Colony of New Zealand
Colony of New Zealand | |||||||||||
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| 1841–1907 | |||||||||||
Top: Flag of New Zealand (since 1902)
Bottom: Flag of the United Kingdom (until 1902) | |||||||||||
| Anthem: "God Save the Queen/King" | |||||||||||
Colony of New Zealand in 1907 | |||||||||||
| Status | Crown colony (1841–1852) Self-governing colony (1852–1907) | ||||||||||
| Capital | Okiato (1841) Auckland (1841–1865) Wellington (since 1865) | ||||||||||
| Common languages | English Māori | ||||||||||
| Demonym | New Zealander | ||||||||||
| British monarch | |||||||||||
• 1841–1901 | Victoria | ||||||||||
• 1901–1907 | Edward VII | ||||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||||
• 1841–1842 | William Hobson (first) | ||||||||||
• 1904–1907 | William Plunket (last of colony) | ||||||||||
| Premier | |||||||||||
• 1856 | Henry Sewell (first) | ||||||||||
• 1906–1907 | Joseph Ward (last of colony) | ||||||||||
| Legislature | General Assembly1 | ||||||||||
• Upper chamber | Legislative Council | ||||||||||
• Lower chamber | House of Representatives | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Separation from the Colony of New South Wales | 3 May 1841 | ||||||||||
| 28 August 1846 | |||||||||||
| 30 June 1852 | |||||||||||
| 26 September 1907 | |||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
• 1901 census | 772,719 | ||||||||||
| Currency | New Zealand pound | ||||||||||
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1. The General Assembly first sat in 1854, under the provisions of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852. | |||||||||||
The Colony of New Zealand was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1841 to 1907. British authority was vested in a governor. The colony had three successive capitals: Okiato (or Old Russell) in 1841; Auckland from 1841 to 1865; and Wellington from 1865. Following the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, the colony became a Crown colony with its first elected parliament in 1853. Responsible self-government was established in 1856 with the governor required to act on the advice of his ministers. In 1907, the colony became the Dominion of New Zealand.