# 6th New Zealand Parliament

The 6th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.
Elections for this term were held in 69 European electorates between 20 December 1875 and 29 January 1876. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 4 and 15 January 1876. A total of 88 MPs were elected. Parliament was prorogued in August 1879. During the term of this Parliament, five Ministries were in power.

## Sessions

The 6th Parliament opened on 15 June 1876, following the 1875–1876 general election. It sat for four sessions, and was prorogued on 15 August 1879.
| Session | Opened | Adjourned |
| first | 15 June 1876 | 31 October 1876 |
| second | 19 July 1877 | 10 December 1877 |
| third | 26 July 1878 | 2 November 1878 |
| fourth | 11 July 1879 | 11 August 1879 |

## 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 July 1875, the Pollen Ministry was in power, led by Premier Daniel Pollen. On 15 February 1876, the second Vogel Ministry was established, which lasted until 1 September 1876. This was followed by the Atkinson Ministry, what is known as the beginning of the Continuous Ministry, which lasted from 1 to 13 September 1876. It was reconstituted as the second Atkinson Ministry, which ruled from 13 September 1876 to 13 October 1877. This was succeeded by the Grey Ministry, which was in power from 13 October 1877 to 8 October 1879. This period extended slightly after the period of the 1879 general elections for the 7th Parliament.

## Initial composition of the 6th Parliament

88 seats were created across the electorates.
| Member | Electorate | MP's term | Election date |
| William Montgomery | Akaroa | Second | 29 December 1875 |
| John Evans Brown | Ashley | Second | 11 January 1876 |
| William Rees | Auckland East | First | 30 December 1875 |
| George Grey | Auckland West | Second | 23 December 1875 |
| Patrick Dignan | Auckland West | Third | 23 December 1875 |
| William Rolleston | Avon | Third | 22 December 1875 |
| William Murray | Bruce | Second | 23 December 1875 |
| Joseph Henry | Buller | First | 5 January 1876 |
| James Seaton | Caversham | First | 21 December 1875 |
| Leonard Harper | Cheviot | First | 8 January 1876 |
| William Sefton Moorhouse | Christchurch | Fifth | 21 December 1875 |
| Edward Richardson | Christchurch | Second | 21 December 1875 |
| Edward Cephas John Stevens | Christchurch | Second | 21 December 1875 |
| John Davies Ormond | Clive | Fourth | 7 January 1876 |
| James William Thomson | Clutha | Second | 20 January 1876 |
| Cathcart Wason | Coleridge | First | 6 January 1876 |
| William Gibbs | Collingwood | Second | 29 December 1875 |
| James Macandrew | City of Dunedin | Sixth | 20 December 1875 |
| William Larnach | City of Dunedin | First | 20 December 1875 |
| Robert Stout | City of Dunedin | Second | 20 December 1875 |
| Vincent Pyke | Dunstan | Second | 27 December 1875 |
| George Read | East Coast | First | 6 January 1876 |
| Joseph Tole | Eden | First | 6 January 1876 |
| Harry Atkinson | Egmont | Fourth | 3 January 1876 |
| Hugh Lusk | Franklin | First | 18 January 1876 |
| Ebenezer Hamlin | Franklin | First | 18 January 1876 |
| Edward Wakefield | Geraldine | First | 27 December 1875 |
| Frederick Teschemaker | Gladstone | First | 20 January 1876 |
| Frederic Carrington | Grey and Bell | Third | 28 December 1875 |
| Martin Kennedy | Grey Valley | First | 12 January 1876 |
| Charles Woolcock | Grey Valley | First | 12 January 1876 |
| James Fisher | Heathcote | First | 4 January 1876 |
| Edmund Barff | Hokitika | Second | 14 January 1876 |
| Charles Button | Hokitika | First | 14 January 1876 |
| William Fitzherbert | Hutt | Fifth | 29 December 1875 |
| George Lumsden | Invercargill | First | 24 December 1875 |
| Charles Bowen | Kaiapoi | Second | 21 December 1875 |
| Hugh Murray-Aynsley | Lyttelton | First | 28 December 1875 |
| Walter Woods Johnston | Manawatu | Second | 10 January 1876 |
| Robert Douglas | Marsden | First | 10 January 1876 |
| William Wood | Mataura | Second | 6 January 1876 |
| John William Williams | Mongonui and Bay of Islands | Second | 17 January 1876 |
| Richmond Hursthouse | Motueka | First | 6 January 1876 |
| Cecil de Lautour | Mount Ida | First | 17 January 1876 |
| Donald McLean | Napier | Third | 30 December 1875 |
| William Russell | Napier | First | 30 December 1875 |
| John Sharp | City of Nelson | First | 20 December 1875 |
| Oswald Curtis | City of Nelson | Third | 20 December 1875 |
| Andrew Richmond | Nelson SuburbsSuburbs of Nelson | Fourth | 30 December 1875 |
| Thomas Kelly | New Plymouth | Third | 23 December 1875 |
| William Swanson | Newton | Second | 24 December 1875 |
| Maurice O'Rorke | Onehunga | Fourth | 29 December 1875 |
| Reader Wood | Parnell | Fourth | 31 December 1875 |
| Courtney Kenny | Picton | Third | 18 January 1876 |
| William Reynolds | Port Chalmers | Fourth | 10 January 1876 |
| John Ballance | Rangitikei | Second | 5 January 1876 |
| Samuel Hodgkinson | Riverton | First | 7 January 1876 |
| John Sheehan | Rodney | Second | 17 January 1876 |
| Arthur John Burns | Roslyn | Third | 28 December 1875 |
| Cecil Fitzroy | Selwyn | First | 30 December 1875 |
| Donald Reid | Taieri | Third | 29 December 1875 |
| George Grey | Thames | Second | 6 January 1876 |
| William Rowe | Thames | First | 6 January 1876 |
| Edward Stafford | Timaru | Fifth | 28 December 1875 |
| George Henry Tribe | Totara | Second | 10 January 1876 |
| James Clark Brown | Tuapeka | Third | 22 December 1875 |
| Horace Bastings | Waikaia | First | 14 January 1876 |
| Frederick Whitaker | Waikato | Second | 5 January 1876 |
| George McLean | Waikouaiti | Second | 22 December 1875 |
| Edward Baigent | Waimea | Second | 7 January 1876 |
| Alfred Cox | Waipa | Third | 11 January 1876 |
| Henry Bunny | Wairarapa | Fourth | 4 January 1876 |
| John Andrew | Wairarapa | Second | 4 January 1876 |
| Arthur Seymour | Wairau | Second | 29 January 1876 |
| Samuel Shrimski | Waitaki | First | 10 January 1876 |
| Thomas William Hislop | Waitaki | First | 10 January 1876 |
| John Macfarlane | Waitemata | First | 19 January 1876 |
| Henry Manders | Wakatipu | First | 7 January 1876 |
| James Parker Joyce | Wallace | First | 30 December 1875 |
| John Bryce | Wanganui | Third | 7 January 1876 |
| Julius Vogel | Wanganui | Fourth | 7 January 1876 |
| George Hunter | City of Wellington | Second | 23 December 1875 |
| Edward Pearce | City of Wellington | Second | 23 December 1875 |
| Alfred Brandon | Wellington Country | Fifth | 31 December 1875 |
| Karaitiana Takamoana | X-01Eastern Maori | Second | 15 January 1876 |
| Hori Tawhiti | X-02Northern Maori | First | 15 January 1876 |
| Hōri Kerei Taiaroa | X-03Southern Maori | Second | 4 January 1876 |
| Hoani Nahe | X-04Western Maori | First | 15 January 1876 |

