41-521: The Westland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1873 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital was Hokitika . The area was part of Canterbury Province when the provinces were created in 1853. By 1868, triggered by the population growth associated with the West Coast gold rush , the West Coast region was separated from Canterbury Province with the formation of
82-407: 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
123-407: A city council were now being administered by a district council. As a result, the term "city" began to take on two meanings. City also came to be used in a less formal sense to describe major urban areas independent of local body boundaries. This informal usage is jealously guarded. Gisborne, for example, adamantly described itself as the first city in the world to see the new millennium. Gisborne
164-529: A number of islands where the Minister of Local Government is the territorial authority, two of which have a 'permanent population and/or permanent buildings and structures.' The main islands are listed below (population according to 2001 census in parentheses): In addition, seven of the nine groups of the New Zealand outlying islands are outside of any territorial authority: Territorial authorities have
205-493: 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
246-625: A region and a territorial authority. It incorporated the recommendations of the Royal Commission and was established via legislation. Auckland Council is uniquely divided into "local boards" representing the lowest tier of local government. Under the terms of the Local Government Act 2002 , district councils have to represent the interests of their future communities and consider the views of people affected by their decisions. To fulfill that requirement and give young people
287-588: A say in the decision-making process, many councils have a youth council. In late December 2023, the Ashburton District Council scrapped their youth council, stating they could engage better with younger people online and describing the current youth council as "a youth club where they ate pizza." In early January 2024, the Gore District Council opted to restructure its youth council and ruled out dismantling it. In April 2024,
328-713: 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
369-462: A week. Its plan, which went to a Select Committee, accepted the proposal for supercity and many community boards, but rejected proposals for local councils and, initially, no separate seats for Māori . Public reaction to the Royal Commission report was mixed, especially in regards to the Government's amended proposal. Auckland Mayor John Banks supported the amended merger plans. Criticism of
410-421: Is administered by a district council, but its status as a city is not generally disputed. Under current law, an urban area has to be at least 50,000 residents before it can be officially proclaimed as a city. Since the 1989 reorganisations, there have been few major reorganisations or status changes in local government. Incomplete list: Reports on completed reorganisation proposals since 1999 are available on
451-578: The County of Westland . The boundary to Canterbury was defined as the crest of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana . This county was not a true province, as it had all the administrative powers of a provincial council, but saw the legislative powers remain with Parliament in Wellington . Members of Parliament were not happy with having to spend their time on local legislation, and in 1873
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#1732771997552492-728: The Whanganui District Council proposed scrapping its youth council by June 2024 as part of budget saving measures. There are currently 67 territorial authorities. Before the Auckland Council "super merge" in November 2010, there were 73 territorial authorities. Before the Banks Peninsula District Council merged with the Christchurch City Council in 2006, there were 74 territorial authorities. There are
533-914: The local government reforms of 1989 , a borough with more than 20,000 people could be proclaimed a city . The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, so little distinction was made between the urban area and the local government area. New Zealand's local government structural arrangements were significantly reformed by the Local Government Commission in 1989 when approximately 700 councils and special purpose bodies were amalgamated to create 87 new local authorities. Regional councils were reduced in number from 20 to 13, territorial authorities (city/district councils) from 200 to 75, and special purpose bodies from over 400 to 7. The new district and city councils were generally much larger and most covered substantial areas of both urban and rural land. Many places that once had
574-512: 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
615-590: 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
656-670: 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
697-842: The Local Government Commission's site (link below). On 26 March 2009, the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance recommended the Rodney, North Shore, Waitakere, Auckland City, Manukau, Papakura and Franklin territorial councils and the Auckland Regional Council be abolished and the entire Auckland region to be amalgamated into one "supercity". The area would consist of one city council (with statutory provision for three Māori councillors), four urban local councils, and two rural local councils: The National-led Government responded within about
738-682: The Westland Provincial Council has survived to the present time. 42°42′56″S 170°58′5″E / 42.71556°S 170.96806°E / -42.71556; 170.96806 Provinces of New Zealand The provinces of 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
779-446: The administration of many environmental and public transport matters, while the territorial authorities administer local roading and reserves, water supply and sanitation , building consents , the land use and subdivision aspects of resource management, and other local matters. Some activities are delegated to council-controlled organisations . The scope of powers is specified by the Local Government Act 2002 . For many decades until
820-511: The amended proposal came largely from residents in Manukau, Waitakere and North Shore Cities. In addition, Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples spoke against the exclusion of the Māori seats, as recommended by the Royal Commission. Opposition Leader Phil Goff called for a referendum on the issue. Auckland Council was created on 1 November 2010—a unitary authority that is classed as both
861-418: 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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#1732771997552902-507: 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
943-591: 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 ,
984-601: 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
1025-416: The former provinces often refers to anything rural, e.g. one may refer to a town as provincial rather than rural or use the phrase 'out in the provinces,' in order to refer to the countryside. These terms can often be heard on national television networks, particularly on weather broadcasts. † indicates an old province. Territorial authorities Territorial authorities ( Māori: mana ā-rohe ) are
1066-483: The functions of a regional council and thus are unitary authorities . The Chatham Islands Council is a sui generis territorial authority that is similar to a unitary authority. Territorial authority districts are not subdivisions of regions, and some of them fall within more than one region. Regional council areas are based on water catchment areas, whereas territorial authorities are based on community of interest and road access. Regional councils are responsible for
1107-533: The government elevated the county to full provincial status – the last of the 10 New Zealand provinces to be established. The province covered an area roughly the same as the present day Westland District , on the West Coast of New Zealand. The boundary with the Nelson Province was, as per George Grey 's proclamation from February 1853, the Grey and Arnold Rivers, Lake Brunner , and from there to
1148-595: The headwaters of the Hurunui River through then virtually unknown territory. When John Hall resigned as Westland county chairman the government appointed James Bonar . Bonar was chairman during the period of the Fenian riots and is credited with "great tact in handling that explosive situation". In March 1868 he swore in 640 special constables to suppress an Irish nationalist procession in Hokitika . Bonar
1189-798: 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
1230-780: 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
1271-682: The passing of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 the provinces were recreated around 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,
Westland Province - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-610: 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
1353-571: 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
1394-439: 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
1435-576: 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,
1476-433: 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
1517-405: 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,
1558-505: The second tier of local government in New Zealand , below regional councils . There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils , 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council . District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer the larger urban areas . Five territorial authorities ( Auckland , Nelson , Gisborne , Tasman and Marlborough ) also perform
1599-544: 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
1640-456: 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
1681-418: Was replaced by Conrad Hoos , but later—when on 1 December 1873 Westland split from Canterbury Province —Bonar resumed, but as the provincial superintendent. New Zealand law still provides for a provincial anniversary day . The Westland Province had one Superintendent : In 1874 John Lazar , former Hokitika Town Clerk and Country Treasurer, was appointed Provincial Treasurer. No legislation passed by