The Fourth Atkinson Ministry was a responsible government in New Zealand, which lasted less than a week. It formed on 28 August 1884 after the fall of the first attempt at a Stout-Vogel coalition and lasted until Robert Stout and Sir Julius Vogel took back their majority on 3 September. [1]
After the 1884 general election, in which a number of factions were returned to the House, a brief coalition between Sir Julius Vogel and Robert Stout took office, but was immediately ousted in a confidence motion proposed by James William Thomson. [2] Thomson failed for form an alternative majority and advised the Governor to call Sir George Grey; Grey attempted to form a coalition with ex-Premier Harry Atkinson but was unsuccessful as Atkinson believed their followings would refuse to combine. [3] Atkinson was then appointed Premier and attempted to come to an arrangement with Robert Stout, but failed. [4]
Within a week, the ephemeral Fourth Atkinson Government was unseated in another no-confidence vote, this time with the Greyites voting them down in revenge for the earlier snub. [4]
Atkinson’s Ministry included Edward Wakefield, a nephew of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who had pledged at the election to oppose Atkinson. After the fall of the Government, Wakefield’s constituents presented him with a large dead rat. [5]
The following members served in the fourth Atkinson Ministry: [6]
| Name | Portrait | Office | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Atkinson |  | Premier | 28 August 1884 - 3 September 1884 |
| Commissioner of Stamps | |||
| George McLean, MLC | Commissioner of Trade and Customs | ||
| Edwin Mitchelson |  | Minister for Public Works | |
| Edward Wakefield |  | Colonial Secretary | |
| Richmond Hursthouse |  | Minister of Lands and Immigration | |
| William Russell |  | Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs |
Sir Harry Albert Atkinson served as the tenth premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century, and was Colonial Treasurer for a total of ten years. He was responsible for guiding the country during a time of economic depression, and was known as a cautious and prudent manager of government finances, though distrusted for some policies such as his 1882 National Insurance (welfare) scheme and leasehold land schemes. He also participated in the formation of voluntary military units to fight in the New Zealand Wars, and was noted for his strong belief in the need for seizure of Māori land.
Sir Robert Stout was a New Zealand politician who was the 13th premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand. He was the only person to hold both these offices. He was noted for his support of liberal causes such as women's suffrage, and for his strong belief that philosophy and theory should always triumph over political expediency.
The 1884 New Zealand general election was held on 22 July to elect a total of 95 MPs to the 9th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 21 July. A total number of 137,686 (60.6%) voters turned out to vote. In 11 seats there was only one candidate.
The 1887 New Zealand general election was held on 26 September to elect 95 MPs to the tenth session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 7 September. 175,410 votes were cast. In 5 seats there was only one candidate.
Sir Patrick Alphonsus Buckley was a New Zealand soldier, lawyer, statesman, and judge who held several high government posts in Wellington in the early 1890s.
Felix Edward Wakefield was the son of Felix Wakefield, one of Edward Gibbon Wakefield’s younger brothers. Edward was born in Launceston, Tasmania, brought up in New Zealand, and educated in France and at King's College London.
Christchurch North is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. The electorate comprised the northern half of what is now considered the Christchurch Central City.
The 11th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.
The Whitaker Ministry was formed in 1882 as the government of New Zealand. It was led by Frederick Whitaker and lasted for 17 months, from 21 April 1882 to 25 September 1883. The Whitaker Ministry succeeded the Hall Ministry upon John Hall's resignation.
The Third Atkinson Ministry was a responsible government in New Zealand, sometimes referred to as part of the Continuous Ministry. It took office after the retirement of Frederick Whitaker and continued the personnel and policies of the Whitaker and Hall ministries.
The Continuous Ministry was the government of New Zealand from 1876 to 1890, except for 1877 to 1879 and 1884 to 1887.
The Weld Ministry was the seventh responsible government to be formed in New Zealand, and lasted a less than a year during the New Zealand Wars. It formed in November 1864 and lasted until October 1865. As the office of premier had yet to be formally established, Frederick Weld was never gazetted premier but did resign the position at the end of his tenure.
The 1889 New Zealand Liberal leadership election was held on 6 July to choose who would lead New Zealand's parliamentary opposition and, ultimately, decide the inaugural leader of the New Zealand Liberal Party. The election was won by Wanganui MP John Ballance.
The Stout–Vogel Ministry was the second responsible government to be formed in New Zealand. It formed in August 1884 and governed until October 1887. From the outset, Robert Stout served as Prime Minister as well as Attorney-General whilst Julius Vogel held the post of Minister of Finance. Initially, the ministry lasted only two weeks, with Harry Atkinson managing to pass a vote of no confidence against Stout. However, Atkinson failed to establish his own government, and was unable to supplant Stout and Vogel who remained in power for the next three years.
The First Stout-Vogel Ministry was a responsible government in New Zealand lasting less than a fortnight, not to be confused with the longer-lasting Second Stout-Vogel Ministry. It took office after the Continuous Ministry of Harry Atkinson fell to a confidence motion after the 1884 general election.
The Third Stafford Ministry was the tenth responsible government to be formed in New Zealand, and lasted for a month.
The First and Second Atkinson Ministries were responsible governments in a period sometimes known as the Continuous Ministry. Harry Atkinson formed a government on 1 September 1876, but as it included 9 salaried ministers rather than the legally mandated 8, the Ministry was forced to resign on 13 September and take office again without John Hall. This second Atkinson ministry survived a full year.
The Hall Ministry was a responsible government in New Zealand, sometimes referred to as part of the Continuous Ministry. It took office after defeating Sir George Grey's supporters in a confidence motion, and is usually regarded as a conservative Ministry, although Hall himself described his followers as "the independent Liberal party".
The Second Stafford Ministry was the eighth responsible government to be formed in New Zealand, and one of the longer-lasting ministries during this period. It formed in October 1865 and lasted until June 1869. However, it was defeated in a vote of confidence on 15 August 1866 and resigned, to be reconstituted with three ministers replaced, so some contemporaries regarded it as two separate Ministries. As the office of Premier had yet to be formally established, Edward Stafford did not carry this title officially.
| Executives without power | |
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| Responsible government |
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| Governments along party lines |
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