Colony of New Zealand - wikipedia Colony of New Zealand Colony of New Zealand Colony of the United Kingdom 1841 -- 1907 Flag ( 1902 -- 1907 ) Coat of arms Motto Dieu et mon Droit `` God and my right '' Anthem God Save the Queen / King Capital Auckland ( 1841 -- 1865 ) Wellington ( 1865 -- 1907 ) Languages English, Māori Government Crown colony ( 1841 -- 1852 ) Self - governing colony ( 1852 -- 1907 ) Monarch 1841 -- 1901 Victoria 1901 -- 1907 Edward VII Governor 1841 -- 1842 William Hobson ( first ) 1904 -- 1907 William Plunket ( last ) Premier / prime minister 1856 Henry Sewell ( first ) 1906 -- 1907 Joseph Ward ( last ) Legislature General Assembly Upper Chamber ( from 1854 ) Legislative Council Lower Chamber ( from 1854 ) House of Representatives Historical era Victorian era Separation from New South Wales 1 July 1841 Constitution Act 30 June 1852 Dominion status 26 September 1907 Currency New Zealand pound Preceded by Succeeded by Colony of New South Wales United Tribes of New Zealand Dominion of New Zealand The Colony of New Zealand was a British colony that existed in New Zealand from 1841 to 1907. Originally created as a Crown colony, the power of the British government was vested in a governor. The colony was granted self - government in 1852 ; after the first parliament was elected in 1853, the 1852 Constitution was inaugurated. The first responsible government of New Zealand was formed in 1856. The Colony of New Zealand had three capitals : Old Russell ( 1841 ), Auckland ( 1841 -- 1865 ) and Wellington ( after 1865 ). In 1907, the colony became the Dominion of New Zealand, with a more explicit recognition of self - government within the British Empire. Contents 1 Establishment 2 Crown colony 3 Self - governing colony 4 Elevation to Dominion 4.1 Royal Proclamation 5 Symbols 6 See also 7 References Establishment William Hobson, the first Governor of New Zealand and co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi Following the proclamation of sovereignty over New Zealand from Sydney in January 1840, Captain William Hobson came to New Zealand and issued the same proclamation on 1 February 1840. The Treaty of Waitangi was subsequently signed on 6 February 1840, William Hobson declaring British sovereignty over the islands of New Zealand on 21 May 1840 in two separate formal declarations. In the first declaration, Hobson declared British sovereignty over the North Island. The basis for the claim over the North Island was the Treaty of Waitangi between the Māori and the British Crown. In the English version of the treaty, Māori ceded sovereignty in return for the rights, privileges and protection of being a British subject. However, the Māori translation of the treaty referred to kawanatanga which is generally translated as governance rather than sovereignty and this point remains a subject of much controversy and political debate. In the second declaration, Hobson declared British sovereignty over the South Island and Stewart Island on the basis of `` first discovery '' by Captain James Cook in 1769. Initially, New Zealand was part of the Colony of New South Wales, and Lieutenant - Governor Hobson was answerable to his superior, the Governor of New South Wales. By letters patent, the British government issued the Charter for Erecting the Colony of New Zealand on 16 November 1840. The Charter stated that the Colony of New Zealand would be established as a Crown colony separate from New South Wales on 1 July 1841. Crown Colony The provinces of New Zealand, as they were originally established, in 1841, with the creation of the colony With the establishment of the Crown colony, Hobson became Governor of New Zealand. The first organs of the New Zealand Government were also established. An Executive Council and a Legislative Council were created to assist the governor. The Executive Council consisted of the attorney - general, colonial secretary, and colonial treasurer. The Legislative Council consisted of the governor, Executive Council, and three justices of the peace appointed by the governor. The Legislative Council had the power to issue Ordinances, statutory instruments. The colony was divided into three provinces : New Ulster Province ( the North Island ), New Munster Province ( the South Island ), and New Leinster Province ( Stewart Island ). Self - governing Colony 1899 map of the Colony of New Zealand and its counties As new European settlements were founded in the colony, demands for self - government became louder. The New Zealand Company settlement of Port Nicholson ( Wellington ) had its own elected council, which was forcibly dissolved by Lieutenant - Governor William Hobson in 1840. Later, Wellington became the centre of agitation by settlers for representative government led by Samuel Revans, who founded the Wellington Settlers ' Constitutional Association in 1848. The first New Zealand Constitution Act was passed in 1846, though Governor George Grey was opposed to provisions that would divide the country into European and Māori districts. As a result, almost all of the Act was suspended for six years pending a new Act of 1852, with the only operative part of the 1846 Act being the creation of New Zealand 's first provinces. In the meantime, Grey drafted his own Act which established both provincial and central representative assemblies, and allowed for Māori districts and an elected governor. The latter proposal was rejected by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when it adopted Grey 's constitution. The second New Zealand Constitution Act was passed in 1852 and became the central constitutional document of the colony. It created the General Assembly, which consisted of the Legislative Council and an elected House of Representatives. The first general election for the House of Representatives was held on between 14 July and 1 October 1853. The 1st New Zealand Parliament was opened on 24 May 1854. The Administrator of Government, Robert Wynyard, was quickly confronted by the demands of the new parliament that responsible government be granted to the colony immediately ; on 2 June the House of Representatives passed a resolution, sponsored by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, to that effect. Wynyard refused, stating that the Colonial Office made no mention of responsible government in its dispatches. The Executive Council advised Wynyard against implementing responsible government, and in the meantime he sent a dispatch to London requesting clarification. Wynyard then offered to add some elected members of parliament to the Executive Council, and appointed James FitzGerald, Henry Sewell and Frederick Weld to the council. The compromise worked for a few weeks but on 1 August parliament demanded complete power to appoint ministers. Wynyard refused, and all three MPs resigned from the council. In response, Wynyard prorogued parliament for two weeks. On 31 August, he appointed Thomas Forsaith, Jerningham Wakefield and James Macandrew to the Executive Council, but when parliament met again, it moved a motion of no confidence in the members. Parliament met on 8 August 1855, by which time Wynyard had received instructions from the Colonial Office to introduce responsible government. Fortunately for Wynyard, the new governor -- Sir Thomas Gore Browne -- arrived on 6 September 1855 and relieved Wynyard of his duties. On 28 January 1858, Wynyard was appointed to the Legislative Council. Governor Thomas Gore Browne subsequently announced that self - government would begin with the 2nd New Zealand Parliament, elected in 1855. Henry Sewell was asked by the governor to form a government, now known as the Sewell Ministry. He became colonial secretary -- effectively the first Premier of New Zealand -- on 7 May. Sewell 's government was short - lived, however. The leader of the provincialist ( pro-provinces ) faction, William Fox, defeated Sewell 's government on 20 May 1856. Fox himself, however, did not retain office for long, being defeated by Edward Stafford, a moderate. Elevation to Dominion See also : Independence of New Zealand In 1907, Edward VII declared New Zealand to be a Dominion. The Colony of New Zealand continued until 26 September 1907, when, as a result of a decision by the 1907 Imperial Conference and by request of the New Zealand government, King Edward VII declared New Zealand to be a Dominion. On the same day, the King issued another Royal Proclamation granting the Colony of Newfoundland the status of Dominion of Newfoundland. The 1907 change from Colony to Dominion was largely symbolic, and New Zealand did not become independent until the General Assembly of New Zealand enacted the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947, which applied the Statute of Westminster 1931 to the Dominion of New Zealand ( although the United Kingdom retained the right to legislate for New Zealand at its request ) ; certain colonial enactments survived for sometime after -- the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 was finally replaced by the Constitution Act 1986. Royal Proclamation A Royal Proclamation