6th New Zealand Parliament

Term of the Parliament of New Zealand from 1876 to 1879

6th Parliament of New Zealand

| <-| 5th Parliament | 7th Parliament| ->

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Overview
Legislative body| New Zealand Parliament
Term| 15 June 1876 – 11 August 1879
Election| 1875–1876 New Zealand general election
Government| Second Vogel ministry (until 1876)
First Atkinson ministry (1876)
Second Atkinson ministry (1876–1877)
Grey ministry (from 1877)
House of Representatives
Members| 88
Speaker of the House| William Fitzherbert
Premier| George Grey
— from 13 October 1877
Harry Atkinson
— 1 September 1876 – 13 October 1877
Julius Vogel
— until 1 September 1876
Legislative Council
Members| 43 (at start)
49 (at end)
Speaker of the Council| William Fitzherbert
— John Richardson until 6 December 1878†
Sovereign
Monarch| HM Victoria
Governor| HE Rt. Hon. Sir Hercules Robinson from 27 March 1879
— HE The Marquess of Normanby until 21 February 1879

The 6th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.

Elections for this term were held in 69 European electorates between 20 December 1875 and 29 January 1876. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 4 and 15 January 1876. A total of 88 MPs were elected. Parliament was prorogued in August 1879. During the term of this Parliament, five Ministries were in power.

## Sessions[edit]

The 6th Parliament opened on 15 June 1876, following the 1875–1876 general election. It sat for four sessions, and was prorogued on 15 August 1879.[1]

Session | Opened | Adjourned

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first | 15 June 1876 | 31 October 1876
second | 19 July 1877 | 10 December 1877
third | 26 July 1878 | 2 November 1878
fourth | 11 July 1879 | 11 August 1879

## Historical context[edit]

Political parties had not been established yet; this only happened after the 1890 election. Anyone attempting to form an administration thus had to win support directly from individual MPs. This made first forming, and then retaining a government difficult and challenging.[2]

## Ministries[edit]

Since July 1875, the Pollen Ministry was in power, led by Premier Daniel Pollen. On 15 February 1876, the second Vogel Ministry was established, which lasted until 1 September 1876. This was followed by the Atkinson Ministry, what is known as the beginning of the Continuous Ministry, which lasted from 1 to 13 September 1876. It was reconstituted as the second Atkinson Ministry, which ruled from 13 September 1876 to 13 October 1877. This was succeeded by the Grey Ministry, which was in power from 13 October 1877 to 8 October 1879. This period extended slightly after the period of the 1879 general elections for the 7th Parliament.[3][4]

## Initial composition of the 6th Parliament[edit]

88 seats were created across the electorates.[5]

