# 7th New Zealand Parliament

The 7th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.
Elections for this term were held in 69 European electorates between 28 August and 15 September 1879. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 1 and 8 September of that year. A total of 88 MPs were elected. Parliament was prorogued in November 1881. During the term of this Parliament, two Ministries were in power.

## Sessions

The 7th Parliament opened on 24 September 1879, following the 1879 general election. It sat for three sessions, and was prorogued on 8 November 1881.
| Session | Opened | Adjourned |
| first | 24 September 1879 | 19 December 1879 |
| second | 28 May 1880 | 1 September 1880 |
| third | 9 June 1881 | 24 September 1881 |

## 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

The Grey Ministry had been in power since 13 October 1877 during the term of the 6th Parliament. It lasted until 8 October 1879, when the Hall Ministry under Premier John Hall formed a new caucus. This ministry lasted until 21 April 1882, well into the term of the 8th Parliament.

## Initial composition of the 7th Parliament

88 seats were created across the electorates.
| Member | Electorate | Affiliation | MP's term | Election date |
| William Montgomery | Akaroa | Greyite | Third | 1 September |
| William Sefton Moorhouse | Ashley | Conservative | Sixth | 11 September |
| William Speight | Auckland East | Greyite | First | 10 September |
| William John Hurst | Auckland West | Greyite | First | 6 September |
| James Wallis | Auckland West | Greyite | Second | 6 September |
| William Rolleston | Avon | Conservative | Fourth | 28 August |
| William Murray | Bruce | Conservative | Third | 9 September |
| James Bickerton Fisher | Buller | Greyite | First | 9 September |
| William Barron | Caversham | Greyite | First | 9 September |
| Alfred Saunders | Cheviot | Conservative | Third | 6 September |
| Samuel Paull Andrews | Christchurch | Greyite | First | 10 September |
| George Grey$^a$ | Christchurch | Greyite | Third | 10 September |
| Edward Cephas John Stevens | Christchurch | Conservative | Third | 10 September |
| John Davies Ormond | Clive | Conservative | Fifth | 10 September |
| James William Thomson | Clutha | Greyite | Third | 11 September |
| Edward George Wright | Coleridge | Conservative | First | 15 September |
| William Gibbs | Collingwood | Conservative | Third | 11 September |
| Thomas Dick | City of Dunedin | Conservative | Third | 2 September |
| Richard Oliver | City of Dunedin | Conservative | Second | 2 September |
| William Downie Stewart | City of Dunedin | Conservative | Second | 2 September |
| Vincent Pyke | Dunstan | Greyite | Third | 3 September |
| Allan McDonald | East Coast | Greyite | First | 5 September |
| Joseph Tole | Eden | Greyite | Second | 5 September |
| Harry Atkinson | Egmont | Conservative | Fifth | 5 September |
| Benjamin Harris | Franklin | Greyite | First | 11 September |
| Ebenezer Hamlin | Franklin | Conservative | Second | 11 September |
| Edward Wakefield | Geraldine | Conservative | Second | 9 September |
| John Studholme | Gladstone | Conservative | Fourth | 15 September |
| Robert Trimble | Grey and Bell | Conservative | First | 8 September |
| Richard Reeves | Grey Valley | Greyite | Second | 5 September |
| Edward Masters | Grey Valley | Greyite | First | 5 September |
| James Fisher | Heathcote | Greyite | Second | 8 September |
| Richard Seddon | Hokitika | Greyite | First | 5 September |
| Robert Reid | Hokitika | Greyite | First | 5 September |
| Thomas Mason | Hutt | Conservative | First | 9 September |
| James Walker Bain | Invercargill | Conservative | First | 1 September |
| Charles Christopher Bowen | Kaiapoi | Conservative | Third | 5 September |
| Harry Allwright | Lyttelton | Greyite | First | 4 September |
| Walter Woods Johnston | Manawatu | Conservative | Third | 6 September |
| William Henry Colbeck | Marsden | Greyite | First | 11 September |
| James Shanks | Mataura | Greyite | Second | 29 August |