granting New Zealand Dominion status was issued on 26 September 1907. It read -- `` Edward R. & I. Whereas We have on the Petition of the Members of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives of Our Colony of New Zealand determined that the title of Dominion of New Zealand shall be substituted for that of the Colony of New Zealand as the designation of the said Colony, We have therefore by and with the advice of Our Privy Council thought fit to issue this Our Royal Proclamation and We do ordain, declare and command that on and after the twenty - sixth day of September, one thousand nine hundred and seven, the said Colony of New Zealand and the territory belonging thereto shall be called and known by the title of the Dominion of New Zealand. And We hereby give Our Commands to all Public Departments accordingly. Given at Our Court at Buckingham Palace, this ninth day of September, in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seven, and in the seventh year of Our Reign. God save the King. '' Symbols Further information : Flag of New Zealand The first flag used by the Colony of New Zealand was the British Union Flag. This began to change with the Colonial Navy Defence Act 1865, which required all ships owned by colonial governments to fly the defaced Royal Navy blue ensign with a colonial badge. New Zealand did not have a colonial badge, or indeed a coat of arms of its own at this stage, and so the letters `` NZ '' were added to the blue ensign. The Colony New Zealand used the same royal coat of arms as the United Kingdom. In 1869, Albert Hastings Markham, a first lieutenant on the Royal Navy vessel HMS Blanche, submitted a national ensign design to Sir George Bowen, the Governor of New Zealand. It was initially used only on government ships, but was adopted as the de facto national flag in a surge of patriotism arising from the Second Boer War in 1902. To end confusion between the various designs of the flag, the Liberal Government passed the Ensign and Code Signals Bill, which was approved by King Edward VII on 24 March 1902, declaring the flag as New Zealand 's national flag. The Union Flag was used exclusively until 1867. The naval flag of New Zealand, 1867 -- 1869 The national flag, formally adopted in 1902 See also New Zealand portal History of New Zealand List of Governors of New Zealand References Jump up ^ Before Hobson. T Simpson. Blythwood Press. Wellington. 2015. Jump up ^ `` Differences between the texts -- Read the Treaty ''. NZ History. Retrieved 19 December 2016. ^ Jump up to : Moon, Paul ( 2010 ). New Zealand Birth Certificates -- 50 of New Zealand 's Founding Documents. AUT Media. ISBN 9780958299718. ^ Jump up to : `` Crown colony era -- the Governor - General ''. 30 August 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012. Jump up ^ `` NO. 21. -- CHARTER FOR ERECTING THE COLONY OF NEW ZEALAND, AND FOR CREATING AND ESTABLISHING A LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND AN EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, AND FOR GRANTING CERTAIN POWERS AND AUTHORITIES TO THE GOVERNOR FOR THE TIME BEING OF THE SAID COLONY ''. Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 13 October 2012. Jump up ^ Simpson, K.A. `` Hobson, William ''. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 12 July 2015. Jump up ^ Coleridge, Kathleen A. `` Samuel Revans ''. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 25 January 2010. Jump up ^ `` Constitution Act 1852 -- English Version ''. 30 June 1852. Retrieved 13 October 2012. Jump up ^ Wilson, John ( March 2009 ). `` Government and nation -- The constitution ( See Pages 2 and 3 ) ''. Te Ara : The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2 February 2011. Jump up ^ Gavin McLean ( 2006 ), The Governors, Otago University Press, p. 50 Jump up ^ Rogers, Frank. `` Wynyard, Robert Henry ''. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 9 February 2012. Jump up ^ Scholefield, Guy ( 1950 ) ( First ed. published 1913 ). New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840 -- 1949 ( 3rd ed. ). Wellington : Govt. Printer. p. 88. Jump up ^ McIntyre, W. David. `` Sewell, Henry ''. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 12 February 2012. Jump up ^ McIntyre, W. David. `` FitzGerald, James Edward ''. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 15 September 2012. Jump up ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 31. Jump up ^ See Proclamation of the Dominion of New Zealand ( London, 9 September 1907 ), archived on WikiSource Jump up ^ Volker Preuß. `` Flagge Neuseeland '' ( in German ). Retrieved 7 September 2003. Jump up ^ `` Rear - Admiral Sir Albert Hastings Markham, Norfolk Museums and Archeology Service ''. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2008. Jump up ^ `` New Zealand Signalling Ensign '' ( in Italian ). rbvex.it. Retrieved 20 August 2004. Peter Spiller et al. ( 2001, 2nd ed. ) A New Zealand Legal History ( Brookers : Wellington ). New Zealand articles History Timeline Military history Treaty of Waitangi New Zealand Wars Women 's suffrage New Zealand and Antarctica Colony Dominion Independence Geography Biodiversity Caves Climate Earthquakes Environment Geology Islands North Island South Island Lakes Marine reserves National parks Rivers Time zones Cities Auckland Christchurch Dunedin Hamilton Invercargill New Plymouth Napier -- Hastings Nelson Palmerston North Rotorua Tauranga Wellington capital Subdivisions Regions Territorial authorities Politics Constitution Elections Electoral system Political parties Foreign relations Human rights Disability Intersex LGBT Transgender Judiciary Supreme Court Chief Justice Law enforcement Military Monarchy Parliament ( House of Representatives ) Government Cabinet Governor - General list Ministers Ministries Prime Minister list Economy Agriculture Companies Energy Rogernomics Taxation Telecommunications Tourism Transportation Society Citizenship Crime Demographics Education Immigration Languages Māori New Zealand English New Zealand Sign Language People `` Kiwi '' Māori Culture Architecture Art Cinema Cuisine Literature Māori culture Media Music National symbols Coat of arms Flag Public holidays Radio Religion Sport Television Outline Book Portal British Empire Legend Current territory Former territory * Now a Commonwealth realm Now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations Historical flags of the British Empire Europe 1542 -- 1800 Ireland ( integrated into UK ) 1708 -- 1757, 1763 -- 1782 and 1798 -- 1802 Minorca Since 1713 Gibraltar 1800 -- 1813 Malta ( Protectorate ) 1813 -- 1964 Malta ( Colony ) 1807 -- 1890 Heligoland 1809 -- 1864 Ionian Islands 1878 -- 1960 Cyprus 1921 -- 1937 Irish Free State North America 17th century and before 18th century 19th and 20th century 1579 New Albion 1583 -- 1907 Newfoundland 1605 -- 1979 * Saint Lucia 1607 -- 1776 Virginia Since 1619 Bermuda 1620 -- 1691 Plymouth 1623 -- 1883 Saint Kitts 1624 -- 1966 * Barbados 1625 -- 1650 Saint Croix 1627 -- 1979 * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1628 -- 1883 Nevis 1629 -- 1691 Massachusetts Bay 1632 -- 1776 Maryland since 1632 Montserrat 1632 -- 1860 Antigua 1635 -- 1644 Saybrook 1636 -- 1776 Connecticut 1636 -- 1776 Rhode Island 1637 -- 1662 New Haven 1643 -- 1860 Bay Islands Since 1650 Anguilla 1655 -- 1850 Mosquito Coast 1655 -- 1962 * Jamaica 1663 -- 1712 Carolina 1664 -- 1776 New York 1665 -- 1674 and 1702 -- 1776 New Jersey Since 1666 Virgin Islands Since 1670 Cayman Islands 1670 -- 1973 * Bahamas 1670 -- 1870 Rupert 's Land 1671 -- 1816 Leeward Islands 1674 -- 1702 East Jersey 1674 -- 1702 West Jersey 1680 -- 1776 New Hampshire 1681 -- 1776 Pennsylvania 1686 -- 1689 New England 1691 -- 1776 Massachusetts Bay 1701 -- 1776 Delaware 1712 -- 1776 North Carolina 1712 -- 1776 South Carolina 1713 -- 1867 Nova Scotia 1733 -- 1776 Georgia 1754 -- 1820 Cape Breton Island 1762 -- 1974 * Grenada 1763 -- 1978 Dominica 1763 -- 1873 Prince Edward Island 1763 -- 1791 Quebec 1763 -- 1783 East Florida 1763 -- 1783 West Florida 1784 -- 1867 New Brunswick 1791 -- 1841 Lower Canada 1791 -- 1841 Upper Canada Since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands 1818 -- 1846 Columbia District / Oregon Country 1833 -- 1960 Windward Islands 1833 -- 1960 Leeward Islands 1841 -- 1867 Canada 1849 -- 1866 Vancouver Island 1853 -- 1863 Queen Charlotte Islands 1858 -- 1866 British Columbia 1859 -- 1870 North - Western Territory 1860 -- 1981 * British Antigua and Barbuda 1862 -- 1863 Stickeen 1866 -- 1871 British Columbia 1867 -- 1931 * Dominion of Canada 1871 -- 1964 Honduras 1882 -- 1983 * Saint Kitts and Nevis 1889 -- 1962 Trinidad and Tobago 1907 -- 1949 Newfoundland 1958 -- 1962 West Indies Federation 1. Occupied jointly with the United States. 2. In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self - government through the Statute of Westminster. See Name of Canada. 3. Gave up self - rule in 1934, but remained a de jure Dominion until it joined Canada in 1949. South America 1631 -- 1641 Providence Island 1651 -- 1667 Willoughbyland 1670 -- 1688 Saint Andrew and Providence Islands 1831 -- 1966 Guiana Since 1833 Falkland Islands Since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 4. Now a department of Colombia. 5. Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April -- June 1982. Africa 17th and 18th centuries 19th century 20th century Since 1658 Saint Helena 1792 -- 1961 Sierra Leone 1795 -- 1803 Cape Colony Since 1815 Ascension Island Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha 1806 -- 1910 Cape of Good Hope 1807 -- 1808 Madeira 1810 -- 1968 Mauritius 1816 -- 1965 The Gambia 1856 -- 1910 Natal 1862 -- 1906 Lagos 1868 -- 1966 Basutoland 1874 -- 1957 Gold Coast 1882 -- 1922 Egypt 1884 -- 1900 Niger Coast 1884 -- 1966 Bechuanaland 1884 -- 1960 Somaliland 1887 -- 1897 Zululand 1890 -- 1962 Uganda 1890 -- 1963 Zanzibar 1891 -- 1964 Nyasaland 1891 -- 1907 Central Africa 1893 -- 1968 Swaziland 1895 -- 1920 East Africa 1899 -- 1956 Sudan 1900 -- 1914 Northern Nigeria 1900 -- 1914 Southern Nigeria 1900 -- 1910 Orange River 1900 -- 1910 Transvaal 1903 -- 1976 Seychelles 1910 -- 1931 South Africa 1914 -- 1960 Nigeria 1915 -- 1931 South - West Africa 1919 -- 1961 Cameroons 1920 -- 1963 Kenya 1922 -- 1961 Tanganyika 1923 -- 1965 and 1979 -- 1980 Southern Rhodesia 1924 -- 1964 Northern Rhodesia 6. League of Nations mandate. 7. Self - governing Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 ( as Rhodesia ) and continued as an unrecognised state until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003. Asia 17th and 18th century 19th century 20th century 1685 -- 1824 Bencoolen 1702 -- 1705 Pulo Condore 1757 -- 1947 Bengal 1762 -- 1764 Manila and Cavite 1781 -- 1784 and 1795 -- 1819 Padang 1786 -- 1946 Penang 1795 -- 1948 Ceylon 1796 -- 1965 Maldives 1812 -- 1824 Banka and Billiton 1819 -- 1826 Malaya 1824 -- 1948 Burma 1826 -- 1946 Straits Settlements 1839 -- 1967 Aden 1839 -- 1842 Afghanistan 1841 -- 1997 Hong Kong 1841 -- 1946 Sarawak 1848 -- 1946 Labuan 1858 -- 1947 India 1874 -- 1963 Borneo 1879 -- 1919 Afghanistan ( protectorate ) 1882 -- 1963 North Borneo 1885 -- 1946 Unfederated Malay States 1888 -- 1984 Brunei 1891 -- 1971 Muscat and Oman 1892 -- 1971 Trucial States 1895 -- 1946 Federated Malay States 1898 -- 1930 Weihai 1878 -- 1960 Cyprus 1907 -- 1949 Bhutan ( protectorate ) 1918 -- 1961 Kuwait 1920 -- 1932 Mesopotamia 1921 -- 1946 Transjordan 1923 -- 1948 Palestine 1945 -- 1946 South Vietnam 1946 -- 1963 North Borneo 1946 -- 1963 Sarawak 1946 -- 1963 Singapore 1946 -- 1948 Malayan Union 1948 -- 1957 Federation of Malaya Since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia ( before as part of Cyprus ) Since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory ( before as part of Mauritius and the Seychelles ) League of Nations mandate. Iraq 's mandate was not enacted and replaced by the Anglo - Iraqi Treaty Oceania 18th and 19th centuries 20th century 1788 -- 1901 New South Wales 1803 -- 1901 Van Diemen 's Land / Tasmania 1807 -- 1863 Auckland Islands 1824 -- 1980 New Hebrides 1824 -- 1901 Queensland 1829 -- 1901 Swan River / Western Australia 1836 -- 1901 South Australia since 1838 Pitcairn Islands 1841 -- 1907 New Zealand 1851 -- 1901 Victoria 1874 -- 1970 Fiji 1877 -- 1976 Western Pacific Territories 1884 -- 1949 Papua 1888 -- 1901 Rarotonga / Cook Islands 1889 -- 1948 Union Islands 1892 -- 1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1893 -- 1978 Solomon Islands 1900 -- 1970 Tonga 1900 -- 1974 Niue 1901 -- 1942 * Australia 1907 -- 1953 * New Zealand 1919 -- 1942 and 1945 -- 1968 Nauru 1919 -- 1949 New Guinea 1949 -- 1975 Papua and New Guinea 9. Now part of the * Realm of New Zealand. 10. Suspended member. 11. Now Kiribati and * Tuvalu. 12. Now the * Solomon Islands. 13. Now * Papua New Guinea. Antarctica and South Atlantic Since 1658 Saint Helena Since 1815 Ascension Island Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha Since 1908 British Antarctic Territory 1841 -- 1933 Australian Antarctic Territory ( transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia ) 1841 -- 1947 Ross Dependency ( transferred to the Realm of New Zealand ) 14. Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha ; Ascension Island ( 1922 -- ) and Tristan da Cunha ( 1938 -- ) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena. 15. Both claimed in 1908 ; territories formed in 1962 ( British Antarctic Territory ) and 1985 ( South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ). 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Question: when did new zealand become a british colony
Answer: 1841