45-704: The Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings were the buildings of the Canterbury Provincial Council that administered the Canterbury Province from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The buildings are the only purpose-built provincial government buildings in New Zealand still in existence. The buildings were substantially damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake , and partially demolished by
90-407: A by-election to fill the vacancy. The provinces have broken down because of their coming into conflict with the colonial government on many points, and especially on points of finance. Their doom was only a question of time, when it became obvious that they could not raise their own revenue; that they had to look to the general government to supply deficiencies; and that they could not borrow without
135-583: A newly established provincial government (the Canterbury Province). Elections were held in 1853 for Superintendent and, later that year, for the 12-member council. These elections predated any elected national assembly. The franchise was extended to men over the age of 21 who owned property in the province. As a result, affairs of the Canterbury Association were wound up in 1855 and outstanding settlement lands handed over to
180-493: A provincial council, and elected a superintendent who was not a member of the council. The councils elected their speaker at their first meeting after elections. The Act also created a national General Assembly consisting of the Legislative Council (appointed by the governor ) and the directly elected House of Representatives . These provinces came into effect on 17 January 1853 and the regulations defining
225-653: A separate Crown Colony from New South Wales in May 1841. In 1846 the British Parliament passed the first New Zealand Constitution Act , which allowed for the establishment of provinces. Governor George Grey arrived in New Zealand in November 1845, and upon reading the new Constitution Act in May 1847 argued for its suspension in dispatches to the Colonial Office. Before this occurred, Grey proclaimed
270-595: Is comparable to a cabinet . The following 26 Executive Councils existed: Each New Zealand province celebrates an anniversary day. Canterbury Province's was originally 16 December, the day of the 1850 arrival of the Charlotte Jane and the Randolph . Since 1862, an A&P (Agricultural and Pastoral) show has been held annually. Its Friday Show Day was set for many years on the People's Day and, sometime in
315-610: Is that of the Southland Province in Invercargill , which was built in 1864 as a Masonic lodge and was purchased by the Southland Provincial Council as their council chambers in 1866. The buildings were substantially damaged in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake . The stone tower on Armagh Street, which acted as the buildings' entrance on their north side and which held the clock of
360-598: The Canterbury Association of influential Englishmen associated with the Church of England . (An attempt was initially made to restrict residence in the province to members of the church but this was abandoned.) The Charlotte Jane and the Randolph —the first two of the First Four Ships —arrived in the area on 16 December 1850, later celebrated as the province's Anniversary Day . In 1852,
405-536: The Colony of New Zealand existed as a form of sub-national government . Initially established in 1846 when New Zealand was a Crown colony without responsible government , two provinces ( New Ulster and New Munster ) were first created. Each province had its own legislative council and governor. With the passing of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 the provinces were recreated around
450-654: The General Assembly created the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works which received a proportion of the Canterbury provincial land revenues and was authorised to maintain and build the Timaru harbour and local roads and bridges. When the province was abolished, the area was distributed across eight counties . The Ferrymead Railway was the first railway to be opened (1863) and closed (1868) in New Zealand. It
495-865: The New Zealand Railways Department in 1876. Charles Simeon was the returning officer for the first election of a Superintendent. The nomination meeting was held at the Christchurch Land Office (the site now occupied by Our City ), and there were three polling stations: in Christchurch at the Resident Magistrate's Court, in Lyttelton at the Resident Magistrate's Court, and in Akaroa . Canterbury had four Superintendents: The Executive Council
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#1732776706147540-570: The Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 , which amongst other things established provincial councils . The Constitution contained specific provisions for the Canterbury Association; the first being that the new General Assembly ( New Zealand Parliament ) could not amend the legislation establishing the Canterbury Association, the second being that the Canterbury Association could hand its powers to
