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Wellington has been the capital of New Zealand since 1865. New Zealand's first capital city was Old Russell (Okiato) in 1840–41. Auckland was the second capital from 1841 until 1865, when Parliament was permanently moved to Wellington after an argument that persisted for a decade. As the members of parliament could not agree on the location of a more central capital, Wellington was decided on by three Australian commissioners.
Okiato
Okiato or Old Russell is a small holiday spot in the Bay of Islands, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of present-day Russell, which was then known as Kororareka. Okiato was New Zealand's first national capital, for a short time from 1840 to 1841, before the seat of government was moved to Auckland. William Hobson arrived in New Zealand on 29 January 1840, the date now celebrated as the Auckland Anniversary Day. On the following day, as Lieutenant-Governor he proclaimed British Sovereignty in New Zealand. 30 January 1840 was the day that the Union Jack was flown on the masthead of the Herald, the ship that brought Hobson to the Bay of islands, and that the flag was saluted by guns.[1]
A capital city needed to be decided on, and immediately after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on 6 February 1840, Hobson sought advice from those who had been living in New Zealand for some time. The missionary Henry Williams recommended the area around the Waitematā Harbour. William Cornwallis Symonds agreed with that assessment. A week after the signing of the treaty, seven Māori chiefs from Ōrākei on the Waitematā Harbour came to see Hobson and invited him to stay amongst them. They wanted protection from a rival iwi, the Ngāpuhi, and offered him land in return for living there.[2] On 21 February, a small party including Hobson, Williams, Symonds, Captain Joseph Nias, and Felton Mathew left on the Herald to explore the Waitematā; they arrived there two days later.[3] They visited various places, but on 1 March, Hobson suffered a stroke which paralysed half of his body and affected his speech.[4] Rather than delegate the decision making to his officers, the party returned to the Bay of Islands with the task incomplete.[5]
Mathew, who was Surveyor General, was then instructed to report on possible locations for a capital in the Bay of Islands. His initial recommendation was for Kororareka, but there were conflicting land claims and Hobson refused to accept this recommendation as he felt that he had insufficient authority to overcome those legal problems.[6] His second recommendation was Captain James Reddy Clendon's property, as it met the requirements for a good anchorage and immediate availability of land suitable for subdivision and on-sale to settlers.[7] Locations such as Paihia and Kerikeri were bypassed for various reasons.[8]
Hobson changed its name from Okiato to Russell, in honour of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord John Russell. Hobson and his family moved there in May 1840 and officials, troops, workmen and immigrants took up residence in permanent or temporary buildings and tents.[8] Mathew drew up ambitious plans for a town,[8] but only one of the intended roads was ever built – leading directly from the town hall to the town jail. A year later Hobson moved the capital to Auckland and most of the Russell (i.e. Okiato) residents moved there too. A few officials lived on in the Government House at Russell but when it and the offices burned down in May 1842, they moved to Kororareka leaving Russell virtually deserted.[8]
Kororareka was part of the Port of Russell and gradually became known as Russell also. In January 1844 Governor Robert FitzRoy officially designated Kororareka as part of the township of Russell. Now the name Russell applies only to the erstwhile Kororareka while Okiato has resumed its original name. There is often confusion between modern-day Russell, Kororareka and Okiato in relation to the original capital: even the historian Michael King in The Penguin History of New Zealand—his most notable work and the most commonly-read New Zealand history book—incorrectly names Kororareka as the country's first capital.[11]
Auckland
There is no doubt that Hobson regarded Russell as a temporary capital only.
Once Hobson had regained some health, he went south to check Mathew's recommendations. On 6 July, he visited Panmure and immediately dismissed it over the difficult access by water. Hobson also admitted that his favoured location was impractical. After the party watched a sunset and were impressed by a "lovely aspect of the shore further down the harbour in the golden glow of the late afternoon", they went ashore there the following day. They agreed that the place held great promise for a future capital; it is believed that they landed at Shelly Beach in Ponsonby. By the end of the month, the decision was made that the capital would shift to the Waitematā.[14]
On 13 September 1840, a barque left Russell for the Waitematā. On board were seven Government officials, some cabin passengers, and numerous steerage passenger. The party, under the command of Symonds, was to finalise the choice of the future capital, buy the land off the Maori, erect stores and accommodation buildings, and find a site for
Work progressed well in Auckland. Hobson first visited Auckland on 17 October 1840 to check on progress, and decide on the location for Government House. He returned to the Bay of Islands, having decided to take up residence in Auckland in the following year.[20] Government House was a kit set built in England and shipped out to New Zealand, weighing 250 tonnes (250 long tons; 280 short tons). It had 16 rooms, was 120 feet (37 m) long, 50 feet (15 m) wide, and 24 feet (7.3 m) high. It was placed on the corner of Hobson and Cook Streets.[21] The officials and all of government's papers were moved from the Bay of Islands to Auckland in January 1841. Hobson moved into his new residence on 14 March 1841, and with him moving in, the capital had shifted from the Bay of Islands to Auckland.[21]
The first
On 23 June 1848, Government House burned down during Sir George Grey's tenure as Governor. Nobody came to harm but the building was a total loss.[23][24] A viceregal residence was then rented for many years (known as Scoria House and located on Karangahape Road) before the new Government House was built in 1856. Construction of this building was part of Auckland's campaign to retain the seat of government, as the discussion about the capital moving further south had already started.[25] This building formally became part of the University of Auckland in 1969, is now known as Old Government House, and was registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust as a Category I heritage structure in 1983.[26]
The initial form of government was an executive council formed of public servant appointed by and responsible to the governor. This changed when the
Arguments over where Parliament should meet were had for a decade.
