Colony of New Zealand | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1841–1907 | |||||||||||
  Top: Flag of New Zealand (since 1902)
Bottom: Flag of the United Kingdom (until 1902) | |||||||||||
| Anthem: "God Save the Queen/King" | |||||||||||
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| Status | British colony | ||||||||||
| Capital | Okiato (1841) Auckland (1841–1865) Wellington (since 1865) | ||||||||||
| Common languages | English, Māori (de facto) | ||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | New Zealander | ||||||||||
| Government | Crown colony (1841–1852) Self-governing colony (1852–1907) | ||||||||||
| 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[1] | ||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||
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The Colony of New Zealand was a colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that encompassed the islands of New Zealand. The colony was proclaimed by its British settler population in 1841, and lasted until 1907, when the Dominion of New Zealand was established. The sovereignty of Britain over the islands was initially nominal, before becoming substantive upon the conclusion of the New Zealand Wars, after which Māori sovereignty was essentially overcome. The power of the British Government was vested in the governor of New Zealand. The colony had three successive capitals: Okiato (or Old Russell) in 1841; Auckland from 1841 to 1865; and Wellington from 1865, which continues as the capital of New Zealand today.
Created as a Crown colony, during the early years of British settlement the governor had wide-ranging powers. The colony was granted self-government with the passage of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852. The first parliament was elected in 1853, and responsible government was established in 1856. The governor was required to act on the advice of his ministers, who were responsible to the parliament. In 1907, the colony became the Dominion of New Zealand, which heralded a more explicit recognition of self-government within the British Empire.