# 16th New Zealand Parliament

The 16th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1905 general election in December of that year.

## Changes to the electoral law

The 1903 City Single Electorates Act declared that at the dissolution of the 15th Parliament, the four multi-member electorates would be abolished and replaced each with three single-member electorates. It was also the year absentee voting was introduced for all electors unable to be in their own electorate on election day. The first Chief Electoral Officer was appointed.
Accordingly, the multi-member urban electorates of City of Auckland, City of Christchurch, City of Dunedin and City of Wellington were abolished and replaced with the following single-member seats:
* Auckland Central
* Auckland East
* Auckland West
* Christchurch East
* Christchurch North
* Christchurch South
* Wellington Central
* Wellington East
* Wellington North
* Dunedin Central
* Dunedin North
* Dunedin South
Nine of these twelve electorates had existed before. Wellington Central, Wellington North, and Dunedin North were established for the first time.

## 1905 general election

The 1905 general election was held on Wednesday, 6 December in the general electorates and on Wednesday, 20 December in the Māori electorates, respectively. A total of 80 MPs were elected; 38 represented North Island electorates, 38 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates. 476,473 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 83.3%.

## Sessions

The 16th Parliament sat for four sessions (there were two sessions in 1906), and was prorogued on 29 October 1908.
| Session | Opened | Adjourned |
| first | 27 June 1906 | 29 June 1906 |
| second | 21 August 1906 | 29 October 1906 |
| third | 27 June 1907 | 25 November 1907 |
| fourth | 29 June 1908 | 10 October 1908 |

## Ministries

The Liberal Government of New Zealand had taken office on 24 January 1891. The Seddon Ministry under Richard Seddon had taken office in 1893 during the term of the 11th Parliament. The Seddon Ministry remained in power for the whole term of this Parliament and held power until Seddon's death on 10 June 1906. Seddon was travelling overseas at the time of his death, and William Hall-Jones was a reluctant acting Premier at the time. Joseph Ward would normally have been acting Premier, but he was also overseas. So upon Seddon's death, Hall-Jones was sworn in as Prime Minister (the first time this new title was used) and formed the Hall-Jones Ministry on 21 June 1906. Upon Ward's return from overseas, the leadership was offered to him, which he accepted. Hall-Jones resigned as Prime Minister, succeeded by Ward who formed the Ward Ministry on 6 August 1906. The Ward Ministry remained in power for the remainder of the parliamentary term and subsequently until Ward's resignation as Prime Minister in 1912.

## Party composition
### Start of term

| Party | Party |
| | Liberal || 58 |
| | Conservative || 16 |
| | Independent || 6 |
| Source |||

