# 1853 New Zealand general election

The 1853 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's first term. It was the first national election ever held in New Zealand, although Parliament did not yet have full authority to govern the colony, which was part of the British Empire at that time. Elections for the first provincial councils and their Superintendents were held at the same time.

## Background

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, established a bicameral New Zealand Parliament, with the lower house (the House of Representatives) being elected by popular vote. Votes were to be cast under a simple FPP system, and the secret ballot had not yet been introduced.
To qualify as a voter, one needed to be male, to be a British subject, to be at least 21 years old, to own a certain value of land, and to not be serving a criminal sentence. One of the candidates elected (on 27 August, for Christchurch Country) was a landowner, but at 20 years and 7 months was not yet 21: he was James Stuart-Wortley.
At the time of the 1853 elections, there were no political parties in New Zealand. As such, all candidates were independents.

## The election

In the 1853 elections, election day was different in each seat. The first seat to be elected was Bay of Islands on 14 July, and the final election day was on 1 October. Hugh Carleton (Bay of Islands) was the first MP ever elected in New Zealand (though he was elected unopposed), so he liked to be called the Father of the House.
There were 5,849 people registered to vote.
The total number of seats was 37.
The number of electoral districts was 24. Some districts elected multiple MPs (they elected using block voting). Wellington and Auckland had three members each. Some parts of the colony were not part of any district, and did not have representation in Parliament.

## Results

| Member | Electorate | Province | Election date |
| William Moorhouse | Akaroa | Canterbury | 24 August |
| Thomas Bartley | AucklandCity of Auckland | Auckland | 11 August |
| Loughlin O'Brien | AucklandCity of Auckland | Auckland | 11 August |
| James O'Neill | AucklandCity of Auckland | Auckland | 11 August |
| Frederick Merriman | Suburbs of Auckland | Auckland | 10 August |
| William Porter | Suburbs of Auckland | Auckland | 10 August |
| Hugh Carleton | Bay of Islands | Auckland | 14 July |
| James Stuart-Wortley | Christchurch Country | Canterbury | 27 August |
| Jerningham Wakefield | Christchurch Country | Canterbury | 27 August |
| Henry Sewell | ChristchurchTown of Christchurch | Canterbury | 20 August |
| John Cargill | Dunedin Country | Otago | 1 October |
| William Cutten | Dunedin Country | Otago | 1 October |
| James Macandrew | DunedinTown of Dunedin | Otago | 27 September |
| Thomas King | Grey and Bell | New Plymouth | 27 August |
| Alfred Ludlam | Hutt | Wellington | 18 August |
| Edward Gibbon Wakefield | Hutt | Wellington | 19 August |
| James FitzGerald | LytteltonTown of Lyttelton | Canterbury | 17 August |
| Alfred Picard | Motueka and Massacre Bay | Nelson | 18 August |
| James Mackay | NelsonTown of Nelson | Nelson | 25 July |
| William Travers | NelsonTown of Nelson | Nelson | 25 July |
| Francis Gledhill | New PlymouthTown of New Plymouth | New Plymouth | 26 August |
| Thomas Forsaith | Northern Division | Auckland | 23 August |
| Walter Lee | Northern Division | Auckland | 23 August |
| William Crompton | Omata | New Plymouth | 26 August |
| John Bacot | Pensioner Settlements | Auckland | 13 August |
| Joseph Greenwood | Pensioner Settlements | Auckland | 13 August |
| Charles Taylor | Southern Division | Auckland | 23 August |
| John Gray | Southern Division | Auckland | 23 August |
| William Cautley | Waimea | Nelson | 16 August |
| David Monro | Waimea | Nelson | 16 August |
| Samuel Revans | Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay | Wellington | 12 August |
| Frederick Weld | Wairau | Nelson | 2 August |
| Isaac Featherston | Wanganui and Rangitikei | Wellington | 12 August |
| Charles Clifford | WellingtonCity of Wellington | Wellington | 15 August |
| Robert Hart | WellingtonCity of Wellington | Wellington | 15 August |
| James Kelham | WellingtonCity of Wellington | Wellington | 15 August |
| William Rhodes | Wellington Country | Wellington | 18 August |