Wellington Province

{{for-multi|the current top-level Wellington subdivision of New Zealand|Wellington Region|the electorate in Australia|Wellington Province (Victoria)}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox settlement |name= Wellington |official_name= |native_name= |native_name_lang= mi |settlement_type= [[Provinces of New Zealand]] |total_type= Province |motto= |image_map=Wellington in New Zealand (1852).svg |map_caption= Wellington Province as from 1853 to 1858 |subdivision_type= Country |subdivision_name= [[New Zealand]] |subdivision_type1= Island |subdivision_name1= [[North Island]] |seat= Wellington |parts_type= |leader_title= |leader_name= |established_title= Established |established_date= 1853 |extinct_title=Abolished |extinct_date=1876 |named_for=[[Wellington]] city |area_total_km2= |population_as_of= |population_total= }}

'''Wellington Province''', governed by the '''Wellington Provincial Council''', was one of the [[provinces of New Zealand]] from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. It covered much of the southern half of the [[North Island]] until November 1858, when [[Hawke's Bay Province]] split off, taking about a third of its area.

==Territory== Wellington Province originally covered much of the southern half of the [[North Island]]. Its northern boundary was drawn arbitrarily across most of the middle of the island at latitude 39° south to the east coast, just including the entirety of [[Hawke Bay]]. North of that line was [[Auckland Province]]. The straight-line boundary did not extend right to the west coast, but dipped south to the coast just west of [[Waverley, Taranaki|Waverley]] and short of [[Pātea]],<ref name="Wellington Province 1966"/> allowing for New Plymouth Province (later renamed [[Taranaki Province]]) to the west.

Hawke's Bay settlers broke away to form [[Hawke's Bay Province]] on 1 November 1858. Wellington Province's new eastern boundary followed the main divide of the eastern ranges, and cut across from just south of [[Woodville, New Zealand|Woodville]] to the east coast near [[Cape Turnagain]].<ref name="Wellington Province 1966"/> Thus Wellington lost about a third of its area,<ref name="Hawke's Bay 1966">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Hawke's Bay Province and Provincial District |first=George |last=Jobberns |encyclopedia=[[An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]] |editor-first=A. H. |editor-last=McLintock |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |date=1966 |via=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/hawkes-bay-province-and-provincial-district |access-date=17 August 2022}}</ref> leaving it with a territory roughly the same as the combined present-day [[Manawatū-Whanganui]] and [[Wellington Region|Wellington]] regions.

The latter Wellington provincial boundaries include four of New Zealand's main urban areas: [[Wellington]], [[Palmerston North]], [[Whanganui]] and [[Kāpiti Coast|Kāpiti]]. Other large towns are [[Feilding]], [[Levin, New Zealand|Levin]] and [[Masterton]]. According to [[Statistics New Zealand]] figures at the 2001 census 626,000 people lived within the provincial boundaries.

==European settlement== European settlement in what became Wellington Province started at [[Port Nicholson]] (now called Wellington Harbour) and at Whanganui in 1840. Settlement in Hawke's Bay started a decade later, around 1850.<ref name="Wellington Province 1966">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Wellington Province and Provincial District |first=George |last=Jobberns |encyclopedia=[[An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand]] |editor-first=A. H. |editor-last=McLintock |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |date=1966 |via=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/wellington-province-and-provincial-district |access-date=17 August 2022}}</ref>

==Superintendents==

Wellington Province had two successive [[Superintendent (politics)|superintendents]].<ref name="Rulers.org">{{cite web|title=Provinces 1848-77 |url=https://rulers.org/newzprov.html |publisher=Rulers.org|access-date=16 September 2010 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:45%;" ! No. ! From ! To ! Superintendent |- | 1 | 2 July 1853 | 14 March 1870 | [[Isaac Featherston]] |- | 2 | 28 April 1871 | 1 Jan 1877 | [[William Fitzherbert (New Zealand politician)|William Fitzherbert]] |}

==Legislation== The only two acts of the provincial assembly still in effect are the Manawatu Racecourse Act 1869 and the Wanganui And Rangitikei Racecourses Act 1862.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://legislation.govt.nz/act/results.aspx?search=ad_act__%28w%29____25_ac%40bn%40rn%40dn%40apro%40bgov%40bloc%40bpri%40bmem%40rpub%40rimp_ac%40ainf%40bcur%40rinf%40rnif_a_aw_se&p=1 |title=Search Results : Manawatu Racecourse Act 1869 (W) : 1869 No 3 & Wanganui And Rangitikei Racecourses Act 1862 (W) : 1862 No 9 |publisher=Legislation.govt.nz |access-date=2015-07-31}}</ref>

==Anniversary Day== New Zealand law provides an anniversary day for each province. Wellington Anniversary Day is the Monday that falls closest to 22 January and is observed as a public holiday within the old provincial boundaries.

== See also == *[[1853 New Zealand provincial elections#Wellington|1853 New Zealand provincial elections]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

[[Category:Wellington Region]] [[Category:Provinces of New Zealand]] [[Category:States and territories established in 1853]] [[Category:1876 disestablishments in New Zealand]] [[Category:1853 establishments in New Zealand]]