46-807: Nelson Province was constituted in 1853 under the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 , and originally covered the entire upper South Island , including all of present-day Buller , Kaikoura , Marlborough , and Tasman districts, along with Nelson City, Grey District north of the Grey River , and the Hurunui District north of the Hurunui River . It was reduced in size by the creation of Marlborough Province in November 1859, then abolished in 1876 , along with all
92-576: A Provincial Council. Each Provincial Council consisted of no less than nine members, elected by men over the age of 21 years, owning freehold estate, living in the district and with a £50 or above income per annum. Since Māori land was owned collectively not on individual title as was required, most Māori could not vote. Superintendents were elected directly at the same time as Provincial Councils. Provinces were able to make laws (ordinances) in all areas, except for: Provincial councils could sit for no more than four years. The Constitution allowed for
138-690: A building in Paradise Street, until the building of the current Art Gallery in the Council House complex. In the 1920s, the Birmingham Corporation was having financial troubles and had to choose between saving Aston Hall and the nearby Perry Hall . Aston Hall was saved, and in 1927, the Birmingham Civic Society designed formal gardens which were constructed by the city with a workforce recruited from
184-718: A governor elected by the General Assembly. Only the latter proposal was rejected by the Parliament of the United Kingdom when it adopted Grey's constitution. The Constitution established: By the Act, the provinces had the authority to pass provincial legislation, although the governor had a reserve power of veto such legislation, and the right of the Crown to disallow provincial Acts within two years of their passage
230-526: A new, democratic style of government had to be established to replace the dictatorial Crown Colony system. The New Zealand Company , which was established in 1839, proposed that New Zealand should have representative institutions, and this was consistent with the findings of the Durham Report , which was commissioned during 1838 following the rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada . The first settlement of
276-459: A number of newly constituted boroughs and counties , effective 1 January 1877. New Zealand law provides for a provincial anniversary day . The Nelson Province had four Superintendents : New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 ( 15 & 16 Vict. c. 72) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that granted self-government to
322-614: A number were regarded as no longer effective. In the UK it was repealed by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1989 . Aston Hall Aston Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean house in Aston , Birmingham , England, designed by John Thorpe and built between 1618 and 1635. It is a leading example of the Jacobean prodigy house . In 1864, the house was bought by Birmingham Corporation ,
368-457: A quorum of five), who were at least 21 years old and British subjects. Legislative Councillors held their seats for life, unless they resigned, or were bankrupted or swore allegiance to a foreign power. The Constitution stated the governor was empowered to grant, refuse and reserve assent to Bills passed by the General Assembly. The governor could also return Bills to the General Assembly with suggested amendments. The Sovereign could instruct
414-433: A result, almost all of the Act was suspended for six years pending the new Act of 1852, the only operative part of the 1846 Act being the creation of New Zealand's first provinces, New Ulster Province and New Munster Province . In the meantime, Grey drafted his own Constitution Act while camping on Mount Ruapehu . Grey's draft established both provincial and central representative assemblies, allowed for Māori districts and
460-553: Is open to the public during spring, summer and autumn months, following extensive renovation from 2006 to 2009. It boasts a series of period rooms which have furniture, paintings, textiles and metalwork from the collections of the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery . Visible from the House less than 200 yards to the north is Aston Villa Football club stadium. The hall received 28,804 visitors in 2019. The easternmost part of
506-482: The Colony of New Zealand . It was the second such Act, the previous 1846 Act not having been fully implemented. The purpose of the Act was to have constitutional independence from Britain. The definition of franchise or the ability to vote excluded all women, most Māori , all non-British people and those with convictions for serious offences. The Act remained in force as part of New Zealand's constitution until it
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#1732780113112552-762: The Legislative Council so that the New Zealand General Assembly, now Parliament, became a unicameral (single-chamber) legislature. This amendment gave the New Zealand Parliament the power to pass laws of extraterritorial effect. The Act was repealed by section 28 of the Constitution Act 1986 in New Zealand. By the time of its repeal, only 18 of the Act's original 82 sections remained, of which
