Editing Politics of New Zealand (section)

===Colonial politics===
[[File:The Treaty of Waitangi (in Maori).jpeg|thumb|Manuscript copy of the [[Treaty of Waitangi]] (in [[Māori language|Māori]])]]

After the 1840 [[Treaty of Waitangi]], a colonial governor and his small staff acted on behalf of the British Government based on the British political system.<ref name="Timeline" /> Whereas Māori systems had dominated before 1840, governors attempting to introduce British systems met with mixed success in Māori communities. More isolated Māori were little influenced by the Government. Most influences were felt in and around [[Okiato|Old Russell]], the [[Capital of New Zealand|first capital]], and [[Auckland]], the second capital.

The first voting rights in New Zealand were legislated in 1852 as the [[New Zealand Constitution Act 1852|New Zealand Constitution Act]] for the 1853 elections and reflected contemporary British practice.<ref name="Timeline">{{cite web |title = Political and constitutional timeline |url= https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/milestones |publisher=New Zealand History Online|website=nzhistory.govt.nz|access-date=1 May 2017|date=4 November 2016}}</ref> The [[electoral franchise]] was limited to property-owning male [[British subject]]s over 21 years old. The [[property qualification]] was relatively liberal in New Zealand compared to Britain, such that by the late 1850s 75% of adult New Zealand European males were eligible to vote, compared to 20% in England and 12% in Scotland.<ref name="Atkinson1">{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Atkinson |first1=Neil |title=Voting rights – First voting rights, 1852 |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/voting-rights/page-1 |encyclopedia=Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |access-date=24 January 2022 |date=17 February 2015}}</ref> Around 100 Māori chiefs voted in the 1853 election.<ref>{{cite web |title = Setting up the Māori seats |url = https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/maori-and-the-vote/setting-up-seats |publisher=New Zealand History Online |website=nzhistory.govt.nz |access-date=1 May 2017|date=28 November 2016}}</ref>

During the 1850s [[Provinces of New Zealand|provincial]]-based government was the norm. Provincial councils were abolished in 1876.<ref name="Timeline" /> Politics was initially dominated by [[Historic conservatism in New Zealand|conservative]] and wealthy "wool lords" who owned multiple sheep farms, mainly in [[Canterbury Region|Canterbury]]. During the [[gold rush]] era starting 1858 suffrage was extended to all British gold miners who owned a one-pound mining license. The conservatives had been influenced by the militant action of gold miners in [[Colony of Victoria|Victoria]] at Eureka. Many gold miners had moved to the New Zealand fields bringing their radical ideas. The extended franchise was modelled on the Victorian system.<ref name="Atkinson2">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Atkinson|first=Neill|title=Voting rights – Miners and Māori |url = https://teara.govt.nz/en/voting-rights/page-2 |encyclopedia = Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |access-date=1 May 2017 |date=17 February 2015 }}</ref> In 1863 the mining franchise was extended to goldfield business owners. In 1870, the number of registered voters was only 41,500, but an additional 20,000 miners were also entitled to vote.<ref name="Atkinson2"/>

After the brief Land War period ending in 1864, Parliament moved to extend the franchise to more Māori. [[Donald McLean (New Zealand politician)|Donald McLean]] introduced a bill for four temporary [[Māori electorates]] and extended the franchise to all Māori men over 21 in 1867. As such, Māori were universally franchised 12 years before European men.<ref name="Atkinson2"/>

In 1879 an [[economic depression]] hit, resulting in poverty and many people, especially miners, returning to Australia. Between 1879 and 1881 Government was concerned at the activities of Māori activists based on confiscated land at [[Parihaka]]. Activists destroyed settlers' farm fences and ploughed up roads and land, which incensed local farmers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowan |first1=James |title=The New Zealand Wars: a History of the Maori Campaigns and the Pioneering Period. Volume II: The Hauhau Wars, 1864–72 |date=1983 |page=478}}</ref> Arrests followed but the activities persisted. Fears grew among settlers that the resistance campaign was a prelude to armed conflict.<ref>King, Michael (2003). ''The Penguin History of New Zealand''. Chapter 15.</ref> The Government itself was puzzled as to why the land had been confiscated and offered a huge 25,000-acre reserve to the activists, provided they stopped the destruction.{{sfn|Riseborough|2002|pp=95,98,111}} Commissioners set up to investigate the issue said that the activities "could fairly be called hostile".{{sfn|Riseborough|2002|pp=95,98,111}} A power struggle ensued resulting in the arrest of all the prominent leaders by a large government force in 1881. Historian Hazel Riseborough describes the event as a conflict over who had authority or ''[[Mana (Oceanian mythology)|mana]]''—the Government or the Parihaka protestors.{{sfn|Riseborough|2002|p=212}}

[[File:Seddon Statue, Wellington, New Zealand (94).JPG|thumb|right|upright|[[Richard Seddon]]'s statue stands outside Parliament buildings in Wellington.]]
In 1882 the export of meat in the first refrigerated ship started a period of sustained economic export-led growth. This period is notable for the influence of new social ideas and movements such as the [[Fabians]] and the creation in 1890 of the first political party, the [[New Zealand Liberal Party|Liberals]]. Their leader, former gold miner [[Richard Seddon]] from Lancashire, was premier from 1893 to 1906. The Liberals introduced new [[Taxation in New Zealand|taxes]] to break the influence of the wealthy conservative sheep farm owners. They also purchased more land from Māori.<ref>{{DNZB|last=Hamer |first=David |id=2s11 |title= Seddon, Richard John |access-date=1 May 2017}}</ref> (By 1910, Māori in parts of the North Island retained very little land, and the amount of Māori land would decrease precipitously as a result of government purchases.<ref>{{cite web |title = Maori land loss, 1860–2000 |url = https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/interactive/maori-land-1860-2000 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz |publisher = New Zealand History Online |access-date=17 July 2020}} Map adapted from Appendix four of [[Claudia Orange]] (2004), ''Illustrated History of the Treaty of Waitangi''.</ref>)

The early 20th century saw the rise of the [[trade union movement]] and labour parties {{Crossreference|(see {{section link|Socialism in New Zealand|Unions and workers' parties}})}}, which represented organised workers. The [[West Coast Region|West Coast]] town of [[Blackball, New Zealand|Blackball]] is often regarded as the birthplace of the labour movement in New Zealand,<ref>{{cite web|date=18 April 2016|title=Returning to Labour's Roots|url=http://www.labour.org.nz/returning_to_labours_roots|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403123839/https://www.labour.org.nz/returning_to_labours_roots|archive-date=3 April 2019|access-date=19 June 2017|website=www.labour.org.nz|publisher=New Zealand Labour Party|language=en}}</ref> as it was the location of the founding of one of the main political organisations which became part of the New Zealand Labour Party.