# 1871 New Zealand general election

The 1871 New Zealand general election was held between 14 January and 23 February to elect 78 MPs across 72 electorates to the fifth session of the New Zealand Parliament. 41,527 electors were registered.

## Background

1871 was the first general election to include the four Māori electorates, with elections held on 1 and 15 February. The first Māori Members of Parliament had been elected in 1868, but in 1871 three retired and one (Western Maori) was defeated. So in 1871 four new Māori MPs were elected.
In 1866 the secret ballot was introduced for general (European) elections. The 1871 general election was the first one at which it was used. The secret ballot not used in Māori electorates until 1938, thus Māori voters continued to inform a polling officer orally of their chosen candidate.
The date of election is defined here as the day on which the poll took place, or if there was no contest, the day of nomination. The earliest election day was 14 January 1871. The earliest date in the general electorate results table, 13 January 1871, thus represents William Rolleston being declared elected unopposed in the Avon electorate on nomination day. The last election was held on 23 February 1871 in the Franklin electorate.
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. 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. 41,527 electors were registered.

## Results

| 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.