585-612: The Victoria Clock Tower in the early years, collapsed. Dr Ian Lochhead, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Canterbury , said that the Stone Chamber was for many the single biggest heritage loss of the February earthquake. Lochhead, who was an advisor for the restoration of the buildings from 1981, called for the reconstruction of the Stone Chamber. Detailed engineering assessments showed that
630-486: The upper house (the Legislative Council ) being appointed. Votes were to be cast under a simple FPP system by telling ones choice of candidate to the election officer, as the secret ballot had not yet been introduced. The legislation also introduced provincial government, with an initial six provinces (and ultimately ten). At the time of the 1853 election , there were no political parties in New Zealand. As such, all candidates were independents. Provincial governments and
675-512: The 1880s (e.g. Otago) or 2006 (Tasman). Some of the names persist in other contexts as well, such as health administration districts: Northland , Waitemata , Auckland †, Counties Manukau , Waikato , Bay of Plenty , Lakes (Rotorua/Taupo) , Hawke's Bay †, MidCentral (Manawatu) , Tairawhiti (Gisborne) , Taranaki , Whanganui , Wairarapa , Hutt Valley , Capital and Coast (Wellington) †, Nelson (Marlborough) †, West Coast †, Canterbury †, South Canterbury and Southern (Otago) †. Some of
720-590: The Abolition of Provinces Act 1875, during the Premiership of Harry Atkinson . For the purposes of the Act, the provinces formally ceased to exist on 1 January 1877. Upon the abolition of the provinces, they took the legal status of provincial districts, which had no administrative functions. Local government was vested in elected borough and county councils. The Counties Bill of 1876 created 63 counties out of
765-686: The Canterbury Province. The first meeting place was the former office of the Guardian and Advertiser , Canterbury's second newspaper, on Chester Street near the Avon River . In 1866, the council moved to Guise Brittan 's house, which later became part of the Clarendon Hotel . One session in 1858 was held in the town hall on what is now High Street; the town hall was in the section north of Lichfield Street. On 28 September 1859,
810-638: The Christchurch City Council. The buildings are located in Christchurch Central City . They occupy the block surrounded by Armagh Street, Durham Street, Gloucester Street and the Avon River . The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 , passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom , established a bicameral New Zealand Parliament, with the lower house (the House of Representatives ) being elected by popular vote, and
855-670: The General Assembly passed the New Provinces Act 1858. This Act allowed any district of between 500 thousand and 3 million acres (2,000–12,000 km ) of land with a European population of no fewer than 1,000 people to petition for separation provided that at least 60% of electors agreed. As a result, Hawke's Bay Province separated from Wellington on 1 November 1858; Marlborough Province from Nelson on 1 November 1859; and Southland Province from Otago on 1 April 1861. New Plymouth also changed its name to Taranaki under
900-659: The House of Representatives were elected around the same time in 1853. Provincial governments were led by a Superintendent , who were elected separately. The foundation stone for the first building was laid in January 1858. The first set of buildings were a two-storey timber building, forming an L shape along the Durham Street frontage, with the Timber Chamber, modelled on 14th and 16th century English manorial halls,
945-418: The boundaries of the provinces were gazetted on 28 February. Electoral regulations were gazetted on 5 March. As with general elections, elections were open to males 21 years or older who owned freehold property worth £50 a year. The first provincial elections were held at the same time as the 1853 general elections . While Governor George Grey had issued the writs for the provincial and general elections at
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#1732776706147990-500: The buildings received so much damage that significant portions would have to be rebuilt. A report was due to be given to Christchurch City Councillors in June 2013 outlining the options. In 2018, the Christchurch City Council pushed out all restoration work of the buildings to at least 2029 as it did not have the funds to pay for the estimated $ 204 million repair bill. In 2021, put aside $ 20M in its budget to start restoration work, though
1035-441: The colony becoming liable. Almost as soon as they were founded, New Zealand's provinces were the subject of protracted political debate. Two factions emerged in the General Assembly : "Centralists", favouring a strong central government and "Provincialists", favouring strong regional governments. The Centralist members of the General Assembly regarded the provinces as inherently self-interested, and prone to pork-barrel politics. In
