1854: New Zealand’s First Prime Minister?

June 9, 2019

By AHNZ

Today in history: 9 June, 1854.

James Fitzgerald formed a ministry out of Parliamentarians and one Legislative Councillor. It may be argued that Fitz was then New Zealand’s first Prime Minister. After all, if he is a Minister, is he not prime among them?

Perhaps not, since Fitzgerald and his little Cabinet didn’t really do anything for those few weeks. Some office space was cleared for them and they hung around. Probably they just played minesweeper on their PCs and took extra long lunches.

Real power lay with Col. Robert Wynyard, who was acting as Governor, and his appointed Executive Council. Jobs of Treasurer, Attorney-General, Colonial Secretary, and Propaganda were all taken.

Frustrated, Fitz and the Parliamentarians are not appeased by their honorary office space. They insist on an oxymoron called ‘Responsible Government’ which means that the Executive is for themselves alone to constitute and elect. Wynyard drops a brick on their heads and after much disgraceful in-fighting (it really is) New Zealand’s new nobility has no choice but to go home.

In my opinion, ‘Responsible Government’ never stood a chance until the little Auckland bureaucracy had been paid off. Old Wood needs to be cut off in a comfortable and dignified way or it would be a very serious problem even on this small scale (this isn’t in Machiavelli but it should be). A Pensions Act was passed for the retiring officials and then, and only then, do Members of Parliament get their ‘Responsible Government’.

Henry Sewell, in 1856, collects enough MP friends to form a Ministry of this sort. It only lasts 2 weeks but for this he is considered New Zealand’s first Premier.

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Images: Fitz with his hat, Henry with his scowl. It’s hard not to like them as men of their time. And they were not evil.

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