Member  | Electorate  | MP's term  | Election date

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William Montgomery | Akaroa | Second  | 29 December 1875[6]
John Evans Brown | Ashley | Second  | 11 January 1876[7]
William Rees | Auckland East | First  | 30 December 1875[8]
George Grey | Auckland West | Second  | 23 December 1875[9]
Patrick Dignan | Auckland West | Third  | 23 December 1875[10]
William Rolleston | Avon | Third  | 22 December 1875[11]
William Murray | Bruce | Second  | 23 December 1875[12]
Joseph Henry | Buller | First  | 5 January 1876[13]
James Seaton | Caversham | First  | 21 December 1875[14]
Leonard Harper | Cheviot | First  | 8 January 1876[15]
William Sefton Moorhouse | Christchurch | Fifth  | 21 December 1875[6]
Edward Richardson | Christchurch | Second  | 21 December 1875[16]
Edward Cephas John Stevens | Christchurch | Second  | 21 December 1875[17]
John Davies Ormond | Clive | Fourth  | 7 January 1876[18]
James William Thomson | Clutha | Second  | 20 January 1876[19]
Cathcart Wason | Coleridge | First  | 6 January 1876[20]
William Gibbs | Collingwood | Second  | 29 December 1875[21]
James Macandrew | City of Dunedin | Sixth  | 20 December 1875[22]
William Larnach | City of Dunedin | First  | 20 December 1875[23]
Robert Stout | City of Dunedin | Second  | 20 December 1875[24]
Vincent Pyke | Dunstan | Second  | 27 December 1875[25]
George Read | East Coast | First  | 6 January 1876[8]
Joseph Tole | Eden | First  | 6 January 1876[26]
Harry Atkinson | Egmont | Fourth  | 3 January 1876[27]
Hugh Lusk | Franklin | First  | 18 January 1876[22]
Ebenezer Hamlin | Franklin | First  | 18 January 1876[28]
Edward Wakefield | Geraldine | First  | 27 December 1875[29]
Frederick Teschemaker | Gladstone | First  | 20 January 1876[19]
Frederic Carrington | Grey and Bell | Third  | 28 December 1875[30]
Martin Kennedy | Grey Valley | First  | 12 January 1876[31]
Charles Woolcock | Grey Valley | First  | 12 January 1876[32]
James Fisher | Heathcote | First  | 4 January 1876[33]
Edmund Barff | Hokitika | Second  | 14 January 1876[34]
Charles Button | Hokitika | First  | 14 January 1876[35]
William Fitzherbert | Hutt | Fifth  | 29 December 1875[33]
George Lumsden | Invercargill | First  | 24 December 1875[36]
Charles Bowen | Kaiapoi | Second  | 21 December 1875[37]
Hugh Murray-Aynsley | Lyttelton | First  | 28 December 1875[34]
Walter Woods Johnston | Manawatu | Second  | 10 January 1876[38]
Robert Douglas | Marsden | First  | 10 January 1876[39]
William Wood | Mataura | Second  | 6 January 1876[32]
John William Williams | Mongonui and Bay of Islands | Second  | 17 January 1876[40]
Richmond Hursthouse | Motueka | First  | 6 January 1876[41]
Cecil de Lautour | Mount Ida | First  | 17 January 1876[10]
Donald McLean | Napier | Third  | 30 December 1875[42]
William Russell | Napier | First  | 30 December 1875[43]
John Sharp | City of Nelson | First  | 20 December 1875[14]
Oswald Curtis | City of Nelson | Third  | 20 December 1875[44]
Andrew Richmond | Nelson SuburbsSuburbs of Nelson | Fourth  | 30 December 1875[11]
Thomas Kelly | New Plymouth | Third  | 23 December 1875[31]
William Swanson | Newton | Second  | 24 December 1875[24]
Maurice O'Rorke | Onehunga | Fourth  | 29 December 1875[18]
Reader Wood | Parnell | Fourth  | 31 December 1875[32]
Courtney Kenny | Picton | Third  | 18 January 1876[31]
William Reynolds | Port Chalmers | Fourth  | 10 January 1876[16]
John Ballance | Rangitikei | Second  | 5 January 1876[34]
Samuel Hodgkinson | Riverton | First  | 7 January 1876[45]
John Sheehan | Rodney | Second  | 17 January 1876[14]
Arthur John Burns | Roslyn | Third  | 28 December 1875[46]
Cecil Fitzroy | Selwyn | First  | 30 December 1875[33]
Donald Reid | Taieri | Third  | 29 December 1875[8]
George Grey | Thames | Second  | 6 January 1876[47]
William Rowe | Thames | First  | 6 January 1876[11]
Edward Stafford | Timaru | Fifth  | 28 December 1875[17]
George Henry Tribe | Totara | Second  | 10 January 1876[26]
James Clark Brown | Tuapeka | Third  | 22 December 1875[7]
Horace Bastings | Waikaia | First  | 14 January 1876[48]
Frederick Whitaker | Waikato | Second  | 5 January 1876[49]
George McLean | Waikouaiti | Second  | 22 December 1875[42]
Edward Baigent | Waimea | Second  | 7 January 1876[50]
Alfred Cox | Waipa | Third  | 11 January 1876[44]
Henry Bunny | Wairarapa | Fourth  | 4 January 1876[46]
John Andrew | Wairarapa | Second  | 4 January 1876[27]
Arthur Seymour | Wairau | Second  | 29 January 1876[14][51]
Samuel Shrimski | Waitaki | First  | 10 January 1876[52]
Thomas William Hislop | Waitaki | First  | 10 January 1876[45]
John Macfarlane | Waitemata | First  | 19 January 1876[53]
Henry Manders | Wakatipu | First  | 7 January 1876[54]
James Parker Joyce | Wallace | First  | 30 December 1875[38]
John Bryce | Wanganui | Third  | 7 January 1876[7]
Julius Vogel | Wanganui | Fourth  | 7 January 1876[29]
George Hunter | City of Wellington | Second  | 23 December 1875[55]
Edward Pearce | City of Wellington | Second  | 23 December 1875[56]
Alfred Brandon | Wellington Country | Fifth  | 31 December 1875[7]
Karaitiana Takamoana | X-01Eastern Maori | Second  | 15 January 1876[57]
Hori Tawhiti | X-02Northern Maori | First  | 15 January 1876[19]
Hōri Kerei Taiaroa | X-03Southern Maori | Second  | 4 January 1876[57]
Hoani Nahi | X-04Western Maori | First  | 15 January 1876[12]

## Changes during term[edit]

There were numerous changes during the term of the 6th Parliament.

