# 5th New Zealand Parliament

The 5th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. Elections for this term were held in 68 European electorates between 14 January and 23 February 1871. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 1 and 15 January 1871. A total of 78 MPs were elected. Parliament was prorogued in December 1875. During the term of this Parliament, six Ministries were in power.

## Sessions

The fifth Parliament opened on 14 August 1871, following the 1871 general election. It sat for five sessions, and was prorogued on 6 December 1875.
| Session | Opened | Adjouned |
| first | 14 August 1871 | 16 November 1871 |
| second | 16 July 1872 | 25 October 1872 |
| third | 15 July 1873 | 3 October 1873 |
| fourth | 3 July 1874 | 31 August 1874 |
| fifth | 20 July 1875 | 21 October 1875 |

## Historical context

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.

## Ministries

Since June 1869, the third Fox Ministry was in power, led by Premier William Fox. On 10 September 1872, the third Stafford Ministry was formed, which lasted 13 months. This was followed by the Waterhouse Ministry, from 11 October 1872 to 3 March 1873. The fourth Fox Ministry was short lived, from 3 March 1873 to 8 April 1873. The first Vogel Ministry was in power from 8 April 1873 to 6 July 1875. It was succeeded by the Pollen Ministry, which lasted into the term of the sixth Parliament.

## Initial composition of the fifth Parliament

78 seats were created across the electorates. 68 European electorates and 4 Māori electorates were defined by the Representation Act 1870. Six of the general electorates had two representatives, the rest were single member electorates. Hence, 78 MPs were elected.
This compares to 61 electorates used in the previous general election in 1866, and 65 electorates after the Māori electorates were created in 1867. Electorates that were first formed for the 1871 elections were East Coast, Eden, Rodney, Thames, Waikato, Waitemata, Egmont, Manawatu, Buller, Grey Valley, Christchurch East, Christchurch West, Hokitika, Totara, Dunstan, Mount Ida, Tuapeka, Waitaki, Waikaia, and Wakatipu.
| Member | Electorate | Province | MP's term | Election date |
| Robert Rhodes | Akaroa | Canterbury | First | 26 January |
| John Evans Brown | Ashley | Canterbury | First | 17 February |
| Julius Vogel | Auckland East | Auckland | Third | 30 January |
| Thomas Gillies | Auckland West | Auckland | Fourth | 6 February |
| John Williamson | Auckland West | Auckland | Fourth | 6 February |
| William Rolleston | Avon | Canterbury | Second | 13 January |
| William Murray | Bruce | Otago | First | 28 January |
| Eugene O'Conor | Buller | Canterbury | First | 4 February |
| Richard Cantrell | Caversham | Otago | First | 25 January |
| Henry Ingles | Cheviot | Canterbury | First | 27 January |
| Jerningham Wakefield | Christchurch East | Canterbury | Second | 18 January |
| Edward Richardson | Christchurch West | Canterbury | First | 19 January |
| John Davies Ormond | Clive | Hawke's Bay | Third | 26 January |
| James William Thomson | Clutha | Otago | First | 31 January |
| John Karslake Karslake | Coleridge | Canterbury | First | 4 February |
| Arthur Collins | Collingwood | Nelson | Second | 16 February |
| William Reynolds | DunedinCity of Dunedin | Otago | Third | 20 January |
| John Bathgate | DunedinCity of Dunedin | Otago | First | 20 January |
| Thomas Luther Shepherd | Dunstan | Otago | First | 7 February |
| William Kelly | East Coast | Auckland | First | 16 February |
| Karaitiana Takamoana | X-01Eastern Maori | | First | 1 February |
| Robert James Creighton | Eden | Auckland | Third | 31 January |
