# 12th New Zealand Parliament

The 12th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1893 general election in November and December of that year.

## 1893 general election

In the 1892 electoral redistribution, population shift to the North Island required the transfer of one seat from the South Island to the north. The resulting ripple effect saw every electorate established in 1890 have its boundaries altered, and 14 new electorates were established. Of those, eight electorates were established for the first time: Bay of Plenty, Otaki, Pareora, Patea, Riccarton, Waiapu, Waimea-Sounds, and Wellington Suburbs. The remaining six electorates had existed before, and they were re-established for the 12th Parliament: Caversham, Chalmers, Lyttelton, Rangitata, Waihemo, and Waipa.
The 1893 general election was held on Tuesday, 28 November in the general electorates and on Wednesday, 20 December in the Māori electorates, respectively. A total of 74 MPs were elected; 30 represented North Island electorates, 40 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates. 302,997 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 75.3%.

## Sessions

The 12th Parliament sat for three sessions, and was prorogued on 14 November 1896.
| Session | Opened | Adjourned |
| first | 21 June 1894 | 24 October 1894 |
| second | 20 June 1895 | 1 November 1895 |
| third | 11 June 1896 | 17 October 1896 |

## Overview of seats

| Affiliation | Affiliation | Members | Members |
| Affiliation | Affiliation | At 1893 election | At dissolution |
| | Liberal | 48 | 48 |
| | Liberal–Labour | 6 | 6 |
| Government total | Government total | 54 | 54 |
| | Conservative | 14 | 15 |
| | Independent | 5 | 4 |
| | Independent Liberal | 1 | 1 |
| Opposition total | Opposition total | 20 | 20 |
| Total | Total | 74 | 74 |
| Working government majority | Working government majority | 34 | 34 |

## Ministries

The Liberal Government of New Zealand had taken office on 24 January 1891. John Ballance, who had been leading the Ballance Ministry, had died on 27 April 1893 and had been succeeded by the Seddon Ministry under Richard Seddon. The Seddon Ministry remained in power for the whole term of this Parliament and held power until Seddon's death on 10 June 1906.

