New Zealand general election, 1893

1893 general election

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All 74 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout	75.3%
First party Second party   Leader Richard Seddon William Rolleston Party Liberal Conservative Leader since 1893 1891 Leader's seat Westland Halswell (lost seat) Last election 40 seats 25 seats Seats won 51 13 Seat change 11 12 Popular vote 175,814 74,482 Percentage 57.80% 24.49% Swing 1.7% 4.5%
Prime Minister before election Richard Seddon Liberal Prime Minister after election Richard Seddon Liberal

The New Zealand general election of 1893 was held on 28 November and 20 December in the European and Māori electorates, respectively, to elect 74 MPs to the 12th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The election was won by the Liberal Party, and Richard Seddon became Prime Minister.

1893 was the year universal suffrage was granted to women over 21 (including Māori), plural registration was abolished, plural voting for Māori property-owners was abolished, and only those whose descent was exactly half Māori were allowed to choose whether to vote in European or Māori electorates. Women's suffrage was the most consequential change.

Contents

• 
  1 1892 electoral redistribution
  


• 
  2 Women's suffrage
  


• 
  3 The election
  


• 
  4 Results
  
  • 
    4.1 Party totals
    
  
  
  • 
    4.2 Votes summary
    
  
  
  • 
    4.3 Electorate results
    
  
  


• 
  5 Notes
  


• 
  6 References
  


• 
  7 External links
  

1892 electoral redistribution

The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1890 for the 1890 election. The 1891 New Zealand census was the first to automatically trigger an electoral redistribution, which was undertaken in 1892. The population drift to the North Island resulted in the transfer of one electorate from the south to the north. Only three electorates remained with unaltered boundaries: Thames, Wairarapa, and Timaru.^[1] 14 new electorates were established, and of those, eight electorates were established for the first time: Bay of Plenty, Otaki, Pareora, Patea, Riccarton, Waiapu, Waimea-Sounds, and Wellington Suburbs. The remaining six electorates had existed before, and they were re-established for the 12th Parliament: Caversham, Chalmers, Lyttelton, Rangitata, Waihemo, and Waipa.^[2]

Women's suffrage

Kate Sheppard National Memorial in Christchurch adjacent to Our City. The figures shown from left to right are Amey Daldy, Kate Sheppard, Ada Wells and Harriet Morison

By far the most notable change for the 1893 election was that the Electoral Act, 1893, extended the franchise to all women (including Māori) aged 21 and over.^[3]Women's suffrage was granted after about two decades of campaigning by women such as Kate Sheppard and Mary Ann Müller and organisations such as the New Zealand branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union led by Anne Ward.^[4] Of countries presently independent, New Zealand was the first to give women the vote in modern times.^[5]John Hall, a Conservative politician and former premier, received most of the credit for pushing the legislation through Parliament; he is the only male who has his name inscribed on the Kate Sheppard National Memorial.^[5] There were only 10 weeks between the passage of the legislation and the election, and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) set about to enrol as many women as possible.^[4]

The bill had passed under the Liberal government which generally advocated social and political reform, but only due to a combination of personality issues and political accident. Seddon opposed it (unlike many other Liberals) because many women supported prohibition. He had expected to stop the bill in the upper house, but found that one more vote was needed. Thomas Kelly, a new Liberal Party councillor had left himself paired in favour of the measure, but Seddon obtained his consent by wire to change his vote. Seddon's manipulation so incensed two opposition councillors, William Reynolds and Edward Stevens that they changed sides and voted for the bill, which was passed by 20 votes to 18 so giving the vote to women.^[6] Both the Liberals and the Conservatives subsequently claimed credit for sponsoring the enfranchisement of women and both sought to acquire women's votes, although the Liberals benefitted more.^[7]

The election

The 1893 election was held on Tuesday, 28 November in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 20 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 74 MPs to the 12th Parliament.^[8][9]

A total number of 302,997 (75.3%) voters turned out to vote.^[10] 65% of all eligible New Zealand women voted in the 1893 election.^[4] In 3 seats there was only one candidate.^[11] 31 and 39 electorates were in the North Island and South Island, respectively, plus the 4 Māori electorates.^[12]

Results

An 1893 cartoon depicting William Rolleston urging women to vote for the Conservative Party to whom they "owe the franchise".

