Colonial Secretary of New Zealand

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The colonial secretary of New Zealand was an office established in 1840 and abolished in 1907. [1] The office was similar to colonial secretaries found elsewhere in the British Empire.

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Along with the chief justice, the office was one of the first four created by Governor William Hobson when he arrived in New Zealand in January 1840. The Colonial Secretary's Office handled the creation of New Zealand's public service, and became the modern Department of Internal Affairs in 1907. [1] The colonial secretary became known as the minister of internal affairs from then on.

Constitutionally, the colonial secretary was considered the deputy of the governor, until the granting of responsible government. The colonial secretary was to serve as administrator of the government upon the vacancy of the office of governor-general; Willoughby Shortland acted as administrator following the death of William Hobson in 1841. Henry Sewell, who is considered by some as the first premier (or prime minister), held the position for his short tenure as head of the government in 1856. [2]

List of colonial secretaries

NameGovernor servedPremier or Prime Minister servedTook officeLeft officeParty
1 Willoughby Shortland [3] William Hobson 3 May 184131 December 1843none
2 Andrew Sinclair [4] Robert FitzRoy
George Grey
Thomas Gore Browne 		6 January 18447 May 1856none
3 Henry Sewell [4] Thomas Gore Browne(himself)7 May 185620 May 1856none
4 John Hall [5] William Fox 20 May 18562 June 1856none
5 William Richmond [6] Edward Stafford 2 June 18564 November 1856none
6 Edward Stafford [6] (himself)4 November 185612 July 1861none
7 Isaac Featherston [6] William Fox 12 July 18612 August 1861none
8 William Fox [6] (himself)2 August 18616 August 1862none
9 Alfred Domett [6] (himself)6 August 186230 October 1863none
William Fox (2nd time) [7] Frederick Whitaker 30 October 186324 November 1864none
10 Frederick Weld [7] (himself)24 November 186426 June 1865none
11 James Richmond [7] [8] Frederick Weld 26 June 186516 October 1865none
Edward Stafford (2nd time) [7] [9] (himself)31 October 186528 June 1869none
12 William Gisborne [10] [11] William Fox 28 June 186910 September 1872none
Henry Sewell (2nd time) [10] Edward Stafford 10 September 187211 October 1872none
John Hall (2nd time) [10] George Waterhouse 11 October 18723 March 1873none
William Fox (3rd time) [7] (himself)3 March 18738 April 1873none
13 William Reynolds [12] [13] William Fox14 April 18734 July 1873none
14 Daniel Pollen [14] [15] William Fox, (himself),
Julius Vogel, Harry Atkinson 		4 July 187313 October 1877none
15 George Grey [16] (himself)15 October 187718 October 1877none
16 George Whitmore [16] [17] George Grey 18 October 18778 October 1879none
John Hall (3rd time) [16] (himself)8 October 18795 March 1880none
17 Thomas Dick [18] John Hall, Whitaker
Atkinson		5 March 188016 August 1884none
18 William Montgomery [19] Robert Stout16 August 188428 August 1884none
19 Edward Wakefield [20] Atkinson28 August 18843 September 1884none
20 Patrick Buckley [20] Robert Stout4 September 18848 October 1887none
21 Thomas Hislop [20] Atkinson8 October 188710 September 1889none
22 William Russell [21] Atkinson17 October 188924 January 1891none
-Patrick Buckley
(2nd time) [22] [23] [24] 		John Ballance
Richard Seddon 		24 January 189120 December 1895 Liberal
Richard Seddon 18951897 Liberal
James Carroll (acting) [25] [23] Richard Seddon18971899 Liberal
23 Joseph Ward [26] Richard Seddon, William Hall-Jones 20 December 18996 August 1906 Liberal
24 Albert Pitt (MLC) [27] Joseph Ward 6 August 190618 November 1906 Liberal
25 John Findlay [27] Joseph Ward 23 November 190619 November 1907 Liberal

Notes

  1. 1 2 "History of the Department". The Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  2. ↑ Former PM's – Official website of the Prime Minister of New Zealand Archived 22 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ McLintock, A. H., ed. (22 April 2009) [1966]. "SHORTLAND, Commander Willoughby, RN". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  4. 1 2 SINCLAIR, Andrew – 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
  5. ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 31.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Scholefield 1950, p. 32.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Scholefield 1950, p. 33.
  8. ↑ Cyclopedia of New Zealand – The Hon. James Crowe Richmond, NZETC
  9. ↑ History of the Department, Ministry of Internal Affairs
  10. 1 2 3 Scholefield 1950, p. 34.
  11. ↑ GISBORNE, William – 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
  12. ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 35.
  13. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 65.
  14. ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 35–36.
  15. ↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 65, 66, 67.
  16. 1 2 3 Scholefield 1950, p. 37.
  17. ↑ Belich, James (1 September 2010). "Whitmore, George Stoddart – Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  18. ↑ Scholefield 1950, pp. 37–38.
  19. ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 38.
  20. 1 2 3 Scholefield 1950, p. 39.
  21. ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 40.
  22. ↑ Scholefield 1950, pp. 40–41.
  23. 1 2 "Cyclopedia of New Zealand – Colonial Secretary's department". NZETC.
  24. ↑ Wilson1985, pp. 71, 72.
  25. ↑ Bassett 1997, p. 48.
  26. ↑ Wilson1985, pp. 72, 73.
  27. 1 2 Wilson1985, p. 74.

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