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Parliament's Move to Wellington in 1865

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Parliament's Move to Wellington in 1865 Parliament’s move to Wellington in 1865 John E. Martin Timeline 1854 Parliament first met in Auckland – immediate pressure for Parliament and seat of government to move 1856 Decided that next parliamentary session to be in Wellington on principle that Wellington would alternate with Auckland, but money not approved 1857-8 Wellington built new Provincial Council Building with two chambers to house Parliament 1858 Parliament met in Auckland again 1860 Following understanding that Parliament would meet in Wellington, decision reversed after outbreak of Taranaki war. Parliament met in Auckland again 1862 Parliament met in Wellington following the end of the Taranaki war. Wreck of White Swan on way down to Wellington from Auckland 1863 Parliament returned to Auckland. Parliament agreed that seat of government to be shifted permanently to Cook Strait area. Location to be decided by Australian Commissioners 1864 Australian Commissioners decided on Wellington 1865 Parliament and seat of government moved to Wellington. Parliament Buildings purchased and extended Introduction The New Zealand Parliament permanently moved to Wellington in 1865, after spending the first ten years of its existence, from 1854, in Auckland. The story of the move of the seat of government and Parliament to Wellington in 1865 was full of political intrigue and drama, not to mention shipwrecks and the threat of earthquakes. It tells us much about the political constraints on representative government and how Parliament operated in those times. The move is the story of not only of where Parliament should be located but also of the housing of Parliament – never straightforward and always subject to the politics of the day. Parliament’s move to Wellington in 1865 April 2015 1 Plaque on Parliament House When New Zealand adopted parliamentary government in the early 1850s Governor George Grey settled on Auckland as New Zealand’s seat of government for the time being. Auckland had been the official capital since 1840 (after a short period in the Bay of Islands) and the province was vehement in keeping its powerful and lucrative status. A petition to Britain by the Auckland Provincial Government in late 1853 and an apparent promise by Grey clinched the matter for the moment. The location of the seat of government was hotly contested as soon as Parliament met in 1854. It was one of the perennial focal points of debate and was a crucial dividing line between MPs. Wellington in particular felt its claims were strong. MPs arriving in Auckland from further south were not made to feel very welcome. Accommodation was difficult to find and the inhabitants of the town affected disinterest. The issue would fracture Parliament for the next decade and, even after the apparently permanent move to Wellington, MPs agitated for a further move elsewhere for some time afterwards. Feelings about Auckland resulted from the sheer difficulty and length of time it took to get there. Otago MPs took a whole two months to get to Auckland in 1854 because of the number of stops and the bad weather. It was very difficult in the circumstances to persuade members even to attend sessions. There was no way that anyone outside of Auckland could return to their homes, families or businesses while Parliament was sitting. While many MPs from outside Auckland could agree that the seat of government should be shifted, it was quite another matter to decide where it should go. Governments did not dare to make a concerted stand on the matter – voting was left to individual MPs. Politics and Auckland’s Parliament Buildings The hastily thrown-up, cheap quarters for the first session in 1854 were christened the ‘Shedifice’ because they were so basic. The buildings provided plenty of ammunition for a change. While still used for parliamentary sessions, ownership of the buildings passed to the Auckland Provincial Council in a fractious and complicated deal in 1858. Parliament’s move to Wellington in 1865 April 2015 2 The ‘Shedifice’ – Auckland’s Parliament Buildings Evans album, 1861, Auckland City Libraries, A11714 Auckland in 1856 had wanted the government to pay for the very expensive new Government House in Auckland and, to cement its claim to be the seat of government, suggested that Parliament move into the building. When this move failed, Auckland got the government to agree to offset the cost of Government House by handing over the Parliament Buildings to the province. Parliament’s conditions of use of Parliament Buildings were eventually agreed to in 1861 as agitation mounted for moving the seat of government. The government would suppl y offices for the province elsewhere and the buildings would be extended to provide a more substantial Bellamy’s. Ambitious plans to build a larger, new Parliament Buildings in Roman Doric style came to nothing. MPs