Story: Colonial and provincial government

In 1853 New Zealand was divided into six provinces: Auckland, New Plymouth (later Taranaki), Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury and Otago. They kept the revenue earned in their respective territories from the sale of Crown land. ‘Outlying’ districts wanted the same power and sought to separate – some, such as Marlborough (1859), succeeded. North Island provincial governments were disadvantaged because much of ‘their’ territory was not under their control but that of Māori.