New Munster Province facts for kids
New Munster was an old name for the South Island of New Zealand. It was given by Captain William Hobson, who was the Governor of New Zealand. He named it after Munster, a part of Ireland where he was born.
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New Zealand's Early Provinces
In 1841, New Zealand became its own colony. Before this, it was part of the New South Wales colony. A special document called a Royal Charter helped make this change happen.
This charter also gave new names to New Zealand's main islands. The 'Northern Island' became 'New Ulster'. The 'Middle Island' became 'New Munster'. And 'Stewart's Island' was named 'New Leinster'. At first, these names were just for geography. They did not affect how the colony was run. The main government was in Auckland. New Munster was only the South Island.
How the Provinces Changed
Things changed in 1846. A new law, the New Zealand Constitution Act 1846, divided the colony into two main areas. These areas were called provinces. They were New Ulster and New Munster.
New Munster included the entire South Island and Stewart Island. It also covered the southern part of the North Island. This part went up to the Patea River. New Ulster was the rest of the North Island. This setup meant that places like Wellington and Nelson were in the same province. Even though they were on different islands, they were connected.
Each province had its own Governor. It also had a Legislative Council and an Executive Council. These councils helped make decisions for the province. There was also a main Governor-in-Chief for the whole colony. In 1848, Edward John Eyre became the Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster.
The End of New Munster
The Provincial Council of New Munster met only once in 1849. People in Wellington were not happy with how things were going. Governor George Grey understood their concerns. He suggested a new plan for the councils.
This plan would allow people to elect more members to the councils. However, the new councils never met. This was because the United Kingdom Parliament passed a new law. It was called the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852.
This new law ended the provinces in 1853. New Munster had only existed for seven years. After it was dissolved, New Munster was split into several new provinces. These included Wellington, Canterbury, Nelson, and Otago.
Important People in New Munster
Many important people were involved in the government of New Munster. Here are a few:
- Sir Francis Dillon Bell: He was part of the Legislative Council.
- Alfred Domett: He served as the Colonial Secretary for New Munster.
- Edward John Eyre: He was the Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster.
- Sir William Fox: He was offered the job of Attorney-General.
- William Gisborne: He worked as the private secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor.
- Sir David Munro: He was also appointed to the Legislative Council.
- John Davies Ormond: He was a private secretary and the Clerk of the New Munster Executive Council.
- Mathew Richmond: He was appointed to the Legislative Council.
See also
In Spanish: Provincia de Nuevo Munster para niños