argued that it was not appropriate to spend a lot of money at a time when the country was beset by the land wars and expenditure restrictions. Pressure intensified in the minds of MPs outside of Auckland that the seat of government should be moved. Getting the seat of government to Wellington Wellington and its Superintendent Isaac Featherston made no pretence about enticing Parliament to a more central location in Wellington. But Wellington had one serious drawback – earthquakes. The extremely large earthquake of 1848 and the even more massive 1 855 earthquake loomed large. The latter ranks as the strongest ever recorded in New Zealand’s history. Although causing very few fatalities it destroyed the provincial government’s building and a number of others. Wellington Provincial Superintendent Isaac Featherston J.N. Crombie, Auckland Star collection, Alexander Turnbull Library, G3162 Parliament’s move to Wellington in 1865 April 2015 3 An attempt to have Parliament move south to ‘a more central position’ appeared close to success in 1854 but it was foiled when some southern MPs opposed to leader James FitzGerald (who had proposed the move) walked out rather than being seen to support Auckland. The issue erupted in earnest during the session of 1856 after the incoming Governor Gore Browne had decided that Auckland would have the parliamentary session m eanwhile. Browne was strongly opposed to a move away from Auckland. The government was divided on the issue but Premier Edward Stafford was a strong advocate for the seat of government to remain in Auckland. Auckland attempted to stop the agitation in its tracks but failed. Proposals to hold the next session in Auckland, Nelson and Wellington were lost in turn in the House. However, the Legislative Council adamantly resisted any move. The matter was left to the Governor to fix a ‘more central place’. To no-one’s surprise it was Wellington. A select committee report took up Featherston’s offer of suitable buildings and suggested a move would cost £2,500 but the House failed to approve the money amid farcical scenes. Wellington and Auckland members rushed in and out of the House to remove a quorum over the decision. The matter was left to Governor Gore Browne, who proved indecisive after consulting the House and the government. He personally preferred Auckland for reasons of his convenience, and decided on flimsy grounds that Parliament would stay there because he had no deputy to stay in Auckland. He proposed a compromise that sessions would alternate between Wellington and Auckland. Following the 1856 session Featherston returned to Wellington, disappointed t hat the decision in favour of Wellington had been reversed. Wellington’s Provincial Council decided it would construct a substantial building that included two assembly chambers and two stories of offices to accommodate the civil service. This was to be dangled as bait before Parliament in Auckland. There was in the end no parliamentary session in 1857. As the Governor had determined, the session of 1858 was held in Auckland. A move was revisited briefly at that time but in the absence of most Wellington members and the expectation that Parliament would go to Wellington next time, little heat was generated. Premier Stafford quickly suppressed any discussion. There was no parliamentary session in 1859, but Wellington was now due for a session. It was due to meet there for the first time on 3 May 1860. The government began to make preparations for a move but it did not happen. The session was switched back to Auckland on Stafford’s advice to the Governor, following the outbreak of the Taranaki war in early 1860. This about- face was prompted by a threat by Auckland members to resign. Parliament opened very late on 30 July, because the Speaker and Wellington members failed to arrive in time. With 1861 dominated by war Parliament remained in Auckland for that session. The 1862 session in Wellington The end to the war in Taranaki and the defeat of Stafford’s government in July 1861 brought the debate on the seat of government back on the agenda. The overwhelming refusal by southern members to go back to Auckland, exacerbated by the burden of war, was a major factor in Wellington finally getting the long-desired session in 1862. Parliament’s move to Wellington in 1865 April 2015 4 In 1860 Featherston sent the government in Auckland detailed plans of the new building Archives New Zealand, IA1, 60/307 Detailed specifications of the necessary accommodation were sent down. In addition to the two chambers the Speakers would require private apartments, 4 committee rooms and 3 offices for clerks were also needed, together with a refreshment room and kitchen. Featherston, who had sent up plans of the buildings, was very accommodating. He pointed out that the House of Representatives’ Chamber was much more spacious than in Auckland and had both a lower and upper public gallery and substantial press gallery.
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