Four Māori seats in the House of Representatives were established in 1867, initially for a period of five years. The first elections for Māori members (with universal suffrage for adult males) were held in 1868.
The innovation was in part a recognition of Māori support for the Crown during the New Zealand Wars; the Māori seats also served as a counterweight to new seats that had been created on the South Island goldfields.
Nomination day in all four Māori seats was 15 April. Frederick Nene Russell (Northern Maori) and Mete Kīngi Paetahi (Western Maori) were elected unopposed. In Eastern Maori there were two candidates and Tareha Te Moananui was elected after a show of hands. In Southern Maori there were three candidates and a poll was demanded. Held in June, this resulted in the election of John Patterson.
In the 1870s Hōri Kerei Taiaroa (pictured), who was now the member for Southern Maori, argued unsuccessfully for an increase in the number of Maori electoral districts to five or even seven. He did succeed in getting legislation passed in 1876 that made the seats permanent unless they were abolished by legislation.
Read more on NZHistory
Hōri Taiaroa – Māori and the votePolitical and constitutional timeline – Political and constitutional timelineMāori and the vote – Māori and the votePāpāwai, the Māori capital - roadside stories – The Treaty in practice
External links
- Maori representation (Electoral Commission)
- Ngā Māngai - Māori representation (Te Ara)
How to cite this page
'First Māori MPs elected to Parliament', URL: /first-three-maori-mps-elected-to-parliament, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 11-Feb-2016
