New Zealand general election, 1853

1853 general election

14 July – 1 October 1853

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

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.

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
Moorhouse, WilliamWilliam Moorhouse	Akaroa	Canterbury	24 August[4]
Bartley, ThomasThomas Bartley	City of Auckland	Auckland	11 August[5]
O'Brien, LoughlinLoughlin O'Brien	City of Auckland	Auckland	11 August[6]
O'Neill, JamesJames O'Neill	City of Auckland	Auckland	11 August[7]
Merriman, FrederickFrederick Merriman	Suburbs of Auckland	Auckland	10 August[8]
Porter, WilliamWilliam Porter	Suburbs of Auckland	Auckland	10 August[9]
Carleton, HughHugh Carleton	Bay of Islands	Auckland	14 July[10]
Stuart-Wortley, JamesJames Stuart-Wortley	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	27 August[11]
Wakefield, JerninghamJerningham Wakefield	Christchurch Country	Canterbury	27 August[12]
Sewell, HenryHenry Sewell	Town of Christchurch	Canterbury	20 August[13]
Cargill, JohnJohn Cargill	Dunedin Country	Otago	1 October[10]
Cutten, WilliamWilliam Cutten	Dunedin Country	Otago	1 October[14]
Macandrew, JamesJames Macandrew	Town of Dunedin	Otago	27 September[15]
King, ThomasThomas King	Grey and Bell	New Plymouth	27 August[16]
Ludlam, AlfredAlfred Ludlam	Hutt	Wellington	18 August[17]
Wakefield, Edward GibbonEdward Gibbon Wakefield	Hutt	Wellington	19 August[12]
FitzGerald, JamesJames FitzGerald	Town of Lyttelton	Canterbury	17 August[18]
Picard, AlfredAlfred Picard	Motueka and Massacre Bay	Nelson	18 August[19]
Mackay, JamesJames Mackay	Town of Nelson	Nelson	25 July[20]
Travers, WilliamWilliam Travers	Town of Nelson	Nelson	25 July[21]
Gledhill, FrancisFrancis Gledhill	Town of New Plymouth	New Plymouth	26 August[22]
Forsaith, ThomasThomas Forsaith	Northern Division	Auckland	23 August[23]
Lee, WalterWalter Lee	Northern Division	Auckland	23 August[17]
Crompton, WilliamWilliam Crompton	Omata	New Plymouth	26 August[14]
Bacot, JohnJohn Bacot	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	13 August[24]
Greenwood, JosephJoseph Greenwood	Pensioner Settlements	Auckland	13 August[25]
Taylor, CharlesCharles Taylor	Southern Division	Auckland	23 August[26]
Gray, JohnJohn Gray	Southern Division	Auckland	23 August[25]
Cautley, WilliamWilliam Cautley	Waimea	Nelson	16 August[27]
Monro, DavidDavid Monro	Waimea	Nelson	16 August[4]
Revans, SamuelSamuel Revans	Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay	Wellington	12 August[28]
Weld, FrederickFrederick Weld	Wairau	Nelson	2 August[29]
Featherston, IsaacIsaac Featherston	Wanganui and Rangitikei	Wellington	12 August[30]
Clifford, CharlesCharles Clifford	City of Wellington	Wellington	15 August[27]
Hart, RobertRobert Hart	City of Wellington	Wellington	15 August[31]
Kelham, JamesJames Kelham	City of Wellington	Wellington	15 August[16]
Rhodes, WilliamWilliam Rhodes	Wellington Country	Wellington	18 August[32]

Notes

1. "General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. 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 1984.
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.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.