THE PROVINCES

Northern Advocate, 30 January 1936, Page 6

THE PROVINCES

The celebration of the anniversary of 'the Auckland Province, which took place yesterday, gives interest to the early history of the provinces in New Zealand. It was, on December 23, 1847, that a charter was signed dividing New Zealand into two provinces—New Ulster and New Munster—and this was proclaimed on March 10, 1848. Under the constitution of 1853 the Provinces of New Ulster and New Munster were abolished and the colony was divided into six provinces—Auckland, New Plymouth (later altered to Taranaki), Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury and Otago. Each province was to be presided over by an elective Superintendent, and to have an elective Provincial Council empowered to legislate, except on certain specified subjects. The franchise amounted practically to household suffrage. The Provincial Governments, afterwards increased to nine by the formation of Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Southland, later reduced to eight by the merging of Southland with Otago, and again increased to nine by the formation of Westland, remained as integral parts of the constitution of the colony until November 1, 1876, when they were abolished by an Act of the General Assembly, and re-created as provincial districts.