1853 New Zealand general election

The 1853 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 1st term. It was the first national election ever held in New Zealand, although Parliament did not yet have full authority to govern the colony, which was part of the British Empire at that time.

1853 general election

14 July – 1 October 1853
All 37 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives
First party   Party Independent Last election 37 seats Seats won 37 Seat change 37 Popular vote N/A Percentage N/A Swing N/A

Background

Election poster in support of William Barnard Rhodes, standing for Wellington Country

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, established a bicameral New Zealand Parliament, with the lower house (the House of Representatives) being elected by popular vote. Votes were to be cast under a simple FPP system, and the secret ballot had not yet been introduced.

To qualify as a voter, one needed to be male, to be a British subject, to be at least 21 years old, to own a certain value of land, and to not be serving a criminal sentence. One of the candidates elected (on 27 August, for Christchurch Country) was a landowner, but at 20 years and 7 months was not yet 21: he was James Stuart-Wortley.

At the time of the 1853 elections, there were no political parties in New Zealand. As such, all candidates were independents.

The election

In the 1853 elections, election day was different in each seat. The first seat to be elected was Bay of Islands on 14 July, and the final election day was on 1 October.[1] Hugh Carleton (Bay of Islands) was the first MP ever elected in New Zealand (though he was elected unopposed), so he liked to be called the Father of the House.[2]

There were 5,849 people registered to vote.[1] The number of electoral districts was 24, and some districts elected multiple MPs. The total number of seats was 37.[1] Some parts of the colony were not part of any district, and did not have representation in Parliament.[3]

Results

Member	Electorate	Province	Election date
William Moorhouse	Akaroa	Canterbury	24 August[4]
Thomas Bartley	AucklandCity of Auckland	Auckland	11 August[5]
Loughlin O'Brien	AucklandCity of Auckland	Auckland	11 August[6]
James O'Neill	AucklandCity of Auckland	Auckland	11 August[7]
Frederick Merriman	Suburbs of Auckland	Auckland	10 August[8]
William Porter	Suburbs of Auckland	Auckland	10 August[9]
Hugh Carleton	Bay of Islands	Auckland	14 July[10]
James Stuart-Wortley	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	27 August[11]
Jerningham Wakefield	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	27 August[12]
Henry Sewell	ChristchurchTown of Christchurch	Canterbury	20 August[13]
John Cargill	Dunedin Country	Otago	1 October[10]
William Cutten	Dunedin Country	Otago	1 October[14]
James Macandrew	DunedinTown of Dunedin	Otago	27 September[15]
Thomas King	Grey and Bell	New Plymouth	27 August[16]
Alfred Ludlam	Hutt	Wellington	18 August[17]
Edward Gibbon Wakefield	Hutt	Wellington	19 August[12]
James FitzGerald	LytteltonTown of Lyttelton	Canterbury	17 August[18]
Alfred Picard	Motueka and Massacre Bay	Nelson	18 August[19]
James Mackay	NelsonTown of Nelson	Nelson	25 July[20]
William Travers	NelsonTown of Nelson	Nelson	25 July[21]
Francis Gledhill	New PlymouthTown of New Plymouth	New Plymouth	26 August[22]
Thomas Forsaith	Northern Division	Auckland	23 August[23]
Walter Lee	Northern Division	Auckland	23 August[17]
William Crompton	Omata	New Plymouth	26 August[14]
John Bacot	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	13 August[24]
Joseph Greenwood	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	13 August[25]
Charles Taylor	Southern Division	Auckland	23 August[26]
John Gray	Southern Division	Auckland	23 August[25]
William Cautley	Waimea	Nelson	16 August[27]
David Monro	Waimea	Nelson	16 August[4]
Samuel Revans	Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay	Wellington	12 August[28]
Frederick Weld	Wairau	Nelson	2 August[29]
Isaac Featherston	Wanganui and Rangitikei	Wellington	12 August[30]
Charles Clifford	WellingtonCity of Wellington	Wellington	15 August[27]
Robert Hart	WellingtonCity of Wellington	Wellington	15 August[31]
James Kelham	WellingtonCity of Wellington	Wellington	15 August[16]
William Rhodes	Wellington Country	Wellington	18 August[32]

Notes

1. "General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 14 November 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
2. McLintock, A. H., ed. (23 April 2009) [First published in 1966]. "Carleton, Hugh Francis". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
3. Wilson 1985.
4. Scholefield 1950, p. 127.
5. Scholefield 1950, p. 95.
6. Scholefield 1950, p. 129.
7. Scholefield 1950, p. 130.
8. Scholefield 1950, p. 126.
9. Scholefield 1950, p. 133.
10. Scholefield 1950, p. 99.
11. Scholefield 1950, p. 141.
12. Scholefield 1950, p. 145.
13. Scholefield 1950, p. 138.
14. Scholefield 1950, p. 102.
15. Scholefield 1950, p. 121.
16. Scholefield 1950, p. 118.
17. Scholefield 1950, p. 120.
18. Scholefield 1950, p. 106.
19. Scholefield 1950, p. 132.
20. Scholefield 1950, p. 123.
21. Scholefield 1950, p. 144.
22. Scholefield 1950, p. 108.
23. Scholefield 1950, p. 107.
24. Scholefield 1950, p. 94.
25. Scholefield 1950, p. 109.
26. Scholefield 1950, p. 143.
27. Scholefield 1950, p. 100.
28. Scholefield 1950, p. 134.
29. Scholefield 1950, p. 147.
30. Scholefield 1950, p. 105.
31. Scholefield 1950, p. 112.
32. Scholefield 1950, p. 135.

References

• Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)