New Munster was an early original European name for the

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 ...

of New Zealand, given by the

Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

, Captain William Hobson, in honour of

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

, the Irish province in which he was born.

Province

Government Blue Book New Zealand Table of Contents 1851

When

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

was separated from the

Colony of New South Wales The Colony of New South Wales was a colony of the British Empire from 1788 to 1901, when it became a State of the Commonwealth of Australia. At its greatest extent, the colony of New South Wales included the present-day Australian states of New ...

in 1841 and established as a colony in its own right, the

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

of 1840 effecting this provided that "the principal Islands, heretofore known as, or commonly called, the 'Northern Island', the 'Middle Island', and 'Stewart's Island', shall henceforward be designated and known respectively as ' New Ulster', 'New Munster', and ' New Leinster'". These divisions were at first of geographical significance only, not used as a basis for the government of the colony, which was centralised in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. New Munster referred solely to the

. The situation was altered in 1846 when the New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 divided the colony into two

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

: New Ulster and New Munster. New Munster included the

and Stewart Island, plus the southern portion of the

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 ...

up to the mouth of the Patea River. New Ulster consisted of the remainder of the North Island. These boundaries incorporated the Cook Strait settlements of

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and Nelson into one province, despite being on different islands. Each province had a Governor and Legislative and Executive Council, in addition to the Governor-in-Chief and Legislative and Executive Council for the whole colony. Early in 1848 Edward John Eyre was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster. The Provincial Council of New Munster had only one legislative session, in 1849, before it succumbed to the virulent attacks of the Wellington settlers. Governor George Grey, sensible to the pressures, inspired an ordinance of the General Legislative Council under which new Legislative Councils would be established in each province with two-thirds of their members elected on a generous franchise in 1851. Grey implemented the ordinance with such deliberation that neither Council met before advice was received that the United Kingdom Parliament had passed the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852. This act dissolved these provinces in 1853, after only seven years' existence, and New Munster was divided into the provinces of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

, Nelson, and

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

Government appointments

* Sir Francis Dillon Bell: Appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of New Munster. *

Alfred Domett Alfred Domett (20 May 18112 November 1887) was the fourth Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier of New Zealand, a close friend of the poet Robert Browning and author of the epic poem ''Ranolf and Amohia, a South Sea Day Dream''. Born in Englan ...

: Colonial Secretary of New Munster. * Edward John Eyre: Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster. * Sir William Fox: Attorney-General of New Munster, although his acceptance was later withdrawn. * William Gisborne: Private secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster. * Sir David Munro: Appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of New Munster. * John Davies Ormond: Private secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster and

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

of the New Munster Executive Council. * Mathew Richmond: Appointed to the Legislative Council of the Province of New Munster.Richmond, Mathew, C.B.
/ref>

References

External links

New Munster Armed Police Force1844 New Munster Inwards Correspondence Register1848 New Munster Inwards Correspondence Register
* ttps://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Mac02Comp.html A compendium of official documents relative to native affairs in the South Island, Volume Twobr>The Seal of New Munster
{{Coord, 43, 59, S, 170, 27, E , display=title 1853 disestablishments Provinces of New Zealand South Island States and territories established in 1846