# 1853 New Zealand provincial elections

The 1853 New Zealand provincial elections were the first elections in New Zealand to elect members and superintendents to the newly created Provinces of New Zealand. The elections were held between July and September 1853, at the same time as the 1853 New Zealand general elections for the central government, which were held between July and October. The provincial elections had higher voter turnouts than the general elections, with the elections for provincial superintendents (where they were contested) having the highest voter turnout.

## Results
### Provincial councils
#### Auckland

The Auckland Provincial Council was originally made up by 24 members from six electorates: City of Auckland (6), Suburbs of Auckland (4), Pensioner Settlements (4), Northern Division (4), Southern Division (4), and Bay of Islands (2).
| Electoral district | Winner | Votes (rank) | Date |
| Northern Division | Allan O'Neill | 208 (1) | 1 August 1853 |
| Northern Division | Patrick Dignan | 204 (2) | 1 August 1853 |
| Northern Division | James Hill | 168 (3) | 1 August 1853 |
| Northern Division | Patrick Donovan | 162 (4) | 1 August 1853 |
| City of Auckland | James Thomas Boylan | 575 (1) | 20 July 1853 |
| City of Auckland | Thomas Bartley | 513 (2) | 20 July 1853 |
| City of Auckland | Robert Mitchell | 485 (3) | 20 July 1853 |
| City of Auckland | James O'Neill | 448 (4) | 20 July 1853 |
| City of Auckland | James Derrom | 367 (5) | 20 July 1853 |
| City of Auckland | Andrew O'Brien | 363 (6) | 20 July 1853 |
| Suburbs of Auckland | William Field Porter | 86 (1) | 20 July 1853 |
| Suburbs of Auckland | William Connell | 84 (2) | 20 July 1853 |
| Suburbs of Auckland | John Watson Bain | 75 (3) | 20 July 1853 |
| Suburbs of Auckland | John Anderson Gilfillan | 72 (4) | 20 July 1853 |
| Southern Division | Joseph Newman | 244 (1) | 1 August 1853 |
| Southern Division | James Dilworth | 222 (2) | 1 August 1853 |
| Southern Division | William Innes Taylor | 209 (3) | 1 August 1853 |
| Southern Division | James Macky | 189 (4) | 1 August 1853 |
| Pensioner Settlements | Francis Charles Lewis | 342 (1) | 22 July 1853 |
| Pensioner Settlements | Joseph Brennan | 296 (2) | 22 July 1853 |
| Pensioner Settlements | William Powditch | 291 (3) | 22 July 1853 |
| Pensioner Settlements | John Williamson | 263 (4) | 22 July 1853 |
| Bay of Islands | James Busby | unopposed | 27 July 1853 |
| Bay of Islands | George Clarke | unopposed | 27 July 1853 |

#### New Plymouth

The New Plymouth Provincial Council (with the province later known as Taranaki Province) was originally made up by nine members from three electorates: Town of New Plymouth (2), Grey and Bell (4), and Omata (3).
| Electoral district | Winner | Votes (rank) | Date |
| Town of New Plymouth | Isaac Newton Watt | 71 (1) | 20 August 1853 |
| Town of New Plymouth | Samuel Vickers | 61 (2) | 20 August 1853 |
| Grey and Bell | Peter Elliott | 119 (1) | 20 August 1853 |
| Grey and Bell | George Cutfield | 108 (2) | 20 August 1853 |
| Grey and Bell | Robert Parris | 106 (3) | 20 August 1853 |
| Grey and Bell | Richard Chilman | 98 (4) | 20 August 1853 |
| Omata | Thomas Good | 57 (1) | 20 August 1853 |
| Omata | Richard Rundle | 57 (2) | 20 August 1853 |
| Omata | George Burton | 36 (3) | 20 August 1853 |

#### Wellington

The Wellington Provincial Council was originally made up by eighteen members from five electorates: City of Wellington (7), Wellington Country (3), Hutt (4), Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay (2), and Wanganui and Rangitikei (2).
| Electoral district | Winner | Date |
| Hutt | Alfred Renall | 13 August 1853 |
| Hutt | Alfred Ludlam | 13 August 1853 |
| Hutt | Edward Gibbon Wakefield | 13 August 1853 |
| Hutt | George Hart | 13 August 1853 |
| Wanganui and Rangitikei | Henry Shafto Harrison | 27 August 1853 |
| Wanganui and Rangitikei | William Hogg Watt | 27 August 1853 |
| Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay | Samuel Revans | 10 August 1853 |
| Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay | Donald Gollan | 10 August 1853 |
| City of Wellington | Charles Clifford | 9 August 1853 |
| City of Wellington | John Dorset | 9 August 1853 |
| City of Wellington | William Fitzherbert | 9 August 1853 |
| City of Wellington | George Moore | 9 August 1853 |
| City of Wellington | John Wallace | 9 August 1853 |
| City of Wellington | William Lyon | 9 August 1853 |
| City of Wellington | Kenneth Bethune | 9 August 1853 |
| Wellington Country | Alfred Brandon | 11 August 1853 |
| Wellington Country | Robert Waitt | 11 August 1853 |
| Wellington Country | Andrew Brown | 11 August 1853 |

