New Zealand Constitution Act
- When
- 30 June 1852
- Reach
- Nationwide
Representative government arrived, divided into six provinces — and the property franchise excluded almost all Māori, who held land communally.
The Act created a General Assembly and six provincial councils: Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury and Otago. The vote required individual freehold or leasehold of a certain value, which Māori communal title did not satisfy, so a majority of the population was effectively disenfranchised in a country where they still outnumbered settlers. Section 71 allowed for districts under Māori custom; it was never used.
Regions affected
Sources
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Related
The provinces are abolished
Nine provincial governments were swept away and replaced by central government plus counties and boroughs — the shape of local government for the next century.
The Liberals take power
The world’s first organised political party to hold national office began two decades of reform that made New Zealand a byword for social experiment.
The first Labour government
Michael Joseph Savage led Labour to a landslide and built the welfare state: state houses, guaranteed prices, free health care and a 40-hour week.
WellingtonMāori Representation Act
Four Māori seats were created as a temporary measure, giving Māori men the vote twelve years before all Pākehā men got it.