## Initial composition of the 16th Parliament

The following are the results of the 1905 general election:
Key
Liberal  Conservative  New Liberal  Liberal–Labour  Independent Liberal  Independent
Electorate results for the 1905 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Ashburton | | John McLachlan | John McLachlan | John McLachlan | 244 | John Studholme |
| Auckland Central | New electorate | New electorate | | Alfred Kidd | 939 | Lemuel Bagnall |
| Auckland East | New electorate | New electorate | | Frederick Baume | 871 | Harry Bamford |
| Auckland West | New electorate | New electorate | | Charles Poole | 340 | James Parr |
| Avon | | William Tanner | William Tanner | William Tanner | 725 | John Russell Brunt |
| Awarua | | Joseph Ward | Joseph Ward | Joseph Ward | 2,848 | Henry Woodnorth |
| Bay of Islands | | Robert Houston | Robert Houston | Robert Houston | 470 | John Charles Johnson |
| Bay of Plenty | | William Herries | William Herries | William Herries | 211 | Joseph Foster |
| Bruce | | James Allen | James Allen | James Allen | 435 | William Darcy Mason |
| Buller | | James Colvin | James Colvin | James Colvin | 2,798 | Frank Isitt |
| Caversham | | Thomas Sidey | Thomas Sidey | Thomas Sidey | 1,760 | William Earnshaw |
| Chalmers | | Edmund Allen | Edmund Allen | Edmund Allen | 1,437 | William Pryor |
| Christchurch East | New electorate | New electorate | | Thomas Davey | 565 | Henry Featherston Toogood |
| Christchurch North | New electorate | New electorate | | Charles Gray | 1,084 | Tommy Taylor |
| Christchurch South | New electorate | New electorate | | Harry Ell | 2,511 | Charles Henry Winny |
| Clutha | | James Thomson | | Alexander Malcolm | 272 | Daniel Stewart |
| Courtenay | | Charles Lewis | Charles Lewis | Charles Lewis | 232 | Thomas Jones McBride |
| Dunedin Central | New electorate | New electorate | | John A. Millar | 1,919 | Alexander Samuel Adam |
| Dunedin North | New electorate | New electorate | | Alfred Richard Barclay | 514 | Harry Bedford |
| Dunedin South | New electorate | New electorate | | James Arnold | 780 | William Downie Stewart |
| Eden | | John Bollard | John Bollard | John Bollard | 2,760 | Robert French |
| Egmont | | William Thomas Jennings | William Thomas Jennings | William Thomas Jennings | 651 | Charles Leech |
| Ellesmere | | Heaton Rhodes | Heaton Rhodes | Heaton Rhodes | 283 | George Rennie |
| Franklin | | William Massey | William Massey | William Massey | 935 | William Wilson McCardle |
| Geraldine | | Frederick Flatman | Frederick Flatman | Frederick Flatman | 1,233 | William Jeffries |
| Grey | | Arthur Guinness | Arthur Guinness | Arthur Guinness | 377 | Joseph Petrie |
| Grey Lynn | | George Fowlds | George Fowlds | George Fowlds | 230 | John Farrell |
| Hawera | | Charles E. Major | Charles E. Major | Charles E. Major | 449 | Felix McGuire |
| Hawke's Bay | | William Russell | | Alfred Dillon | 1,043 | William Russell |
| Hurunui | | Andrew Rutherford | Andrew Rutherford | Andrew Rutherford | 1,186 | Obed Frederick Clothier |
| Hutt | | Thomas Wilford | Thomas Wilford | Thomas Wilford | 1,912 | George Yerex |
| Invercargill | | Josiah Hanan | Josiah Hanan | Josiah Hanan | 1,721 | Irvin Willis Raymond |
| Kaiapoi | | David Buddo | David Buddo | David Buddo | 45 | Richard Moore |
| Kaipara | | Alfred Harding | | John Stallworthy | 9 | Alfred Harding |
| Lyttelton | | George Laurenson | George Laurenson | George Laurenson | 1,108 | William Radcliffe |
| Manawatu | | Job Vile | | John Stevens | 359 | Job Vile |
| Manukau | | Matthew Kirkbride | Matthew Kirkbride | Matthew Kirkbride | 663 | Ralph Duncan Stewart |
| Marsden | | Francis Mander | Francis Mander | Francis Mander | 348 | Robert Thompson |
| Masterton | | Alexander Hogg | Alexander Hogg | Alexander Hogg | 859 | James Christopher Cooper |
| Mataura | | Robert McNab | Robert McNab | Robert McNab | 435 | Thomas MacGibbon |
| Motueka | | Roderick McKenzie | Roderick McKenzie | Roderick McKenzie | 2,733 | Frank Isitt |