598-619: The West Coast gold rush then straddled that boundary, with a population boom also straddling the boundary. In 1866, there had been a proposal for the portions in Canterbury Province, including the urban area of Greymouth and the rural area south, to be annexed and solely administered by Nelson Province. Nelson Province was abolished under the Abolition of Provinces Act 1875 , with its former area then being administered by
644-817: The provinces of New Zealand . Nelson Province initially covered the entire upper South Island. The Marlborough Province split away from the Nelson Province on 1 November 1859 because the majority of the income of the Provincial Council came from land sales in the Marlborough region, but the funds were mostly used in the Nelson region. Land sales in Nelson and Marlborough netted the Nelson Provincial Council £33,000 and £160,000, respectively. Of that, £200 were expended benefiting
690-632: The Act. This power was limited by the Balfour Declaration of 1926 , in that they were to be exercised only on the advice of New Zealand ministers. The powers were not continued by the 1986 Constitution Act. The powers of the Assembly were given in the Colonial Laws Validity Act 1865 , which stated that colonial legislatures had full powers to make laws respecting their own constitution, powers, and procedure. The Act
736-645: The Constitution Act, where Māori law and custom were to be preserved, but this section was never implemented by the Crown. It was, however, used by the Kingitanga to justify claims of Māori self-governance during the 1870s and 1880s. A General Assembly was constituted, consisting of the governor, the Legislative Council, and the House of Representatives. The Legislative Council was an appointed body of no less than ten councillors (with
782-587: The General Assembly was held between 14 July and 1 October in 1853. The Parliament under the Act met in Auckland , at the time the capital , in May 1854. This session was concerned primarily with the issue of responsible government , or the ability of the Colonial parliament instead of the governor to appoint its own ministers. Prior to the Act, the executive council consisted of Crown servants who were responsible to
828-482: The Marlborough region. There was considerable conflict between Superintendent John Perry Robinson 's policies of supporting smaller land holders, and the objectives of the large pastoral run-holders in the Wairau Valley . The New Provinces Act 1858 allowed for parts of a province to break away if the area was large enough, and enough voters supported such a move. The petition was signed by almost all settlers in
874-518: The Parliament of the United Kingdom was the ability of the former imperial legislature to legislate for New Zealand at the New Zealand Parliament's consent. This occurred only once, for the New Zealand Constitution Amendment Act 1947 which adopted the New Zealand Parliament's New Zealand Constitution Amendment (Request and Consent) Act 1947 . This amendment repealed the sections of the Constitution Act relating to
920-708: The Wairau; only six withholding their support for a split. The new Marlborough Province was gazetted on 4 October 1859. For perspective, the Marlborough Province took with it the areas of Nelson Province that would later form five administrative areas when the provinces were dissolved in 1876 : Blenheim Borough , covering 17.7 km (6.8 sq mi); Picton Borough , covering 4.2 km (1.6 sq mi); Kaikoura County , covering 2,348 km (907 sq mi); and Marlborough County , covering 10,478 km (4,046 sq mi), which includes
966-434: The company, Wellington, briefly had its own elected council during 1840, which dissolved itself on the instruction of Lieutenant Governor William Hobson . The first New Zealand Constitution Act was passed in 1846, though Governor George Grey was opposed to its implementation, specifically the proposed division of the country into European and Māori districts, and stated that settlers were not ready for self-government. As
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#17327801131121012-412: The creation of municipal corporations , i.e., city governments. Municipal corporations could create their own regulations and by-laws but could be overruled by the provincial council in the province the corporation was established in. The Constitution did not define how the municipal corporations would be elected, but left it to the General Assembly to determine. "Māori districts" were allowed for under
1058-463: The creation of the Colony of New Zealand . The Constitution Act repealed all enactments that were repugnant to the Constitution Act but preserved all ordinances of the then established provinces of New Zealand. Sections 2 to 28 dealt with the Provinces of New Zealand, setting out their establishment, composition, elections, powers and procedures. Each province was to have a Superintendent and