Party totals

The following table gives party strengths and vote distribution according to Wilson (1985), who records Maori representatives as Independents prior to the 1905 election.^[13]

Election results
Party		Candidates	Total votes	Percentage	Seats won	Change
	Liberal	103	175,814	57.80%	51	+11
	Conservative	55	74,482	24.49%	13	-12
	Independent	49	53,880	17.71%	10	+1
	Total	207	302,997		74

Votes summary

Popular Vote Liberal   57.80% Conservative   24.49% Independents   17.71%

Parliament seats Liberal   68.91% Conservative   17.58% Independents   13.51%

Electorate results

The following is a table of electorate results by electorate.
Key

  Liberal  
  Conservative  
  Liberal–Labour  
  Independent Liberal  
  Independent  

[

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Electorate results for the New Zealand general election, 1893^[14][15][16]

Electorate	Incumbent		Winner		Majority	Runner up
General electorates
Ashburton		Edward George Wright		John McLachlan	26		Cathcart Wason
Ashley		Richard Meredith			590		David Duncan Macfarlane
Auckland, City of		John Shera		George Grey	2,233		Thomas Tudehope[nb 1][17]
		Thomas Thompson		William Crowther	438
		Alfred Cadman		Charles Button	68
Avon		Edwin Blake		William Tanner	653		George McIntyre
Awarua		Joseph Ward			Uncontested
Bay of Islands		Robert Houston			231		James Trounsen[18]
Bay of Plenty	New electorate			William Kelly	209		Henry Burton[19]
Bruce		James Allen			Uncontested
Buller		Eugene O'Conor		Roderick McKenzie	213		Eugene O'Conor
Caversham	New electorate			Arthur Morrison	136		William Barron
Chalmers	New electorate			John A. Millar	119		Edmund Allen
Christchurch, City of		William Pember Reeves			1,848		Ebenezer Sandford[nb 2]
		Ebenezer Sandford		George Smith	916
		Richard Molesworth Taylor		William Whitehouse Collins	281
Clutha		Thomas Mackenzie			832		James Burgh[20]
Dunedin, City of		David Pinkerton			1,294		Henry Fish[nb 3]
		Henry Fish		William Earnshaw	589
		William Hutchison			294
Eden		Edwin Mitchelson			1,161		Malcolm Niccol[21]
Egmont		Felix McGuire			135		Benjamin Robbins
Ellesmere		John Hall		William Montgomery	293		William Rolleston
Franklin		Ebenezer Hamlin		Benjamin Harris	89		William Massey
Grey		Arthur Guinness			1,723		Richard Nancarrow
Hawke's Bay		William Russell			70		Charles William Reardon[22]
Inangahua		Robert Stout		Patrick O'Regan	204		William Goodwin Collings
Invercargill		James Whyte Kelly			1,242		Joseph Hatch
Kaiapoi		Richard Moore		David Buddo	87		Richard Moore
Lyttelton	New electorate			John Joyce	1,041		Edwin Blake
Manukau		Frank Buckland		Maurice O'Rorke	252		Frank Buckland
Marsden		Robert Thompson[nb 4]			1,010		James Harrison[18]
Masterton		Alexander Hogg			1,228		Joseph Harkness
Mataura		George Richardson		Robert McNab	119		George Richardson
Napier		George Henry Swan		Samuel Carnell	520		George Henry Swan
Nelson		Joseph Harkness		John Graham	279		Richmond Hursthouse
New Plymouth		Edward Metcalf Smith			491		Robert Trimble
Oamaru		Thomas Duncan			416		PB Fraser
Otaki	New electorate			James Wilson	195		Donald Fraser[23]
Palmerston		James Wilson		Frederick Pirani	203		George Matthew Snelson[24]
Pareora	New electorate			Frederick Flatman	217		Arthur Rhodes
Parnell		Frank Lawry			334		William Shepherd Allen
Patea	New electorate			George Hutchison	673		William Cowern
Rangitata	New electorate			William Maslin	67		Edward George Wright
Rangitikei		Robert Bruce		John Stevens	176		Frank Lethbridge
Riccarton	New electorate			George Warren Russell	106		William Boag
Selwyn		Alfred Saunders			232		Thomas Hamilton Anson
Taieri		Walter Carncross			76		John Buckland
Thames		James McGowan			311		Edmund Taylor
Timaru		William Hall-Jones			407		Edward George Kerr
Tuapeka		Hugh Valentine		Vincent Pyke	340		Charles Rawlins
Waihemo	New electorate			John McKenzie	324		Scobie Mackenzie
Waiapu	New electorate			James Carroll	497		Cecil de Lautour
Waikato		Edward Lake		Alfred Cadman	75		Isaac Coates[15]
Waikouaiti		James Green			510		George J. Bruce[25]
Waimea-Sounds	New electorate			Charles H. Mills	333		H Everett
Waipa	New electorate			Frederic Lang	989		Gerald Peacock[26]
Waipawa		William Smith		Charles Hall	378		George Hunter
Wairarapa		Walter Clarke Buchanan			690		George Augustus Fairbrother[27]
Wairau		Lindsay Buick			322		William Sinclair
Waitaki		John McKenzie		William Steward	1,062		Thomas Paterson[28]
Waitemata		Jackson Palmer		Richard Monk	239		Jackson Palmer
Wakatipu		Thomas Fergus		William Fraser	326		John O'Meara
Wallace		James Mackintosh			433		Henry Hirst
Wanganui		Archibald Willis			197		Gilbert Carson
Wellington, City of		John Duthie					Kennedy Macdonald
		George Fisher		Francis Bell
		William McLean		Sir Robert Stout
Wellington Suburbs	New electorate			Alfred Newman	124		Thomas Wilford
Westland		Richard Seddon			Uncontested
Māori electorates[nb 5]
Eastern Maori		James Carroll		Wi Pere	1,399		Hoani Paraone Tunuiarangi
Northern Maori		Eparaima Te Mutu Kapa		Hone Heke Ngapua	507		Eparaima Te Mutu Kapa
Southern Maori		Tame Parata			185		Teoti Pita Mutu
Western Maori		Hoani Taipua		Ropata Te Ao	90		Pepene Eketone

