The 1853 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 1st term. It was the first national election ever held in New Zealand, although Parliament did not yet have full authority to govern the country.

Background

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, established a bicameral New Zealand Parliament, with the lower house (the House of Represenatives) being elected by popular vote. Votes were to be cast under a simple FPP system, and the secret ballot had not yet been introduced. To qualify as a voter, one needed to be male, to be a British citizen, to be at least 21 years old, to own a certain value of land, and to not be serving a criminal sentence.

At the time of the 1853 elections, there were no political parties in New Zealand. As such, all candidates were independents.

The election

In the 1853 elections, election day was different in each seat. The first seat to be elected was Bay of Islands on 14 July, and the final election day was on 1 October. 5,849 people were registered to vote. The number of electoral districts was 24, although some districts elected multiple MPs. The total number of seats was 37. Some parts of the country were not part of any district, and did not have representation in Parliament.

Results

Akaroa	William Sefton Moorhouse
Auckland, City of	Thomas Houghton Bartley, Loughlin O'Brien, and James O'Neill
Auckland, Suburbs of	Frederick Merriman and William Porter
Bay of Islands	Hugh Carleton
Christchurch Country	James Stuart-Wortley and Edward Jerningham Wakefield
Christchurch, Town of	Henry Sewell
Dunedin Country	John Cargill and William Cutten
Dunedin, Town of	James Macandrew
Grey and Bell	Thomas King
Hutt	Alfred Ludlam and Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Lyttelton, Town of	James FitzGerald
Motueka and Massacre Bay	Alfred Christopher Picard
Nelson, Town of	James Mackay and William Travers
New Plymouth, Town of	Francis Gledhill
Northern Division	Thomas Forsaith and Walter Lee
Omata	William Crompton
Pensioner Settlements	John Bacot and Joseph Greenwood
Southern Division	John Gray and Charles Taylor
Waimea	William Cautley and David Monro
Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay	Samuel Revans
Wairau	Frederick Weld
Wanganui and Rangitkei	Isaac Featherston
Wellington, City of	Charles Clifford, Robert Hart, and James Kelham
Wellington Country	William Rhodes