17th New Zealand Parliament

17th Parliament of New Zealand
17th Parliament of New Zealand
Overview
Legislative body	New Zealand Parliament
Term	10 June 1909 – 28 October 1911
Election	1908 New Zealand general election
Government	Liberal Government
House of Representatives
Members	80
Speaker of the House	Arthur Guinness
Prime Minister	Joseph Ward
Leader of the Opposition	William Massey
Legislative Council
Members	45 (at start); 38 (at end)
Speaker of the Council	Charles Bowen
Sovereign
Monarch	HM George V; — HM Edward VII until 6 May 1910
Governor	HE Rt. Hon. The Lord Islington from 22 June 1910; — HE Rt. Hon. THe Lord Plunket until 8 June 1910

The 17th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1908 general election in November and December of that year.

1908 general election

Members of the Liberal Party of the 17th Parliament

The Second Ballot Act 1908 was used for the 1908 general election. The first ballot was held on Tuesday, 17 November in the general electorates. 22 second ballots were held one week later on 24 November, and in one large rural electorate (Bay of Plenty), two weeks were allowed before the second ballot was held on 1 December. The Second Ballot Act did not apply to the four Māori electorates and the election was held on Wednesday, 2 December.^[1] A total of 80 MPs were elected; 41 represented North Island electorates, 35 represented South Island electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates.^[2] 537,003 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 79.8%.^[1]

Sessions

The 17th Parliament sat for four sessions (there were two sessions in 1909), and was prorogued on 20 November 1911.^[3]

Session	Opened	Adjourned
first	10 June 1909	16 June 1909
second	7 October 1909	28 December 1909
third	28 June 1910	3 December 1910
fourth	27 July 1911	28 October 1911

Ministries

The Liberal Government of New Zealand had taken office on 24 January 1891.^[4] Joseph Ward formed the Ward Ministry on 6 August 1906.^[5]^[6] The Ward Ministry remained in power until Ward's resignation as Prime Minister in 1912.^[5]^[7]

Party composition

Start of term

Party		Seats
	Liberal	50
	Conservative	26
	Independent	3
	Other	1
Source^[8]

Initial composition of the 17th Parliament

The following are the results of the 1908 general election:

Key

Liberal Conservative Ind. Labour League Independent Liberal Liberal–Labour Independent

Electorate results for the 1908 New Zealand general election^[9]
Electorate	Incumbent			Majority
General electorates^{[nb 1]}
Ashburton		John McLachlan	William Nosworthy	747†	Frederick Flatman
Auckland Central		Alfred Kidd	Albert Glover	2,540	Alfred Kidd
Auckland East		Frederick Baume		1,096	William Richardson
Auckland West		Charles Poole		1,455	Robert Thompson
Avon		William Tanner	George Warren Russell	541†	William Tanner
Awarua		Joseph Ward		2,183	William Morris
Bay of Islands		Robert Houston	Vernon Reed	265	John Charles Johnson
Bay of Plenty		William Herries	William MacDonald	446†	James Gow
Bruce		James Allen		1,393	Joseph Mosley
Buller		James Colvin		997	Fergus Ferguson Munro
Chalmers		Edmund Allen	Edward Henry Clark	226	Edmund Allen
Christchurch East		Thomas Davey		1,666	James McCombs
Christchurch North		Charles Gray	Tommy Taylor	1,698	Charles Gray
Christchurch South		Harry Ell^{[nb 2]}		1,273	Jim Thorn
Clutha		Alexander Malcolm		1,799	Frank Isitt
Dunedin Central		John A. Millar	James Arnold	1,512	John McDonald
Dunedin North		Alfred Barclay	George Thomson	6	Alfred Barclay
Dunedin South		James Arnold	Thomas Sidey	1,830	Robert Rutherford Douglas
Dunedin West	New electorate		John A. Millar	2,447	Jim Munro
Eden		John Bollard		2,164	John Shackelford
Egmont		William Thomas Jennings	Bradshaw Dive	249	George Wake
Ellesmere		Heaton Rhodes		902	George Rennie
Franklin		William Massey		1,187	John McLarin
Geraldine		Frederick Flatman	Thomas Buxton	92	William Jeffries
Gisborne	New electorate		James Carroll	734	George Darton
Grey		Arthur Guinness		1,115	James Kerr^{[nb 3]}
Grey Lynn		George Fowlds		889	Oliver Nicholson
Hawke's Bay		Alfred Dillon		704	William Russell
Hurunui		Andrew Rutherford	George Forbes	597	Obed Clothier
Hutt		Thomas Wilford		1,538	Richard Shortt
Invercargill		Josiah Hanan		848	Arthur Paape
Kaiapoi		David Buddo		77	Richard Moore
Kaipara		John Stallworthy		283	Alfred Harding
Lyttelton		George Laurenson		803	Henry Thacker
Manawatu		John Stevens	Edward Newman	585	John Stevens
Manukau		Frederic Lang		1,369	Alfred Creamer
Marsden		Francis Mander		704	James Harrison
Masterton		Alexander Hogg		1,248	John Hunter
Mataura		Robert McNab	George Anderson	366	Robert McNab
Motueka		Roderick McKenzie		1,501	Frederick Smith
Napier		Alfred Fraser	Vigor Brown	1,035	Alfred Fraser
Nelson		John Graham		14	Harry Atmore
Oamaru		Thomas Young Duncan		613	James Mitchell
Ohinemuri		Hugh Poland		692†	Frederick Haselden
Oroua		Frank Lethbridge	David Guthrie	941	Owen Pleasants
Otaki		William Hughes Field	William Hughes Field	93	Byron Brown
Pahiatua		Robert Beatson Ross		264	James Cooper
Palmerston		William Wood	David Buick	81†	William Wood
Parnell		Frank Lawry		219	Edward George Britton Moss
Patea		Walter Symes	George Pearce	252	Charles E. Major
Rangitikei		Arthur Remington		158	Robert William Smith
Riccarton		George Witty		1,600	George Sheat
Selwyn		Charles Hardy		383	Joseph Ivess
Stratford	New electorate		John Hine	724	Walter Symes
Taranaki		Henry Okey		1,295	William Malone
Taieri		Donald Reid	Thomas Mackenzie	521	John Thomas Johnson
Taumarunui	New electorate		William Thomas Jennings	1,850	William Bowater
Tauranga	New electorate		William Herries	1,303	James Alexander Young
Thames		James McGowan		2,100	Ernest Deeble
Timaru		William Hall-Jones	James Craigie	380†	William David Campbell
Tuapeka		William Chapple	Robert Scott	697†	John MacPherson
Wairarapa		J. T. Marryat Hornsby	Walter Clarke Buchanan	136	J. T. Marryat Hornsby
Wairau		Charles H. Mills	John Duncan	252	Robert McArtney
Waikato		Henry Greenslade		493	Allen Bell
Waipawa		Charles Hall		50	George Hunter
Waitaki		William Steward		329	Francis Henry Smith
Waitemata		Ewen Alison	Leonard Phillips	903†	William Joseph Napier
Wakatipu		William Fraser		1,151	Andrew Martin
Wallace		John Charles Thomson		1,346	Dugald MacPherson
Wanganui		James Thomas Hogan		742†	George Hutchison
Wellington Central		Francis Fisher		143	Thomas Hislop
Wellington East		John Aitken	David McLaren	427†	Arthur Atkinson
Wellington North		Charles Hayward Izard	Alexander Herdman	826†	Frederick Bolton
Wellington South	New electorate		Robert Wright	558†	William Barber
Wellington Suburbs	New electorate		John Luke	1,148†	John Edward Fitzgerald
Westland		Tom Seddon		110	Henry Michel
Māori electorates^{[nb 4]}
Eastern Maori		Āpirana Ngata		3,010	Tiki Paaka
Northern Maori		Hone Heke		1,045	Hare te Rangi
Southern Maori		Tame Parata		7	Teone Hopere Wharewiti Uru
Western Maori		Henare Kaihau		757	Pepene Eketone

