Kōrero: Elections and campaigns

The election of Canterbury’s first superintendent in 1853 is shown in this drawing by Alfred Barker, Christchurch’s only doctor at the time. It shows voters gathered outside the land office in Worcester Street, beside the Avon River. The three candidates were James Fitzgerald (who won), Henry Tancred and Colonel Campbell. Meetings were often held in hotels and sometimes rowdy. The ability to speak well, to handle heckling and maintain dignity, were all valuable attributes.