Colonial Secretary of New Zealand

The colonial secretary of New Zealand was an office established in 1840 and abolished in 1907. The office was similar to colonial secretaries found elsewhere in the British Empire.

Along with the chief justice, the office was one of the first four created by Governor William Hobson when he arrived in New Zealand in January 1840. The Colonial Secretary's Office handled the creation of New Zealand's public service, and became the modern Department of Internal Affairs in 1907. The colonial secretary became known as the minister of internal affairs from then on.

Constitutionally, the colonial secretary was considered the deputy of the governor, until the granting of responsible government. The colonial secretary was to serve as administrator of the government upon the vacancy of the office of governor-general; Willoughby Shortland acted as administrator following the death of William Hobson in 1841. Henry Sewell, who is considered by some as the first premier (or prime minister), held the position for his short tenure as head of the government in 1856.Former PM's – Official website of the Prime Minister of New Zealand

List of colonial secretaries

NameGovernor servedPremier or Prime Minister servedTook officeLeft officeParty1 Willoughby Shortland William Hobson3 May 184131 December 1843none2 Andrew SinclairSINCLAIR, Andrew – 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand Robert FitzRoyGeorge GreyThomas Gore Browne6 January 18447 May 1856none3 Henry Sewell Thomas Gore Browne(himself)7 May 185620 May 1856none4 John Hall William Fox20 May 18562 June 1856none5 William RichmondEdward Stafford2 June 18564 November 1856none6 Edward Stafford(himself)4 November 185612 July 1861none7 Isaac Featherston William Fox12 July 18612 August 1861none8 William Fox(himself)2 August 18616 August 1862none9 Alfred Domett(himself)6 August 186230 October 1863none William Fox (2nd time) Frederick Whitaker30 October 186324 November 1864none10 Frederick Weld (himself)24 November 186426 June 1865none11 James Richmond Frederick Weld26 June 186516 October 1865none Edward Stafford (2nd time) (himself)31 October 186528 June 1869none12 William GisborneGISBORNE, William – 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand William Fox28 June 186910 September 1872none Henry Sewell (2nd time) Edward Stafford10 September 187211 October 1872none John Hall (2nd time) George Waterhouse11 October 18723 March 1873none William Fox (3rd time) (himself)3 March 18738 April 1873none13 William Reynolds William Fox14 April 18734 July 1873none14 Daniel Pollen William Fox, (himself),Julius Vogel, Harry Atkinson4 July 187313 October 1877none15 George Grey (himself)15 October 187718 October 1877none16 George Whitmore George Grey18 October 18778 October 1879none John Hall (3rd time) (himself)8 October 18795 March 1880none17 Thomas Dick John Hall, WhitakerAtkinson5 March 188016 August 1884none18 William Montgomery Robert Stout16 August 188428 August 1884none19 Edward Wakefield Atkinson28 August 18843 September 1884none20 Patrick Buckley Robert Stout4 September 18848 October 1887none21 Thomas Hislop Atkinson8 October 188710 September 1889none22 William Russell Atkinson17 October 188924 January 1891none - Patrick Buckley(2nd time) John BallanceRichard Seddon24 January 189120 December 1895Liberal Richard Seddon18951897Liberal James Carroll (acting) Richard Seddon 1897 1899Liberal23 Joseph Ward Richard Seddon, William Hall-Jones 20 December 18996 August 1906Liberal24 Albert Pitt (MLC) Joseph Ward6 August 190618 November 1906Liberal25 John Findlay Joseph Ward23 November 190619 November 1907Liberal

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