1104-542: The first historic country house to pass into municipal ownership, and is still owned by Birmingham City Council . It is now a community museum managed by the Birmingham Museums Trust and, following a major renovation completed in 2009, is open to the public. Using a design by John Thorpe , construction was commenced in April 1618 by Sir Thomas Holte , who finally moved into the hall in 1631. The house
1150-851: The former Sounds County, the area immediately surrounding the borough of Picton, which amalgamated with Marlborough County prior to 1913 due to insufficient population to ever form its own county council. The Nelson Provincial Council was established with fifteen members, and the Province was divided into seven Electoral Districts for the election of the Superintendent and members of the Provincial Council. These districts were: Town of Nelson, five members; Suburban Districts, one member; Waimea East District, two members; Waimea West District, one member; Waimea South District, two members; Motueka and Massacre Bay District, two members; Wairau District, two members. The election of Nelson's first superintendent
1196-514: The governor to refuse assent to Bills. The governor was required to send Bills assented to one of the Sovereign's principal Secretaries of State. The Sovereign could then, by Order in Council, refuse assent to Bills. If the governor reserved assent to a Bill, it could only be assented to by the Sovereign. The Constitution provided for the Crown to control the sale of "wastelands", land that
1242-483: The governor. A motion was passed almost unanimously affirming the ability of Parliament to appoint its own executive council members. Three members of the Assembly (and later one from the Legislative Council) were added to the executive council as ministers without portfolio under the leadership of James FitzGerald . The unofficial members soon resigned. After fresh elections the 2nd Parliament met, and
1288-841: The grounds made way for the A38(M) motorway , also known as the Aston Expressway. This opened in 1972 and gave the city centre a direct link with the M6 motorway . In October 2019, the mansion was named as the UK's top haunted heritage site, according to the Spectrum Paranormal Investigations and National Lottery . In October 2023, Aston Hall became home to a parkrun , a free, weekly timed 5 km run which takes place every Saturday morning at 9am. The parkrun ceased running 10 months later in August 2024, however it
1334-649: The house was bought by the Birmingham Corporation in 1864, becoming the first historic country house to pass into municipal ownership. Aston Hall was visited by Washington Irving , who wrote about it as Bracebridge Hall , taking the name from Abraham Bracebridge, husband of the last member of the Holte family to live there. Irving's The Sketch Book stories described the harmonious warm-hearted English Christmas festivities he experienced while staying in Aston Hall, that had largely been abandoned. An Aston Hall custom
1380-616: The land (subject to existing purchase agreements), and protected the Otago Association from being directly regulated by the General Assembly. Like the Canterbury Association, the Otago Association was also given the power to hand its powers over the new provincial council (eventually the Otago Province ). The first provincial elections were held during 1853. The 1853 New Zealand general election for
1426-627: The legislation establishing the Canterbury Association. The Canterbury Association was given the ability to hand its powers over the new provincial council, once established (eventually the Canterbury Province ). The Canterbury Association did so in 1853. Because the land for settlement of Otago had originally been purchased by the New Zealand Company, the Constitution both restated the Crown's ability to dispose of
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1472-436: The new governor, Sir Thomas Gore Browne , asked Henry Sewell to form the first responsible ministry. However, the General Assembly did not have total control of the executive. The governor retained reserve powers to disallow legislation and there was the authority of the Crown to disallow legislation even after the governor had given his assent. These powers of reservation and disallowance were prerogative powers included in
1518-541: The owners afforded the servants of the house on Christmas Eve appeared in The Gentleman's Magazine in 1795, which said: "the servants have full liberty to drink, dance, sing, and go to bed when they please." For a few years from 1879, Birmingham's collections of art and the Museum of Arms were moved to Aston Hall after a fire damaged the municipal public library and Birmingham and Midland Institute , which shared
1564-465: The period 1853 to 1873, the area that would become Grey County was administered as part of both Nelson Province and Canterbury Province (the Canterbury portion was transferred to a newly created Westland Province in 1873). The boundary between the provinces had been set as a straight line from the head of the Hurunui River to Lake Brunner at a time when the area was virtually uninhabited, but
1610-509: The provisions of the Constitution Act except provisions such as the establishment of the General Assembly itself and the extent of its legislative powers. This amendment abolished the Provinces of New Zealand ; In 1947, New Zealand adopted the Statute of Westminster 1931 with the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947 . The only remaining provision of the Constitution Act relating to