#### Nelson

The Nelson Provincial Council was originally made up by fifteen members from seven electorates: Town of Nelson (5), Waimea East (2), Waimea South (2), Wairau (2), Motueka and Massacre Bay (2), Waimea West (1), and Suburban Districts (1).
| Electoral district | Winner | Votes (rank) | Date |
| Town of Nelson | Donald Sinclair | 161 (1) | 10 August 1853 |
| Town of Nelson | Thomas Renwick | 160 (2) | 10 August 1853 |
| Town of Nelson | William Hough | 132 (3) | 10 August 1853 |
| Town of Nelson | George Frederick Bush | 114 (4) | 10 August 1853 |
| Town of Nelson | Henry Adams | 110 (5) | 10 August 1853 |
| Waimea East | Francis Otterson | unopposed | 2 August 1853 |
| Waimea East | John Barnicoat | unopposed | 2 August 1853 |
| Waimea South | Edward Baigent | 72 (1) | 18 August 1853 |
| Waimea South | John Saxton | 35 (2) | 18 August 1853 |
| Wairau | Charles Elliott | unopposed | 10 August 1853 |
| Wairau | Joseph Ward | unopposed | 10 August 1853 |
| Motueka and Massacre Bay | Samuel Stephens | 48 (1) | 19 August 1853 |
| Motueka and Massacre Bay | Charles Parker | 36 (2) | 19 August 1853 |
| Waimea West | David Monro | unopposed | 3 August 1853 |
| Suburban Districts | James Mackay | unopposed | 10 August 1853 |

#### Canterbury

The Canterbury Provincial Council was originally made up by twelve members from four electorates: Town of Christchurch (3), Christchurch Country District (4), Town of Lyttelton (3), and Akaroa (2). In Akaroa, there was a draw for second place between Rev. William Aylmer and William Sefton Moorhouse. The returning officer gave his vote to Aylmer; Moorhouse had a week earlier been elected to the House of Representatives beating Rhodes.
| Electoral district | Winner | Votes (rank) | Date |
| Town of Christchurch | Thomas Cass | 77 (1) | 3 September 1853 |
| Town of Christchurch | Samuel Bealey | 74 (2) | 3 September 1853 |
| Town of Christchurch | Richard Packer | 71 (3) | 3 September 1853 |
| Christchurch Country | Charles Simeon | 158 (1) | 10 September 1853 |
| Christchurch Country | Henry Tancred | 154 (2) | 10 September 1853 |
| Christchurch Country | John Hall | 151 (3) | 10 September 1853 |
| Christchurch Country | Charles Bowen | 132 (4) | 10 September 1853 |
| Town of Lyttelton | Isaac Cookson | 66 (1) | 31 August 1853 |
| Town of Lyttelton | William John Warburton Hamilton | 64 (2) | 31 August 1853 |
| Town of Lyttelton | Christopher Edward Dampier | 60 (3) | 31 August 1853 |
| Akaroa | Robert Heaton Rhodes | 27 (1) | 31 August 1853 |
| Akaroa | Rev. William Aylmer | 24 (2) | 31 August 1853 |

#### Otago

The Otago Provincial Council was originally made up by nine members from two electorates: Town of Dunedin (3) and Dunedin Country District (6).
| Electoral district | Winner | Votes (rank) | Date |
| Town of Dunedin | William Cutten | 54 (1) | 20 September 1853 |
| Town of Dunedin | James Adam | 50 (2) | 20 September 1853 |
| Town of Dunedin | Alexander Rennie | 39 (3) | 20 September 1853 |
| Dunedin Country District | John Hyde Harris | 146 (1) | 28 September 1853 |
| Dunedin Country District | James Macandrew | 118 (2) | 28 September 1853 |
| Dunedin Country District | William Reynolds | 114 (3) | 28 September 1853 |
| Dunedin Country District | John Gillies | 111 (4) | 28 September 1853 |
| Dunedin Country District | Archibald Anderson | 97 (5) | 28 September 1853 |
| Dunedin Country District | Edward McGlashan | 94 (6) | 28 September 1853 |

### Superintendent elections

| Province | Election date | Incumbent | Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Date sworn in |
| Auckland | 30 June 1853 | Office established | Robert Wynyard | William Brown | None | 12 July 1853 |
| New Plymouth | 16 July 1853 | Office established | Charles Brown | William Halse | John T. Wicksteed | 16 July 1853 |
| Wellington | | Office established | Isaac Featherston | Elected unopposed | Elected unopposed | 2 July 1853 |
| Nelson | | Office established | Edward Stafford | John Saxton | Francis Jollie | 1 August 1853 |
| Canterbury | | Office established | James FitzGerald | James Campbell | Henry Tancred | 20 July 1853 |
| Otago | | Office established | William Cargill | Elected unopposed | Elected unopposed | 26 December 1853 |