The 18th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...

. It was elected at the 1911 general election in December of that year.

1911 general election

The Second Ballot Act 1908 was used for the 1911 general election. The first ballot was held on Thursday, 7 December in the general electorates. The second ballots were held one week later on 14 December. The Second Ballot Act did not apply to the four

Māori electorates In Politics of New Zealand, New Zealand politics, Māori electorates, colloquially known as the Māori seats (), are a special category of New Zealand electorates, electorate that give Reserved political positions, reserved positions to repre ...

and the election was held on Tuesday, 19 December. A total of 80 MPs were elected; 42 represented

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

electorates, 34 represented

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

electorates, and the remaining four represented Māori electorates. 590,042 voters were enrolled and the official turnout at the election was 83.5%.

Sessions

The 18th Parliament sat for four sessions (there were two sessions in 1912), and was prorogued on 20 November 1914.

Party standings

Start of Parliament

End of Parliament

Ministries

The

Liberal Government of New Zealand The Liberal Government of New Zealand was the first responsible government in New Zealand politics organised along party lines. The government formed following the founding of the Liberal Party and took office on 24 January 1891, and governed ...

had taken office on 24 January 1891.

Joseph Ward Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th prime minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the New Zealand Liber ...

formed the Ward Ministry on 6 August 1906. The Ward Ministry remained in power until Ward's resignation as Prime Minister in March 1912. The

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

remained in power only on the casting vote of the

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

Arthur Guinness Arthur Guinness ( 172523 January 1803) was an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The inventor of Guinness beer, he founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in 1759. Guinness was born in Ardclogh, near Celbridge, County Ki ...

. The party selected

Thomas Mackenzie Sir Thomas Mackenzie (10 March 1853 – 4 February 1930) was a Scottish-born New Zealand politician and explorer who briefly served as the 18th prime minister of New Zealand in 1912, and later served as New Zealand High Commissioner in L ...

as leader (and Prime Minister) and he formed the Mackenzie Ministry on 28 March 1912. In July 1912, Mackenzie lost a

vote of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...

, resigned as Prime Minister and handed over to

William Massey William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925) was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zealand's second organised political ...

of the Reform Party, bringing to an end the long reign of the Liberal Party. The Massey Ministry lasted for the remainder of the parliamentary term.

Initial composition of the 18th Parliament

By-elections during 18th Parliament

There were a number of changes during the term of the 18th Parliament.

By-elections

Party affiliation changes

Notes

References

*{{Cite book , last= Scholefield , first= Guy , title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 , edition=3rd , orig-year= First ed. published 1913 , year= 1950 , publisher=Govt. Printer , location= Wellington 18