1853 NZ's first general election begins

The first member of New Zealand’s inaugural Parliament, Hugh Carleton, was elected unopposed at Russell in the Bay of Islands. Few of the district’s 142 registered electors were present outside the courthouse when Carleton was nominated and, in the absence of any opponent, declared duly elected.

The level of popular interest and participation in early parliamentary elections varied widely around the colony. In a number of seats, like the Bay of Islands, the 1853 elections aroused little excitement. Others, especially in the capital, Auckland, were fiercely contested, and tainted by allegations of corruption and bribery.

Due to the difficulties of travel and the small number of electoral officials available, early elections were staggered over weeks or months. In 1853 it took 2½ months to elect the 37 members of the House of Representatives, the superintendents of the colony’s six provinces and the 87 members of the Provincial Councils. New Zealand’s Parliament met for the first time in Auckland on 24 May 1854.

Image: 1853 electoral poster