This web feature was written by John E. Martin and produced by the NZHistory.net.nz team.LinksParliamentary elections and parties (Te Ara)BooksMartin, John E. The House: New Zealand's House of Representatives 1854–2004, Dunmore Press, 2004
A crowd of 50,000 greeted Queen Elizabeth II as she arrived at Parliament. This was the first time New Zealand's Parliament was opened by a reigning monarch.
Between April and June 1868 the first four Maori MPs were elected to New Zealand's Parliament. Despite ongoing debate, the Maori seats remain a distinctive feature of this country's electoral landscape 140 years later.
New Zealand's early politicians encouraged Parliament to adopt the traditions of the British Parliament so that New Zealand's Parliament would be invested with great dignity.
This clip shows Speaker Algie, Members of Parliament being called by the division bells for another sitting and the procession into the chamber with the Serjeant-at-Arms carrying the mace.
The snap election of 1984 brought in a new Labour government. The clip shows Members of Parliament assembling and the election of Speaker Sir Basil Arthur.