1856 in New Zealand

The following lists events that happened during 1856 in New Zealand.

After several previous attempts, New Zealand finally achieves "Responsible Government", with a majority of the members of the House of Representatives supporting the Government.

Population
The estimated population of New Zealand at the end of 1856 is 58,300 Māori and 45,540 non-Māori. The total population reaches the 100,000 mark during the year.

Regal and viceregal

 * Head of State – Queen Victoria
 * Governor – Colonel Thomas Gore Browne

Government and law
The 2nd Parliament is formed on 15 April. The election of its members had in fact concluded on 28 December the previous year.


 * Speaker of the House – Sir Charles Clifford
 * Colonial Secretary – Henry Sewell becomes New Zealand's first Colonial Secretary on 7 May. The Sewell Ministry is defeated on 20 May and he is replaced by William Fox. The Fox Ministry is in turn defeated on 2 June and Fox is replaced by Edward Stafford's Stafford Ministry.
 * Colonial Treasurer – Dillon Bell becomes the first Colonial Treasurer on 7 May. When the Sewell government is defeated on 20 May he is replaced by Charles Brown. When the Fox government is defeated on 2 June Brown is replaced by William Richmond
 * Chief Justice – William Martin

Events

 * 31 July – By Royal Charter, Christchurch is proclaimed New Zealand's first city.
 * 18 September – The Wanganui Chronicle publishes its first issue. The paper starts as a fortnightly publication, moves to tri-weekly in 1867, and then to daily in 1871. It continues.
 * 11 December – The Auckland Examiner begins publishing. It continues until 1861.
 * 26 December – The Otago Colonist publishes its first issue. The newspaper changes its name to The Colonist in 1862 and is absorbed into the Daily Telegraph at the beginning of 1863.

Music

 * A choral society performance of Handel's Messiah is given in Auckland. This the first known performance by such a musical ensemble in New Zealand.
 * A Harmonic Society is formed in Dunedin in this year (or possibly earlier).

Births

 * 28 July: Arthur Remington, politician.
 * 10 October: Florence Young, missionary.
 * 27 December: Arthur Brown, Mayor of Wellington.

Deaths

 * 13 April: Nōpera Panakareao, tribal leader, evangelist and assessor

Unknown date

 * Te Kani-a-Takirau, Māori chief who refused to sign the Treaty of Waitangi