elliot resigned in 1858.<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> 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.Template:Sfn
- Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay
Smith resigned on 10 March 1858.<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> He was succeeded by James Burne Ferguson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Wairau
Wells resigned in 1858.<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> He was succeeded by Frederick Weld, who had already represented the electorate in the 1st Parliament.
- Wellington Country
Ward resigned on 22 March 1858.<ref name="resignations 10 April 1858" /> He was succeeded by Alfred Brandon.
New electoratesEdit
- 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.Template:Sfn
- 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.
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
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External linksEdit
- Template:Wikidata-inline
- Cartoon of drunk MP, 1856 by Alfred Domett