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Postmaster-General (New Zealand)

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Foundation stone on the former Akaroa Post Office, commemorating Heaton Rhodes as Postmaster-General

The Postmaster-General in New Zealand was the government minister responsible for the New Zealand Post Office (NZPO) from 1858 to 1989, when the NZPO (formerly the Post and Telegraph Department) was split into three State Owned Enterprises, responsible to the Minister of State Owned Enterprises: New Zealand Post Limited, Telecom New Zealand Limited, and Post Office Bank Limited.

History

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From 1841 to 1853 the Postmaster-General was a civil servant, responsible to the Postmaster-General of New South Wales (1841–42) then the Postmaster-General of Great Britain (1842–53).[1]

Governor Sir George Grey appointed Henry William Petre to be Postmaster-General on 13 August 1853, but his appointment was not accepted by the First Parliament that met in 1854, and he left for England early in the new year.[1]

Office holders

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The following MPs have held the office of Postmaster-General:[2][3][4]

Key

  Independent   Liberal   Reform   United   Labour   National

No. Name Portrait Term of Office Prime Minister
1 Henry Tancred 3 November 1858 12 July 1861 Stafford
2 Crosbie Ward 2 August 1861 6 August 1862 Fox
3 Walter Mantell 6 August 1862 21 August 1862 Domett
(2) Crosbie Ward 21 August 1862 30 October 1863
4 Thomas Gillies 30 October 1863 24 November 1864 Whitaker
5 John Richardson 24 November 1864 16 October 1865 Weld
6 Edward Stafford 31 October 1865 8 May 1866 Stafford
7 James Paterson 8 May 1866 24 August 1866
8 John Hall 24 August 1866 5 February 1869
(6) Edward Stafford 6 February 1869 28 June 1869
9 Julius Vogel 6 February 1869 10 September 1872 Fox
10 Oswald Curtis 10 September 1872 11 October 1872 Stafford
(9) Julius Vogel 11 October 1872 1 September 1876 Waterhouse
Fox
Vogel
Pollen
Vogel
11 George McLean 1 September 1876 13 September 1876 Atkinson
12 Frederick Whitaker 13 September 1876 7 December 1876
13 John Davies Ormond 7 December 1876 12 January 1877
(11) George McLean 12 January 1877 13 October 1877
14 James Temple Fisher 15 October 1877 8 October 1879 Grey
(8) John Hall 8 October 1879 9 March 1881 Hall
15 Walter Woods Johnston 9 March 1881 11 October 1882
Whitaker
16 Thomas Dick 11 October 1882 25 September 1883
17 Richard Oliver 25 September 1883 16 August 1884 Atkinson
(9) Julius Vogel 16 August 1884 28 August 1884 Stout
18 William Russell 28 August 1884 3 September 1884 Atkinson
(9) Julius Vogel 3 September 1884 8 October 1887 Stout
19 Harry Atkinson 8 October 1887 17 October 1889 Atkinson
20 Edwin Mitchelson 17 October 1889 24 January 1891
21 Patrick Buckley 24 January 1891 4 February 1891 Ballance
Seddon
22 Joseph Ward 4 February 1891 16 June 1896
23 Richard Seddon 16 June 1896 21 December 1899
(22) Joseph Ward 21 December 1899 28 March 1912
Hall-Jones
Ward
24 Harry Ell 28 March 1912 10 July 1912 MacKenzie
25 Heaton Rhodes 10 July 1912 12 August 1915 Massey
(22) Joseph Ward 12 August 1915 4 September 1919
26 Gordon Coates 4 September 1919 30 May 1925
Bell
27 James Parr 30 May 1925 24 May 1926 Coates
28 William Nosworthy 24 May 1926 10 December 1928
29 James Donald 10 December 1928 18 December 1929 Ward
(22) Joseph Ward 18 December 1929 28 May 1930
(29) James Donald 28 May 1930 22 September 1931 Forbes
30 Adam Hamilton 22 September 1931 6 December 1935
31 Fred Jones 6 December 1935 1 April 1940 Savage
Fraser
32 Paddy Webb 1 April 1940 19 December 1946
33 Fred Hackett 19 December 1946 13 December 1949
34 Walter Broadfoot 13 December 1949 26 November 1954 Holland
35 Tom Shand 26 November 1954 12 December 1957
Holyoake
36 Mick Moohan 12 December 1957 12 December 1960 Nash
37 Thomas Hayman 12 December 1960 2 May 1961 Holyoake
38 Arthur Kinsella 2 May 1961 20 December 1963
39 Jack Scott 20 December 1963 22 December 1969
40 Allan McCready 22 December 1969 9 February 1972
41 Bert Walker 9 February 1972 8 December 1972 Marshall
42 Roger Douglas 8 December 1972 10 September 1974 Kirk
43 Fraser Colman 10 September 1974 12 December 1975 Rowling
44 Hugh Templeton 12 December 1975 8 March 1977 Muldoon
45 Peter Wilkinson 8 March 1977 13 December 1978
46 Ben Couch 13 December 1978 22 August 1980
47 Warren Cooper 22 August 1980 11 December 1981
48 John Falloon 11 December 1981 19 February 1982
49 Rob Talbot 19 February 1982 26 July 1984
50 Jonathan Hunt 26 July 1984 24 August 1987 Lange
51 Richard Prebble 24 August 1987 5 November 1988
52 David Butcher 5 November 1988 14 August 1989
Palmer

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Robinson 1964, p. 258.
  2. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 61–74.
  3. ^ Wood 1996, pp. 3–5, 8, 15–6, 20–3, 26, 28, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 51–2, 54–6, 58, 60–6, 68, 71–2.
  4. ^ Robinson 1964, pp. 258–9.

References

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  • Robinson, Howard (1964). A History of the Post Office in New Zealand. Wellington: Government Printer.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V R Ward, Government Printer. OCLC 154283103.
  • Wood, G. A. (1996) [1987]. Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament (2 ed.). Dunedin: University of Otago Press. ISBN 1-877133-00-0.