# 1890 New Zealand general election

The 1890 New Zealand general election was one of New Zealand's most significant. It marked the beginning of party politics in New Zealand with the formation of the Liberal Government, which was to enact major welfare, labour and electoral reforms, including giving the vote to women.
It was also the first election in which there was no legal plural voting. Multi-member electorates were re-introduced in the four main centres and the 'country quota' (which gave more weight to rural votes) was increased to 28%.
Following the election and the resignation of the previous government headed by Harry Atkinson, John Ballance formed the first Liberal Party ministry, taking office on 24 January 1891. At this stage no formal party organisation existed, but the formation of the Liberal ministry signalled the end of the system by which governments were made up of a loose and unstable coalition of independent MPs and the beginning of the 'party system'.

## Electoral redistribution

In December 1887, the House of Representatives voted to reduce its membership from general electorates from 91 to 70. The 1890 electoral redistribution used the same 1886 census data used for the 1887 electoral redistribution. In addition, three-member electorates were introduced in the four main centres. This resulted in a major restructuring of electorates, with 12 new electorates created. Of those, four electorates were created for the first time: Te Aroha, Halswell, Dunedin Suburbs, and Palmerston. The remaining eight electorates had previously existed and were re-created through the 1890 electoral redistribution: City of Auckland, City of Christchurch, City of Dunedin, City of Wellington, Ellesmere, Franklin, Geraldine, and Westland.
74 MPs were elected to the 11th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori electorates voted on 27 November and the European (now known as General) electorates on 5 December. There were 183,171 voters registered in the sixty-two European electorates, which returned a total of 70 members. This figure includes 13,668 voters in the six electorates where there was an unopposed return. 136,337 valid votes were cast in European electorates, including additional votes cast in the four three-member electorates.

## Results
### Party totals

Note that as the election was held before the establishment of formal political parties, the figures should only be regarded as an approximate indication of the division of political opinion.
Election results :
| Party | Candidates | Total votes | Percentage | Seats won |
| Liberal | 69 | 76,548 | 56.1% | 40 |
| Conservative | 54 | 39,338 | 28.9% | 25 |
| Independent | 56 | 20,451 | 15.0% | 9 |
| Total | 179 | 136,337 | | 74 |

### Votes summary

Popular vote
Liberal
56.1%
Conservatives
28.9%
Independents
15.0% :
Parliament seats
Liberal
54.1%
Conservatives
33.8%
Independents
12.2% :
Mackie and Rose suggest there was a 74.4% turnout, based on valid votes cast as a percentage of the registered electors. The official turnout figure is 80.4%, calculated on a different basis (see the Elections New Zealand official results web-site link below for further details of the changing methods used to calculate the official turnout).
The Māori vote, for the remaining four seats, was held on 27 November. Maori electorates did not have electoral rolls so their voting figures and percentages are not included above.

