Christchurch Country

Christchurch Country was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region of New Zealand from 1853 to 1860. It was thus one of the original 24 electorates used for the 1st New Zealand Parliament.

Location

The electorate covered the rural area outside of Christchurch; much of the Canterbury Region and the West Coast.^[1]

History

The electorate was created for the first Parliament as a two-member electorate.^[2]

The nomination meeting for the first election was held on 16 August 1853 at the Christchurch Land Office, together with the nomination meeting for the Town of Christchurch electorate. The first election was held on Saturday, 27 August between 9 am and 4 pm at the Resident Magistrate's Office in Christchurch, with Charles Simeon acting as the returning officer.^[3] James Stuart-Wortley and Jerningham Wakefield were the first two representatives. Wakefield served until the end of the parliamentary term. Stuart-Wortley resigned on 18 July 1855. As Parliament was dissolved on 15 September 1855, no by-election was held to fill the vacancy.^[4]

John Hall, one of the elected members, later became New Zealand's 12th Premier (1879–82).^[5]

Members

The electorate was represented by seven Members of Parliament.^[2]

Notes

References

• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103. 
• King, Michael (2003). The Penguin History of New Zealand. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-301867-1.