1080-591: The construction of railways, for example, three of the provinces had constructed railways (as was the case in Australia) to different track gauges , with Canterbury Provincial Railways being built to "broad" gauge, Southland's railways being built to "standard" gauge. As a result, the Public Works Act of 1870 standardised the gauge to be used, and Otago's first railway, the Port Chalmers railway ,
1125-728: The council first met in what became known as the Timber Chamber of the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings . The Stone Chamber of the Provincial Council Buildings was used from November 1865. Following the West Coast gold rush , the portion of the province west of the Southern Alps was split off as Westland in 1867. Upon the establishment of the University of New Zealand in 1870, its Christchurch campus housed
1170-466: The council’s new 10-year budget in 2024.The first stage of would include the reconstruction and restoration of the wooden buildings and stone towers on Durham and Armagh Streets. Canterbury Province The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch . Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by
1215-601: The counties were replaced by enlarged district councils . The Department of Lands and Survey split the country into the Land Districts of Auckland (North), Auckland (South), Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland, Otago and Southland. The New Zealand Rugby Union was formed in 1892 with foundation members principally being provinces: Auckland †, Hawke's Bay †, Taranaki †, Manawatu , Wanganui , Wairarapa , Wellington †, Nelson †, Marlborough † and South Canterbury . At
1260-584: The crest of the Southern Alps . In 1873 the County formed its own Province, the short-lived Westland Province . In the south the course of the Waitaki River was not known and disputes arose with the Province of Otago over pastoral leases in the inland high country. In the 1860s South Canterbury made two bids to become separate province but this was rejected by the national government. Instead in 1867
1305-865: The late 1950s, the Christchurch City Council moved the province's Anniversary Day to coincide with the show and encourage greater crowds. The holiday is presently defined as the "second Friday after the first Tuesday in November", ensuring that it will follow the Melbourne Cup Racing Carnival. This adjustment is observed in northern and middle Canterbury; southern Canterbury instead observes its Anniversary Day on Dominion Day (the 4th Monday in September). 43°31′46″S 172°38′02″E / 43.529454°S 172.633895°E / -43.529454; 172.633895 Provinces of New Zealand The provinces of
1350-552: The meeting room for the Provincial Council. The Timber Chamber was behind the street frontage and was first used in September 1859. An extension to the north had already been commissioned at that time, which was opened in 1861. This extension was along Durham and Armagh Streets and, together with the existing buildings, formed a courtyard. The third and last set of buildings was constructed in 1864–1865. The Stone Chamber
1395-424: The money was not expected to be spent until at least 2027. In March 2023, the council proposed to bring funding forward, from the later 2027 date to the 2023/24 council budget. The funding includes $ 2.1M for restoration of the building, which would allow for the first stage of restoration work to go ahead. The remaining $ 18M will be spent periodically over the next few years, with the exact timeline decided as part of
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1440-857: The names of former provinces and current regions have a tendency to be preceded by "the". Thus, for example, we have Auckland , Canterbury , Hawke's Bay , Marlborough and Wellington , but the Waikato , the Manawatu , the Bay of Plenty , and the West Coast . The current regions of New Zealand and most of their councils came about in 1989: Northland , Auckland †, Waikato , Bay of Plenty , Gisborne , Hawke's Bay †, Taranaki †, Manawatu-Whanganui , Wellington †, Tasman , Nelson †, Marlborough †, West Coast †, Canterbury †, Otago † and Southland †. Another usage of words associated with
1485-780: The old provinces. The former boundaries of the provinces served as administrative areas for the education boards set up under the Education Act of 1877 and for the offices of several Government Departments, including the Department of Lands and Survey . Upon abolition, various responsibilities were delegated to boards. For example, the Education Act 1877 created the Education Boards for Auckland, Hamilton, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, Wellington, Nelson, Westland, Southland, Canterbury and Otago districts. In 1989
1530-610: The present day regions , for example, the Manawatū-Whanganui region is largely in the Wellington provincial district. The districts are represented by teams in rugby union 's ITM Cup and Heartland Championship , both of which replaced the National Provincial Championship in 2006, although the term "provincial" is still used in connection with rugby for the present 29 unions whether founded in