| William Gisborne | Egmont | Taranaki | First | 18 January |
| William Thorne Buckland | Franklin | Auckland | Second | 23 February |
| Archibald Clark | Franklin | Auckland | Third | 23 February |
| George Parker | Gladstone | Canterbury | First | 7 February |
| Frederic Carrington | Grey and Bell | Taranaki | Second | 17 January |
| William Henry Harrison | Grey Valley | Canterbury | Second | 26 January |
| John Hall | Heathcote | Canterbury | Third | 14 January |
| John White | Hokitika | Canterbury | First | 25 January |
| William Fitzherbert | Hutt | Wellington | Fourth | 16 January |
| William Henderson Calder | Invercargill | Southland | First | 24 January |
| John Studholme | Kaiapoi | Canterbury | Second | 27 January |
| Peacock, John Thomas | LytteltonTown of Lyttelton | Canterbury | Second | 16 January |
| Walter Woods Johnston | Manawatu | Wellington | First | 4 February |
| John Munro | Marsden | Auckland | Third | 30 January |
| Dillon Bell | Mataura | Southland | Fourth | 11 February |
| John McLeod | Mongonui and Bay of Islands | Auckland | First | 10 February |
| David Monro$^a$ | Motueka | Nelson | Fifth | 10 February |
| David Mervyn | Mount Ida | Otago | Second | 16 February |
| Donald McLean | Napier | Hawke's Bay | Second | 19 January |
| Martin Lightband | Nelson CityCity of Nelson | Nelson | First | 6 February |
| Oswald Curtis | Nelson CityCity of Nelson | Nelson | Second | 6 February |
| Ralph Richardson | Nelson SuburbsSuburbs of Nelson | Nelson | First | 7 February |
| Thomas Kelly | New Plymouth | Taranaki | Second | 28 January |
| William Swanson | Newton | Auckland | First | 25 January |
| Wi Katene | X-02Northern Maori | | First | 15 February |
| Maurice O'Rorke | Onehunga | Auckland | Third | 20 February |
| Reader Wood | Parnell | Auckland | Third | 23 January |
| Kenny, Courtney | Picton | Marlborough | Second | 27 January |
| James Macandrew | Port Chalmers | Otago | Fifth | 15 February |
| William Fox | Rangitikei | Wellington | Fourth | 3 February |
| Lauchlan McGillivray | Riverton | Southland | Second | 27 January |
| Harry Farnall | Rodney | Auckland | Second | 13 February |
| Henry Driver | Roslyn | Otago | Second | 30 January |
| William Reeves | Selwyn | Canterbury | Second | 1 February |
| Hori Kerei Taiaroa | X-03Southern Maori | | First | 13 February |
| Donald Reid | Taieri | Otago | Second | 3 February |
| Charles O'Neill | Thames | Auckland | Second | 9 February |
| Edward Stafford | Timaru | Canterbury | Fourth | 20 January |
| George Henry Tribe | Totara | Westland | First | 8 February |
| James Clark Brown | Tuapeka | Otago | Second | 13 February |
| James Benn Bradshaw | Waikaia | Otago | Second | 9 February |
| James McPherson | Waikato | Auckland | First | 10 February |
| George McLean | Waikouaiti | Otago | First | 23 January |
| Joseph Shephard | Waimea | Marlborough | First | 13 February |
| Henry Bunny | Wairarapa | Wellington | Third | 28 January |
| John Andrew | Wairarapa | Wellington | First | 28 January |
| William Henry Eyes | Wairau | Marlborough | Third | 24 January |
| William Steward | Waitaki | Otago | First | 3 February |
| Thomas Henderson | Waitemata | Auckland | Fourth | 8 February |
| Charles Edward Haughton | Wakatipu | Otago | Third | 25 January |
| George Webster | Wallace | Otago | Second | 20 February |
| John Bryce | Wanganui | Wellington | Second | 30 January |
| George Hunter | WellingtonCity of Wellington | Wellington | First | 7 February |
| Edward Pearce | City of Wellington | Wellington | First | 7 February |
| Alfred Brandon | Wellington Country | Wellington | Fourth | 17 January |
| Wiremu Parata | X-04Western Maori | | First | 13 February |
$^a$ Unseated on petition.