## Initial composition of the 12th Parliament

74 seats were created across 66 electorates. 62 electorates returned a single member and four electoral districts had three representatives each. The Liberal party was the only established party structure at the time, many independent conservative MPs coalesced as a semi-formal Opposition under the leadership of William Russell. Key
Liberal  Conservative  Liberal–Labour  Independent Liberal  Independent
Electorate results for the 1893 New Zealand general election :
| Electorate | Incumbent | Incumbent | Winner | Winner | Majority | Runner up | Runner up |
| General electorates ||||||||
| Ashburton | | Edward George Wright | | John McLachlan | 26 | | Cathcart Wason |
| Ashley | | Richard Meredith | Richard Meredith | Richard Meredith | 590 | | David Duncan Macfarlane |
| Auckland, City of | | John Shera | | George Grey | 2,233 | | Thomas Tudehope |
| Auckland, City of | | Thomas Thompson | | William Crowther | 438 | | Thomas Tudehope |
| Auckland, City of | | Alfred Cadman | | Charles Button | 68 | | Thomas Tudehope |
| Avon | | Edwin Blake | | William Tanner | 653 | | George McIntyre |
| Awarua | | Joseph Ward | Joseph Ward | Joseph Ward | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Bay of Islands | | Robert Houston | Robert Houston | Robert Houston | 231 | | James Trounsen |
| Bay of Plenty | New electorate | New electorate | | William Kelly | 209 | | Henry Burton |
| Bruce | | James Allen | James Allen | James Allen | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Buller | | Eugene O'Conor | | Roderick McKenzie | 213 | | Eugene O'Conor |
| Caversham | New electorate | New electorate | | Arthur Morrison | 136 | | William Barron |
| Chalmers | New electorate | New electorate | | John A. Millar | 119 | | Edmund Allen |
| Christchurch, City of | | William Pember Reeves | William Pember Reeves | William Pember Reeves | 1,848 | | Ebenezer Sandford |
| Christchurch, City of | | Ebenezer Sandford | | George Smith | 916 | | Ebenezer Sandford |
| Christchurch, City of | | Richard Molesworth Taylor | | William Whitehouse Collins | 281 | | Ebenezer Sandford |
| Clutha | | Thomas Mackenzie | Thomas Mackenzie | Thomas Mackenzie | 832 | | James Burgh |
| Dunedin, City of | | David Pinkerton | David Pinkerton | David Pinkerton | 1,294 | | Henry Fish |
| Dunedin, City of | | Henry Fish | | William Earnshaw | 589 | | Henry Fish |
| Dunedin, City of | | William Hutchison | William Hutchison | William Hutchison | 294 | | Henry Fish |
| Eden | | Edwin Mitchelson | Edwin Mitchelson | Edwin Mitchelson | 1,161 | | Malcolm Niccol |
| Egmont | | Felix McGuire | Felix McGuire | Felix McGuire | 135 | | Benjamin Robbins |
| Ellesmere | | John Hall | | William Montgomery | 293 | | William Rolleston |
| Franklin | | Ebenezer Hamlin | | Benjamin Harris | 89 | | William Massey |
| Grey | | Arthur Guinness | Arthur Guinness | Arthur Guinness | 1,723 | | Richard Nancarrow |
| Hawke's Bay | | William Russell | William Russell | William Russell | 70 | | Charles William Reardon |
| Inangahua | | Robert Stout | | Patrick O'Regan | 204 | | William Goodwin Collings |
| Invercargill | | James Whyte Kelly | James Whyte Kelly | James Whyte Kelly | 1,242 | | Joseph Hatch |
| Kaiapoi | | Richard Moore | | David Buddo | 87 | | Richard Moore |
| Lyttelton | New electorate | New electorate | | John Joyce | 1,041 | | Edwin Blake |
| Manukau | | Frank Buckland | | Maurice O'Rorke | 252 | | Frank Buckland |
| Marsden | | Robert Thompson | Robert Thompson | Robert Thompson | 1,010 | | James Harrison |
| Masterton | | Alexander Hogg | Alexander Hogg | Alexander Hogg | 1,228 | | Joseph Harkness |
| Mataura | | George Richardson | | Robert McNab | 119 | | George Richardson |
| Napier | | George Swan | | Samuel Carnell | 520 | | George Swan |
| Nelson | | Joseph Harkness | | John Graham | 279 | | Richmond Hursthouse |
| New Plymouth | | Edward Smith | Edward Smith | Edward Smith | 491 | | Robert Trimble |
| Oamaru | | Thomas Duncan | Thomas Duncan | Thomas Duncan | 416 | | PB Fraser |
| Otaki | New electorate | New electorate | | James Wilson | 195 | | Donald Fraser |
| Palmerston | | James Wilson | | Frederick Pirani | 203 | | George Matthew Snelson |
| Pareora | New electorate | New electorate | | Frederick Flatman | 217 | | Arthur Rhodes |
| Parnell | | Frank Lawry | Frank Lawry | Frank Lawry | 334 | | William Shepherd Allen |
| Patea | New electorate | New electorate | | George Hutchison | 673 | | William Cowern |
| Rangitata | New electorate | New electorate | | William Maslin | 67 | | Edward George Wright |
| Rangitikei | | Robert Bruce | | John Stevens | 176 | | Frank Lethbridge |
| Riccarton | New electorate | New electorate | | George Warren Russell | 106 | | William Boag |
| Selwyn | | Alfred Saunders | Alfred Saunders | Alfred Saunders | 232 | | Thomas Hamilton Anson |
| Taieri | | Walter Carncross | Walter Carncross | Walter Carncross | 76 | | John Buckland |
| Thames | | James McGowan | James McGowan | James McGowan | 311 | | Edmund Taylor |
| Timaru | | William Hall-Jones | William Hall-Jones | William Hall-Jones | 407 | | Edward George Kerr |
| Tuapeka | | Hugh Valentine | | Vincent Pyke | 340 | | Charles Rawlins |
| Waihemo | New electorate | New electorate | | John McKenzie | 324 | | Scobie Mackenzie |
| Waiapu | New electorate | New electorate | | James Carroll | 497 | | Cecil de Lautour |
| Waikato | | Edward Lake | | Alfred Cadman | 75 | | Isaac Coates |
| Waikouaiti | | James Green | James Green | James Green | 510 | | George J. Bruce |
| Waimea-Sounds | New electorate | New electorate | | Charles H. Mills | 333 | | H Everett |
| Waipa | New electorate | New electorate | | Frederic Lang | 989 | | Gerald Peacock |
| Waipawa | | William Smith | | Charles Hall | 378 | | George Hunter |
| Wairarapa | | Walter Clarke Buchanan | Walter Clarke Buchanan | Walter Clarke Buchanan | 690 | | George Augustus Fairbrother |
| Wairau | | Lindsay Buick | Lindsay Buick | Lindsay Buick | 322 | | William Sinclair |
| Waitaki | | John McKenzie | | William Steward | 1,062 | | Thomas Paterson |
| Waitemata | | Jackson Palmer | | Richard Monk | 239 | | Jackson Palmer |
| Wakatipu | | Thomas Fergus | | William Fraser | 326 | | John O'Meara |
| Wallace | | James Mackintosh | James Mackintosh | James Mackintosh | 433 | | Henry Hirst |
| Wanganui | | Archibald Willis | Archibald Willis | Archibald Willis | 197 | | Gilbert Carson |
| Wellington, City of | | John Duthie | John Duthie | John Duthie | | | Kennedy Macdonald |
| Wellington, City of | | George Fisher | | Francis Bell | | | Kennedy Macdonald |
| Wellington, City of | | William McLean | | Sir Robert Stout | | | Kennedy Macdonald |
| Wellington Suburbs | New electorate | New electorate | | Alfred Newman | 124 | | Thomas Wilford |
| Westland | | Richard Seddon | Richard Seddon | Richard Seddon | Uncontested | Uncontested | Uncontested |
| Māori electorates ||||||||
| Eastern Maori | | James Carroll | | Wi Pere | 1,399 | | Hoani Paraone Tunuiarangi |
| Northern Maori | | Eparaima Te Mutu Kapa | | Hone Heke Ngapua | 507 | | Eparaima Te Mutu Kapa |
| Southern Maori | | Tame Parata | Tame Parata | Tame Parata | 185 | | Teoti Pita Mutu |
| Western Maori | | Hoani Taipua | | Ropata Te Ao | 90 | | Pepene Eketone |
Table footnotes:
* ↑ Majority is difference in votes to fourth candidate
* ↑ Majority is difference in votes to fourth candidate
* ↑ Majority is difference in votes to fourth candidate
* ↑ Robert Thompson was an Independent in the previous Parliament
* ↑ The affiliation of many of the Māori candidates is unknown or uncertain

## By-elections during 12th Parliament

There were a number of changes during the term of the 12th Parliament.
| Electorate and by-election | Electorate and by-election | Date | Incumbent | Cause | Winner |
| Waitemata | 1894 | 9 April | Richard Monk | Election declared invalid | William Massey |
| Tuapeka | 1894 | 9 July | Vincent Pyke | Death | William Larnach |
| City of Auckland | 1895 | 24 July | Sir George Grey | Resignation | Thomas Thompson |
| City of Christchurch | 1896 | 13 February | William Pember Reeves | Appointed Agent-General | Charles Lewis |