1575-571: The provinces became known as provincial districts . Their principal legacy is the use of some provincial boundaries to determine the geographical boundaries for anniversary day public holidays . Following the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, New Zealand became a British colony, initially as part of New South Wales . The Royal Charter of November 1840 stated that the islands of New Zealand were "designated and known respectively" as: These names were of geographic significance only. New Zealand became
1620-439: The provinces were separated from the central government for the first time. New Ulster and New Munster had their own seals. New provinces were formed by the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 . This Act established a quasi-federal system of government and divided the country into the six provinces of Auckland , New Plymouth , Wellington , Nelson , Canterbury , and Otago . Each province elected its own legislature known as
1665-576: The provincial boundaries on 10 March 1848: Each province had a Lieutenant-Governor , appointed by the Governor-in-Chief. The 1846 Constitution Act was suspended in early 1848, with the only operative provisions relating to the reform of the provinces. News of the suspension did not reach New Zealand until 23 March 1848, when the immigrant ship John Wickliffe arrived in Port Chalmers to begin European settlement of Otago. In addition,
1710-433: The same Act. Stewart Island / Rakiura, which had since 1853 not been part of any province, was annexed to the province of Southland on 10 November 1863. Provinces established under this act elected their superintendents in a different way. Members of the provincial council would elect a suitable person listed on the electoral roll as superintendent by a majority. If such a person was an elected member, this would result in
1755-405: The same time, the provincial councils met before the general assembly met, in May 1854. The New Zealand Constitution Amendment Act 1857 provided for the appointment of a deputy superintendent. The Constitution Act provided for the creation of additional provinces, and when the spread of European settlements between the original centres of the provincial governments and the outlying settlers grew,
1800-509: The six planned settlements or "colonies". By 1873 the number of provinces had increased to nine, but they had become less isolated from each other and demands for centralised government arose. In 1875 the New Zealand Parliament decided to abolish the provincial governments, and they came to an end in November 1876. They were superseded by counties , which were later replaced by territorial authorities . Following abolition,
1845-636: The system's headquarters. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south. The boundary on the west coast was largely undefined before the West Coast became its own province. In 1868 the West Coast was separated from the Province with the formation of the County of Westland on the West Coast with the boundary line defined as
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1890-544: The time, three major South Island Provincial Unions – Canterbury †, Otago † and Southland † – resisted the central authority of the NZRU. Some current Provincial Anniversary Days are still public holidays in New Zealand : Auckland†, Taranaki†, Hawkes' Bay†, Wellington†, Marlborough†, Nelson†, Canterbury†, Canterbury (South), Westland†, Otago†, Southland† and Chatham Islands. † indicates it reflects an original province. The provincial districts had different boundaries from
1935-456: Was built to the new "standard" narrow gauge. Colonial Treasurer (and later Premier) Julius Vogel launched his Great Public Works policy of immigration and public works schemes of the 1870s, borrowing the massive sum of 10 million pounds, to develop significant infrastructure of roads, railways, and communications, all administered by the central government. This diminished the power of the provinces greatly. The provinces were finally abolished by
1980-540: Was made obsolete by the opening of a new 8 miles (13 km) line through a tunnel giving Christchurch access to the better port of Lyttelton . The mainlines of the Canterbury Provincial Railways were Irish gauge (5 feet 3 inches or 1.60 meters) with some branch lines in Colonial gauge (3 feet 6 inches or 1.07 meters). These lines were all eventually absorbed into
2025-518: Was the new meeting room for the council; it was larger than the Timber Chamber to cope with an increased size of the council. Its interior is described as provincial architect Benjamin Mountfort 's most impressive achievement. Bellamy's , the refreshment rooms, were added to the back of the Timber Chamber. The buildings are the only purpose-built provincial government buildings in New Zealand still in existence these days. The other remaining building
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