| John Lundon | Mongonui and Bay of Islands | Greyite | First | 10 September |
| Richmond Hursthouse | Motueka | Conservative | Second | 2 September |
| Cecil de Lautour | Mount Ida | Greyite | Second | 30 August |
| Fred Sutton | Napier | Conservative | Second | 8 September |
| William Russell | Napier | Conservative | Second | 8 September |
| Albert Pitt | City of Nelson | Conservative | First | 6 September |
| Acton Adams | City of Nelson | Conservative | Second | 6 September |
| Andrew Richmond | Nelson SuburbsSuburbs of Nelson | Conservative | Fifth | 8 September |
| Thomas Kelly | New Plymouth | Conservative | Fourth | 6 September |
| William Swanson | Newton | Greyite | Third | 2 September |
| Maurice O'Rorke | Onehunga | Greyite | Fifth | 9 September |
| Frederick Moss | Parnell | Greyite | Second | 4 September |
| Courtney Kenny | Picton | Conservative | Fourth | 30 August |
| James Macandrew | Port Chalmers | Greyite | Seventh | 5 September |
| William Jarvis Willis | Rangitikei | Conservative | First | 3 September |
| Patrick McCaughan | Riverton | Independent | First | 6 September |
| Seymour Thorne George | Rodney | Greyite | Second | 8 September |
| Henry Driver | Roslyn | Conservative | Fourth | 5 September |
| John Hall | Selwyn | Conservative | Fourth | 29 August |
| James Fulton | Taieri | Conservative | First | 9 September |
| George Grey$^a$ | Thames | Greyite | Third | 2 September |
| John Sheehan | Thames | Greyite | Third | 2 September |
| Richard Turnbull | Timaru | Conservative | Second | 6 September |
| William Gisborne | Totara | Greyite | Third | 29 August |
| James Clark Brown | Tuapeka | Greyite | Fourth | 6 September |
| George Ireland | Waikaia | Independent | First | 8 September |
| John Blair Whyte | Waikato | Conservative | First | 8 September |
| George McLean | Waikouaiti | Conservative | Third | 6 September |
| Joseph Shephard | Waimea | Conservative | Second | 5 September |
| Frederick Alexander Whitaker | Waipa | Conservative | First | 10 September |
| Henry Bunny | Wairarapa | Greyite | Fifth | 4 September |
| George Beetham | Wairarapa | Conservative | Second | 4 September |
| Arthur Seymour | Wairau | Conservative | Third | 8 September |
| Samuel Shrimski | Waitaki | Greyite | Second | 5 September |
| Thomas William Hislop | Waitaki | Conservative | Second | 5 September |
| Reader Wood | Waitemata | Greyite | Fifth | 9 September |
| Hugh Finn | Wakatipu | Greyite | First | 12 September |
| Henry Hirst | Wallace | Conservative | First | 4 September |
| John Bryce | Wanganui | Conservative | Fourth | 5 September |
| John Ballance | Wanganui | Greyite | Third | 5 September |
| William Hutchison | City of Wellington | Greyite | First | 5 September |
| William Levin | City of Wellington | Conservative | First | 5 September |
| Alfred Brandon | Wellington Country | Conservative | Sixth | 11 September |
| Henare Tomoana | X-01Eastern Maori | Conservative | Second | 8 September |
| Hone Tawhai | X-02Northern Maori | Greyite | First | 8 September |
| Ihaia Tainui | X-03Southern Maori | Greyite | Second | 8 September |
| Wiremu Te Wheoro | X-04Western Maori | Greyite | First | 8 September |
$^a$ George Grey was unseated on petition in Christchurch, as he had already been elected in the Thames electorate

## Changes during term

There were a number of changes during the term of the 7th Parliament.
| By-election | Electorate | Date | Incumbent | Reason | Winner |
| 1880 | Rangitikei | 8 May | William Jarvis Willis | Resignation | William Fox |
| 1880 | Waitaki | 16 June | Thomas William Hislop | Resignation | George Jones |
| 1880 | Waikaia | 21 September | George Ireland | Death | Horace Bastings |
| 1881 | Suburbs of Nelson | 11 January | Andrew Richmond | Death | Arthur Collins |
| 1881 | Southern Maori | 1 March | Ihaia Tainui | Resignation | Hōri Kerei Taiaroa |
| 1881 | City of Nelson | 7 June | Acton Adams | Resignation | Henry Levestam |
| 1881 | Grey Valley | 16 June | Edward Masters | Resignation | Thomas S. Weston |