## Changes during term

There were numerous changes during the term of the 6th Parliament.
| By-election | Electorate | Date | Incumbent | Reason | Winner |
| 1876 | City of Auckland West | 25 July | George Grey | Resignation | Benjamin Tonks |
| 1876 | Wanganui | 27 September | Julius Vogel | Resignation | William Fox |
| 1877 | Napier | 15 February | Donald McLean | Death | Fred Sutton |
| 1877 | City of Wellington | 27 March | Edward Pearce | Resignation | William Travers |
| 1877 | Totara | 30 April | George Henry Tribe | Death | William Gisborne |
| 1877 | City of Auckland West | 2 May | Benjamin Tonks | Resignation | James Wallis |
| 1877 | Wairarapa | 3 July | John Andrew | Resignation | George Beetham |
| 1878 | City of Wellington | 18 February | William Travers | Resignation | George Elliott Barton |
| 1878 | Parnell | 20 February | Reader Wood | Resignation | Frederick Moss |
| 1878 | Timaru | 8 April | Edward Stafford | Resignation | Richard Turnbull |
| 1878 | Port Chalmers | 12 April | William Reynolds | Resignation | James Green |
| 1878 | Franklin | 20 May | Hugh Lusk | Resignation | Richard Hobbs |
| 1878 | Cheviot | 21 May | Leonard Harper | Resignation | Alfred Saunders |
| 1878 | Grey Valley | 22 May | Martin Kennedy | Resignation | Richard Reeves |
| 1878 | Hokitika | 26 June | Charles Button | Resignation | Seymour Thorne George |
| 1878 | City of Dunedin | 3 July | William Larnach | Resignation | Richard Oliver |
| 1878 | Taieri | 11 July | Donald Reid | Resignation | William Cutten |
| 1878 | Invercargill | 17 July | George Lumsden | Resignation | Henry Feldwick |
| 1878 | Waipa | 24 July | Alfred Cox | Resignation | Edward Graham McMinn |
| 1878 | Roslyn | 29 July | Arthur John Burns | Resignation | Henry Driver |
| 1879 | Gladstone | 3 January | Frederick Teschemaker | Death | John Studholme |
| 1879 | Mataura | 15 January | William Wood | Resignation | James Shanks |
| 1879 | City of Nelson | 6 February | John Sharp | Resignation | Acton Adams |
| 1879 | City of Auckland West | 4 March | Patrick Dignan | Resignation | David Goldie |
| 1879 | Coleridge | 8 May | Cathcart Wason | Resignation | George Hart |
| 1879 | Hutt | 2 July | William Fitzherbert | Resignation | Henry Jackson |
| 1879 | Eastern Maori | 7 July | Karaitiana Takamoana | Death | Henare Tomoana |
| 1879 | Southern Maori | 7 July | Hōri Kerei Taiaroa | Resignation | Ihaia Tainui |
| 1879 | City of Dunedin | 15 July | Robert Stout | Resignation | William Downie Stewart |