Today in History

1890 First 'one man one vote' election

Electoral law had been changed so that no New Zealander (except, for a few more years, Maori property-owners) could vote in more than one electoral district. This ended the longstanding practice of 'plural voting' by those who owned property in more than one electorate.

The 1890 election is widely seen as one of the most significant in New Zealand's political history. Although the result was not clear until Parliament met in early 1891, the Liberal Party government that ultimately took power was to dominate the political landscape for the next two decades. Led by John Ballance (until his death in 1893) and then by Richard Seddon, the Liberals introduced a number of laws designed to improve life for ‘ordinary New Zealanders’. The industrial arbitration system, old-age pensions, and restrictions on working hours for women and young workers led some observers to champion New Zealand as a ‘social laboratory’ and 'working man's paradise'.

Electoral rights were still in a period of transition. The law allowed property-owners to enrol in each district where they qualified, but come election day they had to choose the electorate in which to cast their solitary vote. This 'plural registration', and the dual vote for Maori property-owners (which had existed since 1867 when the Maori seats were introduced), were both abolished in 1893. The introduction of New Zealand's landmark women's suffrage legislation that year established the 'one person one vote' principle which was to become a fundamental feature of democratic electoral systems in the 20th century.