Colony of New Zealand

Colony of New Zealand
1841–1907
Top: Flag of New Zealand (since 1902) Bottom: Flag of the United Kingdom (until 1902) Royal coat of arms
Anthem: "God Save the Queen/King"
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]
• New Zealand Constitution Act 1846	28 August 1846
• New Zealand Constitution Act 1852	30 June 1852
• Declared as Dominion	26 September 1907
Population
• 1901 census	772,719
Currency	New Zealand pound
Preceded by Succeeded by Colony of New South Wales United Tribes of New Zealand Dominion of New Zealand
1. The General Assembly first sat in 1854, under the provisions of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852.

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.