1866 New Zealand general election

1866 general election

12 February – 6 April 1866
All 70 seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives
First party   Leader Edward Stafford Party Independent Leader's seat City of Nelson Last election 70 seats Seats won 70 Seat change Popular vote N/A Percentage N/A Swing N/A
Premier before election Edward Stafford Independent Premier-designate Edward Stafford Independent

The New Zealand general election of 1866 was held between 12 February and 6 April to elect 70 MPs to the fourth term of the New Zealand Parliament.

In 1867 four Māori electorates were created, initially as a temporary measure for five years. The first Māori elections for these seats were held in 1868, with universal suffrage for Māori males over 21.

The first four Māori members of parliament were Tareha te Moananui (Eastern Maori), Frederick Nene Russell (Northern Maori) and John Patterson (Southern Maori), who all retired in 1870; and Mete Paetahi (Western Maori) who was defeated in 1871.

References

• Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Cyclopedia Company Limited (1903). The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District. Wellington: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 12 May 2020 – via New Zealand Electronic Text Collection.
• Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough and Westland Provincial Districts. Wellington: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 12 May 2020 – via New Zealand Electronic Text Collection.
• Cyclopedia Company Limited (1908). The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Taranaki, Hawke's Bay and Wellington Provincial Districts. Wellington: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 12 May 2020 – via New Zealand Electronic Text Collection.