### Electorate results

The following table shows the results of the 1890 general election. Six European members were returned unopposed.
    Key
Liberal  Conservative  Liberal–Labour  Independent Liberal  Independent
Electorate results for the 1890 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Akaroa | | Alexander McGregor | | John Joyce | 107 | | Alexander McGregor |
| Ashburton | | William Campbell Walker | | Edward George Wright | 16 | | Rev. James Wright Sawle |
| Ashley | | John Verrall | | Richard Meredith | 38 | | James Dupré Lance |
| City of Auckland | New electorate | New electorate | | William Lee Rees | 260 | | Adam Porter |
| City of Auckland | New electorate | New electorate | | Thomas Thompson | 442 | | William Joseph Napier |
| City of Auckland | New electorate | New electorate | | John Shera | 1,013 | | James Wallis |
| Avon | | Edwin Blake | Edwin Blake | Edwin Blake | 186 | | George Stead |
| Awarua | | Joseph Ward | Joseph Ward | Joseph Ward | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Bay of Islands | | Richard Hobbs | | Robert Houston | 11 | | James Trounsen |
| Bruce | | Crawford Anderson | | James William Thomson | 494 | | James Smith |
| Buller | | Eugene O'Conor | Eugene O'Conor | Eugene O'Conor | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| City of Christchurch | New electorate | New electorate | | William Pember Reeves | 802 | | John Tippett Smith |
| City of Christchurch | New electorate | New electorate | | Westby Perceval | 945 | | Edward Wingfield Humphreys |
| City of Christchurch | New electorate | New electorate | | Richard Molesworth Taylor | 2,494 | | Eden George |
| Clutha | | Thomas Mackenzie | Thomas Mackenzie | Thomas Mackenzie | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Dunedin Suburbs | New electorate | New electorate | | William Dawson | 420 | | Archibald Hilson Ross |
| City of Dunedin | New electorate | New electorate | | David Pinkerton | 348 | | James Allen |
| City of Dunedin | New electorate | New electorate | | Henry Fish | 995 | | Richard Henry Leary |
| City of Dunedin | New electorate | New electorate | | William Hutchison | 998 | | Alfred Lee Smith |
| East Coast | | Alexander Creighton Arthur | | William Kelly | 14 | | Alexander Creighton Arthur |
| Eden | | Edwin Mitchelson | Edwin Mitchelson | Edwin Mitchelson | 91 | | Joseph Greenwood |
| Egmont | | Harry Atkinson | Harry Atkinson | Harry Atkinson | 305 | | Felix McGuire |
| Ellesmere | New electorate | New electorate | | John Hall | 105 | | John McLachlan |
| Franklin | | Ebenezer Hamlin | Ebenezer Hamlin | Ebenezer Hamlin | 102 | | Benjamin Harris |
| Geraldine | New electorate | New electorate | | Arthur Rhodes | 323 | | Searby Buxton |
| Grey | | Arthur Guinness | Arthur Guinness | Arthur Guinness | 19 | | William Hugh Jones |
| Halswell | New electorate | New electorate | | William Rolleston | 200 | | Francis Samuel Parker |
| Hawke's Bay | | William Russell | William Russell | William Russell | 659 | | Charles William Reardon |
| Heathcote | | Frederic Jones | | William Tanner | 212 | | Heaton Rhodes |
| Hutt | New electorate | New electorate | | Alfred Newman | 178 | | George Thomas London |
| Inangahua | | Richard Reeves | Richard Reeves | Richard Reeves | 1 | | John Drake |
| Invercargill | | Henry Feldwick | | James Kelly | 116 | | James Walker Bain |
| Kaiapoi | | Edward Richardson | | Richard Moore | 387 | | William Hoban |
| Manukau | | Sir Maurice O'Rorke | | Frank Buckland | 80 | | Sir Maurice O'Rorke |
| Marsden | | Robert Thompson | Robert Thompson | Robert Thompson | 176 | | Albert Elliot |
| Masterton | | George Beetham | | Alexander Hogg | 18 | | George Beetham |
| Mataura | | George Richardson | George Richardson | George Richardson | 123 | | John Gideon Fraser |
| Mount Ida | | Scobie Mackenzie | Scobie Mackenzie | Scobie Mackenzie | 105 | | Vincent Pyke |
| Napier | | John Davies Ormond | | George Swan | 133 | | Michael Gannon |
| Nelson | | Joseph Harkness | Joseph Harkness | Joseph Harkness | 15 | | John Kerr |
| New Plymouth | | Oliver Samuel | | Edward Smith | 23 | | John Elliot |
| Newton | | David Goldie | David Goldie | David Goldie | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Oamaru | | Thomas William Hislop | | Thomas Duncan | 470 | | Thomas William Hislop |
| Palmerston | | James Wilson | James Wilson | James Wilson | 61 | | Frederick Pirani |
| Parnell | | Frank Lawry | Frank Lawry | Frank Lawry | 209 | | J M Lennox |
| Peninsula | | William Larnach | | William Earnshaw | 128 | | William Larnach |
| Port Chalmers | | James Mills | James Mills | James Mills | 227 | | John A. Millar |
| Rangitikei | | Robert Bruce | | Douglas Macarthur | 32 | | F Arkwright |
| Selwyn | | John Hall | | Alfred Saunders | 51 | | Thomas Anson |
| Taieri | | Walter Carncross | Walter Carncross | Walter Carncross | 124 | | William Snow |
| Te Aroha | New electorate | New electorate | | William Allen | 175 | | William Fraser |
| Thames | | William Fraser | | Alfred Cadman | 104 | | Edmund Taylor |
| Timaru | | William Hall-Jones | William Hall-Jones | William Hall-Jones | 52 | | Edward George Kerr |
| Tuapeka | | James Clark Brown | | Hugh Valentine | 63 | | James Clark Brown |
| Waikato | | John Bryce | John Bryce | John Bryce | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Waimate | | William Steward | William Steward | William Steward | 296 | | Alpheus Hayes |
| Waimea-Sounds | | Arthur Seymour | | Charles H. Mills | 210 | | Richmond Hursthouse |
| Waipawa | | Thomas Tanner | | William Cowper Smith | 349 | | George Hunter |
| Wairarapa | | Walter Clarke Buchanan | Walter Clarke Buchanan | Walter Clarke Buchanan | 275 | | Henry Bunny |
| Wairau | | Henry Dodson | | Lindsay Buick | 77 | | Arthur Seymour |
| Waitaki | | Thomas Young Duncan | | John McKenzie | 352 | | John Buckland |
| Waitemata | | Richard Monk | | Jackson Palmer | 91 | | Richard Monk |
| Waitotara | | George Hutchison | George Hutchison | George Hutchison | 22 | | Robert Bruce |
| Wakatipu | | Thomas Fergus | Thomas Fergus | Thomas Fergus | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Wallace | | Samuel Hodgkinson | | James Mackintosh | 178 | | Samuel Hodgkinson |
| Wanganui | | John Ballance | John Ballance | John Ballance | 27 | | Gilbert Carson |
| Wellington, City of | New electorate | New electorate | | George Fisher | 183 | | Francis Bell |
| Wellington, City of | New electorate | New electorate | | John Duthie | 561 | | Edwin George Jellicoe |
| Wellington, City of | New electorate | New electorate | | Kennedy Macdonald | 727 | | Francis Fraser |
| Westland | New electorate | New electorate | | Richard Seddon | 338 | | Joseph Grimmond |
| Maori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | | James Carroll | James Carroll | James Carroll | 185 | | Wi Pere |
| Northern Maori | | Sydney Taiwhanga | Sydney Taiwhanga | Sydney Taiwhanga | 267 | | Tinoti Pupipupi |
| Southern Maori | | Tame Parata | Tame Parata | Tame Parata | | | Honi Maaka Hape |
| Western Maori | | Hoani Taipua | Hoani Taipua | Hoani Taipua | | | Kipa Te Whatanui |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ Lawry stood in support of the Atkinson Ministry but changed allegiance to the Liberals in 1891
* ↑ The affiliation of many of the Maori candidates is unknown or uncertain
* ↑ Sydney Taiwhanga won the election and, despite having died on election day, was declared elected. Taiwhanga also stood in Eastern Maori and came third
* ↑ Final results were not reported in contemporary media
* ↑ Final results were not reported in contemporary media