Responsible government begins
- When
- 7 May 1856
- Reach
- Nationwide
Henry Sewell formed the first ministry answerable to Parliament rather than to the Governor — though Māori affairs stayed in the Governor’s hands.
Settler politicians now controlled most of government, but not the one portfolio that mattered most to the majority population. The split was unstable: settlers wanted land, the Governor held the levers, and each blamed the other. When the General Assembly took over native affairs in 1863 it did so in the middle of the invasion of the Waikato.
Regions affected
Sources
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Related
The first Parliament meets
Thirty-seven members assembled in a temporary building in Auckland and immediately began demanding control of the executive.
AucklandNew Zealand Constitution Act
Representative government arrived, divided into six provinces — and the property franchise excluded almost all Māori, who held land communally.
The capital moves to Wellington
Australian commissioners were asked to pick a more central capital, and chose Wellington. Auckland was furious and briefly talked of separation.
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.