Table footnotes:

^ † in Majority column depicts electorates in which a second ballot was held.
^ Harry Ell was previously associated with the Liberal Party.
^ For some biographical details of James Kerr refer to his father's article
^ The affiliation of many of the Māori candidates is unknown or uncertain; note that the Second Ballot Act 1908 did not apply to Māori constituencies.

By-elections during 17th Parliament

There were a number of changes during the term of the 17th Parliament.

Electorate and by-election		Date		Cause
Thames	1909	4 February	James McGowan	Appointed to Legislative Council	Edmund Taylor
Northern Maori	1909	20 March	Hone Heke Ngapua	Death	Peter Buck
Rangitikei	1909	16 September	Arthur Remington	Death	Robert Smith
Auckland East	1910	16 June	Frederick Baume	Death	Arthur Myers
Christchurch North	1911	17 August	Tommy Taylor	Death	Leonard Isitt

Name	Year	Seat
William Hughes Field	1909	Otaki	Independent	Reform
Francis Fisher	1910	Wellington Central	Independent	Reform
David McLaren	1910	Wellington East	Ind. Labour League	Labour

Notes

^ ^a ^b "General elections 1853–2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 90.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 69.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 40.
^ ^a ^b Scholefield 1950, pp. 42–43.
^ Hall-Jones, John. "Hall-Jones, William 1851-1936". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
^ Bassett, Michael. "Ward, Joseph George". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
^ "1890–1993 general elections | Elections". Elections.nz. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
^ "The General Election, 1908". National Library. 1909. pp. 1–34. Retrieved 14 April 2012.

References

Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.

[10] † in Majority column depicts electorates in which a second ballot was held.

[11] Harry Ell was previously associated with the Liberal Party.

[12] For some biographical details of James Kerr refer to his father's article

[13] The affiliation of many of the Māori candidates is unknown or uncertain; note that the Second Ballot Act 1908 did not apply to Māori constituencies.

[General_elections_1853–2005-1] "General elections 1853–2005 - dates & turnout". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 27 May 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2011.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield195090-2] Scholefield 1950, p. 90.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield195069-3] Scholefield 1950, p. 69.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield195040-4] Scholefield 1950, p. 40.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield195042–43-5] Scholefield 1950, pp. 42–43.

[DNZB_Hall-Jones-6] Hall-Jones, John. "Hall-Jones, William 1851-1936". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 December 2011.

[DNZB_Ward-7] Bassett, Michael. "Ward, Joseph George". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 10 December 2011.

[8] "1890–1993 general elections | Elections". Elections.nz. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

[1908_election-9] "The General Election, 1908". National Library. 1909. pp. 1–34. Retrieved 14 April 2012.

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