## Changes during term

There were numerous changes during the term of the fifth Parliament.
| By-election | Electorate | Date | Incumbent | Reason | Winner |
| 1871 | City of Auckland West | 1 September | John Williamson | Election Invalid | John Williamson |
| 1871 | Roslyn | 12 September | Henry Driver | Resignation | Edward McGlashan |
| 1872 | Wairau | 19 February | William Henry Eyes | Resignation | Arthur Seymour |
| 1872 | Waikato | 1 March | James McPherson | Resignation | William Jackson |
| 1872 | Wakatipu | 13 March | Charles Edward Haughton | Resignation | Bendix Hallenstein |
| 1872 | Rodney | 16 March | Harry Farnall | Resignation | John Sheehan |
| 1872 | City of Nelson | 27 May | Martin Lightband | Resignation | David Luckie |
| 1872 | Waikouaiti | 12 June | George McLean | Resignation | David Monro |
| 1872 | Coleridge | 23 July | John Karslake | Resignation | William Bluett |
| 1872 | Heathcote | 30 July | John Hall | Resignation | John Wilson |
| 1872 | Caversham | 28 August | Richard Cantrell | Resignation | William Tolmie |
| 1872 | Egmont | 3 October | William Gisborne | Resignation | Harry Atkinson |
| 1873 | Suburbs of Nelson | 14 May | Ralph Richardson | Resignation | Andrew Richmond |
| 1873 | Lyttelton | 19 May | John Peacock | Resignation | Henry Webb |
| 1873 | Invercargill | 22 May | William Henderson Calder | Resignation | John Cuthbertson |
| 1873 | Waikouaiti | 23 July | David Monro | Resignation | John Lillie Gillies |
| 1873 | Mongonui and Bay of Islands | 24 July | John McLeod | Resignation | John Williams |
| 1873 | Wakatipu | 19 August | Bendix Hallenstein | Resignation | Vincent Pyke |
| 1873 | Collingwood | 9 December | Arthur Collins | Resignation | William Gibbs |
| 1874 | Franklin | 9 April | Archibald Clark | Resignation | Joseph May |
| 1874 (1st) | Akaroa | 20 April | Robert Rhodes | Resignation | William Montgomery |
| 1874 | City of Dunedin | 23 April | John Bathgate | Resignation | Nathaniel Wales |
| 1874 | Waitemata | 3 August | Thomas Henderson | Resignation | Gustav von der Heyde |
| 1874 (2nd) | Akaroa | 10 August | William Montgomery | Election invalid | William Montgomery |
| 1874 | Waitemata | 16 September | Gustav von der Heyde | unseated on petition | Gustav von der Heyde |
| 1875 | Kaiapoi | 22 January | John Studholme | Resignation | Charles Bowen |
| 1875 (1st) | City of Auckland West | 27 March | Thomas Gillies | Appointed to Supreme Court | George Grey |
| 1875 (2nd) | City of Auckland West | 14 April | John Williamson | Death | Patrick Dignan |
| 1875 | Rangitikei | 24 April | William Fox | Resignation | John Ballance |
| 1875 | Waikouaiti | 3 May | John Lillie Gillies | Resignation | George McLean |
| 1875 | Wairau | 21 June | Arthur Seymour | Resignation | Joseph Ward |
| 1875 | Wallace | 6 August | George Webster | Death | Christopher Basstian |
| 1875 | Caversham | 20 August | William Tolmie | Death | Robert Stout |

### Akaroa

Robert Heaton Rhodes resigned on 18 February 1874. William Montgomery won the subsequent 24 April 1874 by-election. In July 1874, a select committee declared Montgomery's election to be "null and void", as he had a contract for the supply of railway sleepers with the general government in breach of election rules. The select committee accepted that the breach was inadvertent. Montgomery stood for re-election in a 10 August 1874 by-election and was returned unopposed.

### Caversham

Richard Cantrell resigned on 31 July 1872. He was succeeded by William Tolmie in a 28 August 1872 by-election, and he served until his death on 8 August 1875. Robert Stout, a later Prime Minister, first entered Parliament through the resulting 20 August 1875 by-election.

### Coleridge

John Karslake Karslake resigned on 12 April 1872 to return to England (he drowned on the voyage home on 21 June 1872). William Bluett succeeded him through the 22 July 1872 by-election.

### Collingwood

Arthur Collins resigned on 8 October 1873. The resulting 9 December 1873 by-election was won by William Gibbs.

### City of Dunedin

Bathgate resigned in 1874 and was succeeded by Nathaniel Wales.

### City of Nelson

Lightband resigned in 1872 to return to England. He was succeeded by David Luckie.

### Egmont

Gisborne resigned in 1872 and was succeeded by Harry Atkinson.

### Franklin

Clark resigned in 1874 and was succeeded by Joseph May.