Table footnotes:

1. 
   ^ Majority is difference in votes to fourth candidate
   


2. 
   ^ Majority is difference in votes to fourth candidate
   


3. 
   ^ Majority is difference in votes to fourth candidate
   


4. 
   ^ Robert Thompson was an Independent in the previous Parliament
   


5. 
   ^ The affiliation of many of the Māori candidates is unknown or uncertain
   

Notes

1. 
   ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 55–60.
   


2. 
   ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 59f.
   


3. 
   ^ McRobie 1989, p. 59.
   


4. 
   ^ ^abc Malcolm, Tessa K. "Sheppard, Katherine Wilson". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 2 December 2013. 
   


5. 
   ^ ^ab "One giant leap for womankind". The New Zealand Herald. 13 November 2013. pp. F24–F25. Retrieved 21 February 2015. 
   


6. 
   ^ Women's Suffrage in New Zealand by Patricia Grimshaw, p 92. (1972, Auckland University Press)
   


7. 
   ^ Brooking 1989, pp. 104.
   


8. 
   ^ "The General Election, 1893". National Library. 1894. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 25 February 2012. 
   


9. 
   ^ "The general Election". Otago Daily Times. 23 December 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 23 August 2011. 
   


10. 
    ^ "General elections 1853-2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Retrieved 12 September 2010. 
    


11. 
    ^ Wilson 1985, p. 286.
    


12. 
    ^ Wilson 1985, p. 173.
    


13. 
    ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 287–289.
    


14. 
    ^ "The General Election, 1893". National Library. 1894. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 19 November 2013. 
    


15. 
    ^ ^ab "The General Election". Otago Daily Times. 28 November 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 28 November 2013. 
    


16. 
    ^ "General Election". Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate. 4 (91). 1 December 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2016. 
    


17. 
    ^ "Electorate City of Auckland". Auckland Star. XXIV (273). 17 November 1893. p. 3. Retrieved 28 November 2013. 
    


18. 
    ^ ^ab "Page 4 Advertisements Column 3". The Northern Advocate. 25 November 1893. p. 4. Retrieved 19 November 2013. 
    


19. 
    ^ "Public Notice". Bay of Plenty Times. 20 November 1893. p. 5. Retrieved 28 November 2013. 
    


20. 
    ^ "Political News". Tuapeka Times. XXV (4049). 11 November 1893. p. 3. Retrieved 14 August 2016. 
    


21. 
    ^ Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L (PDF). I. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. p. 124. Retrieved 26 August 2016. 
    


22. 
    ^ "Hawke's Bay Electorate". Hawke's Bay Herald. XXVIII (9544). 2 December 1893. p. 3. Retrieved 30 November 2013. 
    


23. 
    ^ "The Otaki Election". Manawatu Herald. 16 November 1893. p. 3. Retrieved 23 August 2016. 
    


24. 
    ^ "The Palmerston Election". Feilding Star. XV (125). 25 November 1893. p. 3. Retrieved 23 August 2016. 
    


25. 
    ^ "Waikouaiti Electoral District". Otago Daily Times (9901). 21 November 1893. p. 3. Retrieved 23 August 2016. 
    


26. 
    ^ "The General Elections". The Press. L (8651). 28 November 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 29 November 2013. 
    


27. 
    ^ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1897). "Borough Of Carterton". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Wellington Provincial District. Wellington: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 30 November 2013. 
    


28. 
    ^ "The Oamaru Mail". The Oamaru Mail. XVIII (5804). 28 November 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 23 August 2016. 
    

References

• 
  McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8. 
  


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


• 
  Brooking, Tom (1988). Milestones: Turning Points in New Zealand History. Lower Hutt: Mills Publications. ISBN 0-908722-30-3. 
  

External links

• 
  Roll of Members of the House of Representatives, August 1896 (i.e. prior to the next general election)

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