| Mount Ida | | Alexander Herdman | | John MacPherson | 394 | Alexander Herdman |
| Napier | | Alfred Fraser | Alfred Fraser | Alfred Fraser | 1,469 | Montague W. P. Lascelles |
| Nelson | | John Graham | John Graham | John Graham | 29 | Harry Atmore |
| Newtown | | William Henry Peter Barber | William Henry Peter Barber | William Henry Peter Barber | 1,213 | Thomas William Hislop |
| Oamaru | | Thomas Young Duncan | Thomas Young Duncan | Thomas Young Duncan | 2,009 | James Mitchell |
| Ohinemuri | | Edward Moss | | Hugh Poland | 351 | Edward Moss |
| Oroua | | Frank Lethbridge | Frank Lethbridge | Frank Lethbridge | 986 | Owen Carlin Pleasants |
| Otaki | | William Hughes Field | William Hughes Field | William Hughes Field | 1,394 | Byron Paul Brown |
| Pahiatua | | Bill Hawkins | | Robert Beatson Ross | 206 | Bill Hawkins |
| Palmerston | | William Wood | William Wood | William Wood | 480 | Frederick Pirani |
| Parnell | | Frank Lawry | Frank Lawry | Frank Lawry | 122 | Murdoch McLean |
| Patea | | Walter Symes | Walter Symes | Walter Symes | 143 | John Hine |
| Rangitikei | | Arthur Remington | Arthur Remington | Arthur Remington | 1,710 | Joe Reginald Sommerville |
| Riccarton | | George Witty | George Witty | George Witty | 1,240 | Thomas Caverhill |
| Selwyn | | Charles Hardy | Charles Hardy | Charles Hardy | 322 | Joseph Ivess |
| Taieri | | Donald Reid | Donald Reid | Donald Reid | 535 | Alexander Marshall |
| Taranaki | | Edward Smith | Edward Smith | Edward Smith | 236 | Henry Okey |
| Thames | | James McGowan | James McGowan | James McGowan | 1,229 | Malcolm Fleming |
| Timaru | | William Hall-Jones | William Hall-Jones | William Hall-Jones | 1,063 | Frank Rolleston |
| Tuapeka | | James Bennet | James Bennet | James Bennet | 977 | Robert Gilkison |
| Waiapu | | James Carroll | James Carroll | James Carroll | 1,798 | Lissant Clayton |
| Waikato | | Frederic Lang | | Henry Greenslade | 78 | Frederic Lang |
| Waikouaiti | | Thomas Mackenzie | Thomas Mackenzie | Thomas Mackenzie | 702 | Edward Henry Clark |
| Waipawa | | Charles Hall | Charles Hall | Charles Hall | 1,254 | George Hunter |
| Wairarapa | | Walter Clarke Buchanan | | J. T. Marryat Hornsby | 531 | Walter Clarke Buchanan |
| Wairau | | Charles H. Mills | Charles H. Mills | Charles H. Mills | 977 | John Duncan |
| Waitaki | | William Steward | William Steward | William Steward | 1,643 | George Dash |
| Waitemata | | Ewen Alison | Ewen Alison | Ewen Alison | 971 | Cecil Clinkard |
| Wakatipu | | William Fraser | William Fraser | William Fraser | 423 | Michael Gilfedder |
| Wallace | | John Charles Thomson | John Charles Thomson | John Charles Thomson | 461 | Dugald Macpherson |
| Wanganui | | Archibald Willis | | James Thomas Hogan | 924 | Archibald Willis |
| Wellington Central | New electorate | New electorate | | Francis Fisher | 445 | Patrick O'Regan |
| Wellington East | New electorate | New electorate | | John Aitken | 19 | William McLean |
| Wellington North | New electorate | New electorate | | Charles Hayward Izard | 660 | John Duthie |
| Westland | | Richard Seddon | Richard Seddon | Richard Seddon | 3,180 | Harry Cowin |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | | Wi Pere | | Āpirana Ngata | 757 | Wi Pere |
| Northern Maori | | Hone Heke | Hone Heke | Hone Heke | 627 | Ru Reweti |
| Southern Maori | | Tame Parata | Tame Parata | Tame Parata | 160 | Hopere Uru |
| Western Maori | | Henare Kaihau | Henare Kaihau | Henare Kaihau | 1,688 | Tureiti Te Heuheu Tukino V |

## By-elections during 16th Parliament

There were a number of changes during the term of the 16th Parliament.
| Electorate and by-election | Electorate and by-election | Date | Incumbent | Cause | Winner |
| Westland | 1906 | 13 July | Richard Seddon | Death | Tom Seddon |
| Manukau | 1906 | 6 December | Matthew Kirkbride | Death | Frederic Lang |
| Taranaki | 1907 | 4 May | Edward Smith | Death | Henry Okey |
| Tuapeka | 1908 | 5 June | James Bennet | Death | William Chapple |