By-election | Electorate | Date | Incumbent | Reason | Winner

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1876 | City of Auckland West[58] | 25 July  | George Grey | Resignation  | Benjamin Tonks
1876 | Wanganui | 27 September  | Julius Vogel | Resignation  | William Fox
1877 | Napier | 15 February  | Donald McLean | Death  | Fred Sutton
1877 | City of Wellington | 27 March  | Edward Pearce | Resignation  | William Travers
1877 | Totara | 30 April  | George Henry Tribe | Death  | William Gisborne
1877 | City of Auckland West | 2 May  | Benjamin Tonks | Resignation  | James Wallis
1877 | Wairarapa | 3 July  | John Andrew | Resignation  | George Beetham
1878 | City of Wellington | 18 February  | William Travers | Resignation  | George Elliott Barton
1878 | Parnell | 20 February  | Reader Wood | Resignation  | Frederick Moss
1878 | Timaru | 8 April  | Edward Stafford | Resignation  | Richard Turnbull
1878 | Port Chalmers | 12 April  | William Reynolds | Resignation  | James Green
1878 | Franklin | 20 May  | Hugh Lusk | Resignation  | Richard Hobbs
1878 | Cheviot | 21 May  | Leonard Harper | Resignation  | Alfred Saunders
1878 | Grey Valley | 22 May  | Martin Kennedy | Resignation  | Richard Reeves
1878 | Hokitika | 26 June  | Charles Button | Resignation  | Seymour Thorne George
1878 | City of Dunedin | 3 July  | William Larnach | Resignation  | Richard Oliver
1878 | Taieri | 11 July  | Donald Reid | Resignation  | William Cutten
1878 | Invercargill | 17 July  | George Lumsden | Resignation  | Henry Feldwick
1878 | Waipa | 24 July  | Alfred Cox | Resignation  | Edward Graham McMinn
1878 | Roslyn | 29 July  | Arthur John Burns | Resignation  | Henry Driver
1879 | Gladstone | 3 January  | Frederick Teschemaker | Death  | John Studholme
1879 | Mataura | 15 January  | William Wood | Resignation  | James Shanks
1879 | City of Nelson | 6 February  | John Sharp | Resignation  | Acton Adams
1879 | City of Auckland West | 4 March  | Patrick Dignan | Resignation  | David Goldie
1879 | Coleridge[59] | 8 May  | Cathcart Wason | Resignation  | George Hart
1879 | Hutt | 2 July  | William Fitzherbert | Resignation  | Henry Jackson
1879 | Eastern Maori | 7 July  | Karaitiana Takamoana | Death  | Henare Tomoana
1879 | Southern Maori | 7 July  | Hōri Kerei Taiaroa | Resignation  | Ihaia Tainui
1879 | City of Dunedin | 15 July  | Robert Stout | Resignation  | William Downie Stewart

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 68.
2. ^ King 2003, p. ?.
3. ^ King 2003, p. 533.
4. ^ Scholefield 1950, pp. 35–36.
5. ^ "General elections 1853–2005 – dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
6. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 127.
7. ^ a b c d Scholefield 1950, p. 97.
8. ^ a b c Scholefield 1950, p. 134.
9. ^ Scholefield 1950, pp. 103, 110.
10. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 103.
11. ^ a b c Scholefield 1950, p. 136.
12. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 128.
13. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 113.
14. ^ a b c d Scholefield 1950, p. 138.
15. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 112.
16. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 135.
17. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 140.
18. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 130.
19. ^ a b c Scholefield 1950, p. 143.
20. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 146.
21. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 108.
22. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 121.
23. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 119.
24. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 141.
25. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 133.
26. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 144.
27. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 93.
28. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 111.
29. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 145.
30. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 100.
31. ^ a b c Scholefield 1950, p. 118.
32. ^ a b c Scholefield 1950, p. 149.
33. ^ a b c Scholefield 1950, p. 106.
34. ^ a b c Scholefield 1950, p. 94.
35. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 99.
36. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 120.
37. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 96.
38. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 117.
39. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 104.
40. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 148.
41. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 116.
42. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 124.
43. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 137.
44. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 102.
45. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 114.
46. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 98.
47. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 110.
48. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 95.
49. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 147.
50. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 224.
51. ^ "The Wairau Election". The Marlborough Express. Vol. XI, no. 785\. 2 February 1876. p. 4. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
52. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 139.
53. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 122.
54. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 125.
55. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 115.
56. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 132.
57. ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 142.
58. ^ "City West Election". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. XXXII, no. 5238\. 26 July 1876. p. 3. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
59. ^ "Christchurch. 8th May". The Evening Post. Vol. XVII, no. 505\. 9 May 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 6 June 2010.

## References[edit]

* Cyclopedia Company Limited (1902). The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Auckland Provincial District. Christchurch. Retrieved 23 June 2010.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
* Cyclopedia Company Limited (1903). "Southland". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Otago & Southland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 16 July 2010.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
* Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Present And Past Members Of Parliament". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 26 June 2010.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
* Cyclopedia Company Limited (1908). "Former Members Of The House Of Representatives". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Taranaki, Hawke's Bay & Wellington Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 22 June 2010.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
* King, Michael (2003). The Penguin History of New Zealand (20 ed.). Auckland: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-301867-1.
* 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.