Provinces of New Zealand

Provinces in New Zealand were used from 1841 until the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on November 1, 1876.

Following abolition, the provinces became known as provincial districts. Their only visible function today is their usage to determine, with the exception of the Chatham Islands, Northland and South Canterbury, the geographical boundaries for anniversary day public holidays.

It is important to note that the provincial districts have different boundaries to the present day regions, for example, the Manawatu-Wanganui region is in the Wellington provincial district. They are also not to be confused with the use of the term in rugby's National Provincial Championship (NPC).

1841 to 1853

• New Ulster (North Island north of Patea River)
• New Munster (North Island south of Patea River, plus the South Island)
• New Leinster (Stewart Island)

1853 to 1876

Province	Independent county	Formed		Renamed		Dissolution
		Date	Broke from	Date	New name	Date	Reason
Auckland		1853				1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
New Plymouth		1853		1 January 1859	Taranaki	1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
Hawkes Bay		1 November 1858	Wellington			1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
Wellington		1853				1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
Nelson		1853				1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
Marlborough		1 November 1859	Nelson			1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
Westland	1 January 1868	1 December 1873	Canterbury			1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
Canterbury		1853				1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
Otago		1853				1 November 1876	Provinces abolished
Southland		25 March 1861	Otago			5 October 1870	Reunited with Otago

Sources/External Links

• List at Rulers site with provincial superintendents
• Speeches and Documents on New Zealand History, McIntyre and Gardner (Eds), 1971, Oxford University Press

Referenced By