After the capital had moved to Wellington, the Parliament Building was eventually transferred to the University of Auckland and demolished in 1919.[34] Government House remained one of the seats for the governor, who alternates between Wellington and Auckland to this day. Old Government House remained in this use until 1969, when Sir Frank and Lady Mappin donated the current Government House (Birchlands) that is located in Mount Eden. Old Government House has since been in use by the University of Auckland.[26]
Wellington
Following a motion in parliament by
Having thus made themselves acquainted, as far as was practicable, with the character and capabilities of both shores of Cook's Strait, the Commissioners have arrived at the unanimous conclusion that Wellington, in Port Nicholson, is the site upon the shores of Cook's Straits which presents the greatest advantages for the administration of the Government of the Colony.
The move of the capital from Auckland to Wellington was undertaken in 1865, and Wellington has been New Zealand's capital since.[31] The fifth session of the 3rd Parliament was opened on 26 July 1865 in Wellington, and this date is regarded as the move of the capital function to Wellington.[36][37]
150th anniversary
The
See also
Notes
- ^ Reed 1955, p. 66.
- ^ Reed 1955, p. 40.
- ^ Reed 1955, pp. 40f.
- ^ a b Simpson, K. A. "Hobson, William". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ^ Reed 1955, pp. 40–43.
- ^ Scholefield 1940, p. 71.
- ^ a b Scholefield 1940, p. 72.
- ^ a b c d King 1992, pp. 26–28.
- ^ Hanson Turton, Henry. "Opanui Block, Okiato, Bay of Islands District". Maori Deeds of Old Private Land Purchases in New Zealand, From the Year 1815 to 1840, with Pre-Emptive and Other Claims. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ Reed 1955, p. 83.
- ^ King 2003, p. 165.
- ^ a b Reed 1955, p. 43.
- ^ Reed 1955, pp. 43f.
- ^ Reed 1955, p. 45.
- ^ Reed 1955, pp. 51–54.
- ^ Pihema, Ani; Kerei, Ruby; Oliver, Steven. "Apihai Te Kawau". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ Reed 1955, p. 54.
- ^ Reed 1955, pp. 54f.
- ^ a b Reed 1955, p. 55.
- ^ Reed 1955, pp. 55f.
- ^ a b Reed 1955, p. 58.
- ^ Reed 1955, p. 67.
- ^ "Total destruction of Government House by fire". New Zealander. Vol. 4, no. 216. 24 June 1848. p. 3. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
- Daily Southern Cross. Vol. 3, no. 157. 24 June 1848. p. 2. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Other Government Houses". Governor-General of New Zealand. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Government House (Former)". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ Sewell 1980, p. 25.
- ^ Sewell 1980, p. 31.
- ^ a b "Auckland beginnings". New Zealand Parliamentary Library. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ a b Martin, John E. (28 March 2012). "History of Parliament's buildings and grounds". New Zealand Parliamentary Library. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Levine, Stephen (13 July 2012). "Capital city – A new capital". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ^ "Opening of the General Assembly at Wellington". Otago Witness. No. 555. 19 July 1862. p. 6. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ a b Eagles, Jim (8 July 2015). "Wellington: A capital anniversary". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ "First Parliament buildings". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1897). "Wellington Provincial District". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: Wellington Provincial District. Wellington. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "New Zealand Parliament". The Wellington Independent. Vol. XX, no. 2237. 27 July 1865. p. 3. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ The Dominion Post. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Plumb, Simon (26 July 2015). "Wellington celebrates 150th birthday in capital fashion". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ^ "Wellington to celebrate 150th milestone in style". The Press. 9 July 2015. p. A2.
References
- King, Marie (1992). A Most Noble Anchorage: A Story of Russell and the Bay of Islands. Kerikeri: Northland Historical Publications Society. ISBN 0-9597926-1-9. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ISBN 1-4596-2375-4.
- Reed, A. W.(1955). Auckland, the city of the seas. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed.
- Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
- ISBN 0-7233-0625-7.