The Great Kiwi (Dis)Connect: The New Provinces Act of 1858 and its Consequences

In 1853, New Zealand began a quasi-federal experiment that ended

surprisingly quickly. New Zealand’s Pakeha (white) settlers, many

influenced by the Chartist movement, had migrated in the

expectation that they would possess the same rights as Englishmen at

home. After vociferous agitation and a false start when an earlier

constitution was blocked as unworkable, they were granted a

representative constitution that contained a system of six provinces.2

Five of the provinces quickly established ministries that were wholly

or partially responsible to the legislature, and responsible government

at the national level followed in 1856. 3 Although responsible

government followed similar lines to that in the Australian colonies,

governors retained the power to veto financial bills and Australia had

no equivalent to New Zealand’s provincial system or its

superintendents, some of whom viewed the superintendency as akin

to a lieutenant-governorship.