1862–1863 Domett Ministry

Last updated January 29, 2025

The Domett Ministry was a responsible government which held power in New Zealand from August 1862 to October 1863. Although Alfred Domett was the head of the government, he was never appointed Premier as that office had yet to be established. Instead, he was Colonial Secretary and Secretary for Crown Lands.^[1]

Background

Domett’s Ministry has been described as a group of Governor Grey’s “more pliant old friends”,^[2] with Grey even engaging in Cabinet-making by visiting Dillon Bell to recruit him as Native Minister.^[2] Grey’s own policy towards Māori was largely adopted by the Ministry: troops invaded the Waikato intending to confiscate large tracts of land from the Māori iwi, which would then be sold on to military settlers recruited from Britain.^[3] To open up the market in Māori land to private investors, the Domett Ministry also began to permit direct land sales without Crown pre-emption.^[4]

The Domett Ministry was largely provincialist in character, relaxing previous restrictions on borrowing by the Provincial Councils.^[5] Domett also introduced a bill giving Provinces the right to legislate on Crown lands within their boundaries, which he admitted was unconstitutional.^[6]

The House of Representatives was split between four main factions which voted together in various combinations, with Domett variously depending on Edward Stafford, William Fox and William Fitzherbert to pass legislation.^[4] Even the Ministry itself was said to have been only kept together by Domett’s “nonchalance and spice of humour”.^[7] On one occasion, Stafford carried a vote to make the position of Attorney-General a non-political post outside of Cabinet, forcing Henry Sewell to resign in favour of the less politically outspoken Frederick Whitaker.^[8] In 1863, the Ministry collapsed when Bell recommended that the Waitara Block of land be returned to the owners who had possessed it before the First Taranaki War,^[9] which caused the more hawkish Thomas Russell to threaten to dissent.^[10] This precipitated Domett’s own resignation; thereafter he was replaced as Premier by Whitaker.

Ministers

The following members served in the Domett Ministry:^[11]

Name	Office	Term
Alfred Domett	Colonial Secretary	6 August 1862 – 30 October 1863
Alfred Domett	Secretary for Crown Lands	22 August 1862 – 30 October 1863
Thomas Gillies	Attorney-General	6 August 1862 – 23 August 1862
Dillon Bell	Colonial Treasurer	6 August 1862 – 21 August 1862
	Commissioner of Customs	6 August 1862 – 21 August 1862
	Minister for Native Affairs	6 August 1862 – 30 October 1863
Walter Mantell	Member of the Executive Council	6 August 1862 – 25 November 1863
	Postmaster-General	6 August 1862 – 21 August 1862
	Secretary for Crown Lands	6 August 1862 – 21 August 1862
Henry Tancred, MLC	Member of Executive Council	6 August 1862 – 6 February 1863
Thomas Russell	Member of Executive Council	6 August 1862 – 30 October 1863
Thomas Russell	Minister of Colonial Defence	22 July 1863 – 24 November 1864
Reader Wood	Colonial Treasurer	21 August 1862 – 24 November 1864
Reader Wood	Commissioner of Customs	21 August 1862 – 24 November 1864
Crosbie Ward	Postmaster-General	21 August 1862 – 30 October 1863
Henry Sewell, MLC	Attorney-General	23 August 1862 – 1 January 1863

Notes

↑ Wilson, J. O. (James Oakley) (1985). New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: Government Printer. pp. 61–2.
1 2 Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 176.
↑ McLintock, Alexander Hare; William Hosking Oliver, M. A. (N Z. ); Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "SEWELL, Henry". An encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
1 2 Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 177.
↑ Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 179.
↑ Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 183.
↑ McLintock, Alexander Hare; David Oswald William Hall, M. A.; Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "DOMETT, Alfred". An encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
↑ Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 178.
↑ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Bell, Francis Dillon". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
↑ Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Domett, Alfred". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
↑ Wilson, J. O. (1985). Parliamentary Record of New Zealand (4th ed.). Wellington: Government Printer. pp. 61–2.

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References

Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

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[1] Wilson, J. O. (James Oakley) (1985). New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: Government Printer. pp. 61–2.

[:0-2] 1 2 Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 176.

[3] McLintock, Alexander Hare; William Hosking Oliver, M. A. (N Z. ); Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "SEWELL, Henry". An encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

[:1-4] 1 2 Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 177.

[5] Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 179.

[6] Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 183.

[7] McLintock, Alexander Hare; David Oswald William Hall, M. A.; Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "DOMETT, Alfred". An encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

[8] Bohan, Edmund (1994). Edward Stafford: New Zealand's First Statesman. Hazard Press. p. 178.

[9] Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Bell, Francis Dillon". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

[10] Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Domett, Alfred". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

[11] Wilson, J. O. (1985). Parliamentary Record of New Zealand (4th ed.). Wellington: Government Printer. pp. 61–2.

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v t e Governments of New Zealand
Executives without power	Fitzgerald Forsaith
Responsible government	Sewell Fox (first) Stafford (first) Fox (second) Domett Whitaker–Fox Weld Stafford (second) Fox (third) Stafford (third) Waterhouse Fox (fourth) Vogel (first) Pollen Vogel (second) Continuous Ministry Atkinson (first) Atkinson (second) Grey Hall Whitaker Atkinson (third) Stout–Vogel (first) Atkinson (fourth) Stout–Vogel (second) Atkinson (fifth)
Governments along party lines	Liberal (1891–1912) Reform (1912–1928) United (1928–1931) United–Reform coalition (1931–1935) First Labour (1935–1949) First National (1949–1957) Second Labour (1957–1960) Second National (1960–1972) Third Labour (1972–1975) Third National (1975–1984) Fourth Labour (1984–1990) Fourth National (1990–1999) Fifth Labour (1999–2008) Fifth National (2008–2017) Sixth Labour (2017–2023) First term (2017–2020) Second term (2020–2023) Sixth National (Current)