1656-510: The restoration of the statue, the head of which was missing. The council appealed for old photographs to assist in its reconstruction. In 1938, the Pageant of Birmingham, with around 10,000 performers, was held in the grounds, to commemorate the centenary of Birmingham becoming a borough. Aston Hall is now a community museum managed by Birmingham Museums Trust , having previously been managed by Birmingham City Council until 2012. Aston Hall
1702-520: The site. During the First Taranaki War in 1860 nearly 1,200 Taranaki settlers including women and children were relocated to Nelson. The Nelson Provincial Council funded the building of cottages known as the "Taranaki Buildings" for the housing of these refugees. Upon the cessation of hostilities the war refugees were offered free passage back to Taranaki, the majority took advantage of this offer but some elected to remain in Nelson. During
1748-415: The staircase where a cannonball went through a window and an open door, and into the banister. The house remained in the Holte family until 1817, when it was sold and leased by James Watt Jr. , son of industrial pioneer James Watt . The house was purchased in 1858 by a private company (the Aston Hall and Park Company Ltd) for use as a public park and museum. After the company ran into financial difficulties,
1794-602: The unemployed and paid for by government grants. The scheme included fountains, terracing and stone urns and a statue of Pan , by William Bloye , which the Civic Society paid for itself. In 1934 the finished work was presented to the City Parks Committee and unveiled by the Vice President of The Birmingham Civic Society, Gilbert Barling . As of January 2011, Birmingham City Council was working on
1840-472: Was amended several occasions, beginning in 1857. The New Zealand Parliament did not have the ability to amend all parts of the Act until 1947. A number of important amendments were made to the Act by the New Zealand Parliament. The first amendment to the Act was made by the British Parliament during 1857. This amendment granted the New Zealand General Assembly the ability to amend or repeal all of
1886-526: Was completed in April 1635, and is now Grade I listed . It sits in a large park, part of which became Villa Park , the home ground of the Aston Villa football club . The park is listed Grade II in Historic England 's Register of Parks and Gardens . The house was severely damaged after an attack by Parliamentary troops in 1643. Some of the damage is still evident, and there is a hole in
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1932-570: Was contested by three candidates; Edward Stafford , Francis Jollie and John Waring Saxton . The election took place on 1 August 1853 and resulted in Edward Stafford being Nelson's first superintendent. The final results for the election were: Stafford (251), Saxton (206) and Jollie (130). Edward Stafford will be remembered for his free, secular and compulsory education system became the model for New Zealand, with this ‘Nelson system’ introduced to all state primary schools in 1877. Nelson
1978-535: Was preserved. Parliament was granted the power to make laws for the " peace, order, and good government of New Zealand" provided such legislation was not inconsistent with the laws of England. The Constitution Act consisted of 82 sections as passed, a preamble and one schedule. The Constitution Act's preamble recounts the previous enactments (including the New Zealand Constitution Act 1846), charters and letters patent passed and issued in
2024-476: Was previously purchased (or claimed to be purchased) by the New Zealand Company from Māori for the Company's colonisation schemes. The British government had lent £236,000 to the Company in 1846 to keep the company solvent. As a result, the Constitution provided for a quarter of the proceeds of land sales would go to the New Zealand Company until the debt was paid off. The Constitution specifically did not affect
2070-471: Was repealed by the Constitution Act 1986 . The long title of the Act was "An Act to Grant a Representative Constitution to the Colony of New Zealand". The Act received royal assent on 30 June 1852. In 1850, New Zealand was being governed as a Crown Colony . This style of government was increasingly inadequate in light of changing circumstances. The rapid demographic changes as new immigrants arrived meant
2116-845: Was the designated seat of government and Superintendent John Perry Robinson laid the foundation stone for the Provincial Government buildings in Nelson on 26 August 1859. The building was in Albion Square in Bridge Street. It was designed by visiting architect Maxwell Bury and he modeled it on Aston Hall near Birmingham . Whereas Aston Hall was built from stone, the Government buildings were from timber. The buildings were run down and had stood empty for some years when they were demolished in 1969, amidst much controversy. The Nelson District Court building now stands on
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