Christchurch Country

Christchurch Country was a parliamentary electorate in the Canterbury region of New Zealand from 1853 to 1860. It was thus one of the original 24 electorates used for the 1st New Zealand Parliament.

Location

The electorate covered the rural area outside of Christchurch; much of the Canterbury Region and the West Coast.^[1]

History

The electorate was created for the first Parliament as a two-member electorate.^[2]

The first election was held on 27 August 1853. James Stuart-Wortley and Edward Jerningham Wakefield were the first two representatives. Wakefield served until the end of the parliamentary term. Stuart-Wortley resigned on 18 July 1855. As Parliament was dissolved on 15 September 1855, no by-election was held to fill the vacancy.^[3]

John Hall, one of the elected members, later became New Zealand's 12th Premier (1879–82).^[4]

Members

The electorate was represented by seven Members of Parliament.^[2]

Election	Winners
1853 election		Edward Jerningham Wakefield (Independent)		James Stuart-Wortley (Independent)
1855 election		Dingley Askham Brittin (Independent)		John Hall (Independent)
1856 by-election		John Ollivier (Independent)[5]
1860 first by-election		Isaac Thomas Cookson (Independent)
1860 second by-election				Charles Hunter Brown (Independent)

Notes

1. ^ Wilson 1985.
2. ^ ^{a b} Wilson 2003, p. 261.
3. ^ Scholefield 1950, pp. 141, 145.
4. ^ King 2003, p. 534.
5. ^ "Canterbury". Daily Southern Cross. Volume XIII, Issue 978, 11 November 1856. pp. 3. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=DSC18561111.1.3. Retrieved 26 March 2010. 

References

• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103. 
• King, Michael (2003). The Penguin History of New Zealand. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-301867-1.