Marlborough Provincial Gazette
Also known as
- The Government Gazette, Province of Marlborough
- New Zealand Government Gazette (Province of Marlborough)
Historical Background
Marlborough Province was created under the New Provinces Act 1858 by separation from Nelson Province, taking effect on 1 November 1859. The region had originally been part of New Munster under the 1846 constitutional arrangement, before passing to Nelson Province when the six original provinces were established in 1853.
The province was named by Governor Sir Thomas Gore Browne after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough — following the same pattern as Nelson and Wellington, named for prominent British military figures. The settlement of Blenheim was subsequently named after the Duke's famous victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704.
Separation from Nelson had been driven by ongoing disputes between settlers in the Wairau and the more distant Nelson administration. The region had been an early centre of pastoral farming — Frederick Weld had been the first to land sheep at Port Underwood in 1847, and other South Island areas were subsequently stocked from Marlborough.
The location of the provincial capital was a matter of prolonged debate. The council sat initially at Picton before relocating to Blenheim in 1865, following a council vote that included a notable ten-hour speech by councillor Arthur Beauchamp — grandfather of writer Katherine Mansfield — in opposition to the move. In a fitting postscript, government buildings in both towns burned down shortly after the abolition of the provincial system.
Provincial government was abolished under the Abolition of Provinces Act, which took full effect on 1 November 1876.
Issue and page numbers
- Marlborough Gazette issue numbers for 1860-61 are continuous, and again from 1862-1875. Numbering does not restart in January each year.
- Page numbers are (usually) continuous between issues and restart each year in January.
Missing Issues
| Year | Issue No | Notes | Page numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | All issues | ||
| 1868 | 171 | Oct-Nov | 49-54 |
| 1866 | 123 | early April | 31-32 |
Skipped Issue Numbers
It appears some issue numbers were skipped or omitted
| Year | Issue No | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1869 | 192 | No missing page numbers - possibly never printed |
| 1869 | 176 | No. 175 occurs twice (Dec 1868 and Jan 1869). The Jan 1869 issue was probably meant to be 176. |
Map of provincial boundaries, 1873
Further reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlborough_Province
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_New_Zealand
https://teara.govt.nz/en/colonial-and-provincial-government/page-2
Marlborough Provincial Gazette Statistics
16
Years Covered
295
Issues Processed
1,331
Pages Transcribed
5,881
Names Identified
2,909
Unique Names
2,319
Named Officials
305
Unique Officials
