Postmaster-General (New Zealand)

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 from 1858 to 1989, when the NZPO (formerly the P&T or Post and Telegraph Department) was split into three SOEs responsible to the Minister of State Owned Enterprises: New Zealand Post Limited, Telecom New Zealand Limited, and Post Office Bank Limited.

History

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

	Name	Premier/Prime Minister Served	Took Office	Left Office	Party
1	Henry Tancred (MLC) [2]	Stafford	3 November 1858 (or 2 November) [1]	12 July 1861	None
2	Crosbie Ward [2]	Fox	2 August 1861 (or 21 August)[1]	6 August 1862	None
3	Walter Mantell [1] [3]	Domett	6 August 1862	21 August 1862	None
-	Crosbie Ward (2nd time) [1] [3]	Domett	21 August 1862	30 October 1863	None
4	Thomas Gillies [1][3]	Whittaker-Fox	30 October 1863	24 November 1864	None
5	John Richardson [1][3]	Weld	24 November 1864	16 October 1865	None
6	Edward Stafford [1][4]	(himself)	31 October 1865	8 May 1866	None
7	James Paterson [1] [4]	Stafford	8 May 1866	24 August 1866	None
8	John Hall [1](& Electric Telegraph Commissioner from 16 October 1866) [4]	Stafford	24 August 1866	5 February 1869	None
-	Edward Stafford (2nd time) [1][4]	(himself)	6 February 1869	28 June 1869	None
9	Julius Vogel [1] (& Electric Telegraph Commissioner from 1 July 1869)[4]	Fox	28 June 1869	10 September 1872	None
10	Oswald Curtis [1] (& Telegraph Commissioner)[5]	Stafford	10 September 1872	11 October 1872	None
-	Julius Vogel (2nd time) [1] (& Telegraph Commissioner from 8 April 1873, Commissioner of Telegraphs from 6 July 1875)[6]	Waterhouse, Fox, himself,	11 October 1872	1 September 1876	None
11	George McLean (& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [7][8]	Atkinson	1 September 1876	13 September 1876	None
12	Frederick Whitaker (& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [9][7]	Atkinson	13 September 1876	7 December 1876	None
13	John Davies Ormond (& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [7]	Atkinson	7 December 1876	12 January 1877	None
-	George McLean (2nd time) [7](& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [9]	Atkinson	12 January 1877	13 October 1877	None
14	James Temple Fisher [7](& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [9]	Grey	15 October 1877	8 October 1879	None
-	John Hall (2nd time) (& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [10]	(himself)	8 October 1879 (or 22 December)[7]	9 March 1881	None
15	Walter W. Johnston [7](& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [10]	Hall/Whitaker	9 March 1881	11 October 1882	None
16	Thomas Dick [7](& Electric Telegraph Commissioner) [10]	Whitaker	11 October 1882	25 September 1883	None
17	Richard Oliver (MLC) [7](& Electric Telegraph Commissioner) [11]	Atkinson	25 September 1883	16 August 1884	None
-	Julius Vogel (3rd time) [7](& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [11]	Stout	16 August 1884	28 August 1884	None
18	William Russell (& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [12]	Atkinson	28 August 1884 (or 26 August)[7]	3 September 1884	None
-	Julius Vogel (4th time) [7](& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [12]	Stout	3 September 1884	8 October 1887	None
19	Harry Atkinson [7](& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [12]	(himself)	8 October 1887	17 October 1889	None
20	Edwin Mitchelson [7](& Commissioner of Telegraphs) [13]	Atkinson	17 October 1889	24 January 1891	None
21	Patrick Buckley (& Electric Telegraph Commissioner) [13][7]	Ballance	24 January 1891	4 February 1891	Liberal
22	Joseph Ward (& Electric Telegraph Commissioner) [14][7]	Ballance, Seddon,	4 February 1891	16 June 1896	Liberal
23	Richard Seddon (& Electric Telegraph Commissioner) [15][7]	(himself)	16 June 1896	21 December 1899	Liberal
-	Joseph Ward (2nd time) (& Electric Telegraph Commissioner to 29 October 1906, then Minister of Telegraphs) [16][7]	Seddon, Hall-Jones, himself	21 December 1899	28 March 1912	Liberal
24	Henry George Ell (& Minister of Telegraphs) [17][7]	MacKenzie	28 March 1912	10 July 1912	Liberal
25	Heaton Rhodes (& Minister of Telegraphs) [18][7]	Massey	10 July 1912	12 August 1915	Reform
-	Joseph Ward (3rd time) (& Minister of Telegraphs) [19][7]	Massey	12 August 1915	4 September 1919	Liberal
26	Gordon Coates (& Minister of Telegraphs) [20][7]	Massey (& Bell 10 to 30 May 1925)	4 September 1919	30 May 1925	Reform
27	James Parr (& Minister of Telegraphs) [21][7]	Coates	30 May 1925	24 May 1926	Reform
28	William Nosworthy (& Minister of Telegraphs) [22][7]	Coates	24 May 1926	10 December 1928	Reform
29	James Bell Donald (& Minister of Telegraphs) [23][7]	Ward	10 December 1928	18 December 1929	Reform
-	Joseph Ward (4th time) (& Minister of Telegraphs) [23][7]	(himself)	18 December 1929	28 May 1930	United
-	James Bell Donald (2nd time) (& Minister of Telegraphs) [24][7]	Forbes	28 May 1930	22 September 1931	United
30	Adam Hamilton (& Minister of Telegraphs) [25][7]	Forbes	22 September 1931	6 December 1935	United (Liberal)
31	Fred Jones (& Minister of Telegraphs) [26][7]	Savage	6 December 1935	1 April 1940	Labour
32	Paddy Webb (& Minister of Telegraphs) [27][7]	Fraser	1 April 1940	19 December 1946	Labour
33	Fred Hackett (& Minister of Telegraphs) [28][7]	Fraser	19 December 1946	13 December 1949	Labour
34	Walter Broadfoot (& Minister of Telegraphs) [29][7]	Holland	13 December 1949	26 November 1954	National
35	Tom Shand (& Minister of Telegraphs) [30][7]	Holland/Holyoake	26 November 1954	12 December 1957	National
36	Michael Moohan (& Minister of Telegraphs) [30][7]	Nash	12 December 1957	12 December 1960	Labour
37	Thomas Hayman [31][7]	Holyoake	12 December 1960	2 May 1961	National
38	Arthur Kinsella [32][7]	Holyoake	2 May 1961	20 December 1963	National
39	Jack Scott [33][7]	Holyoake	20 December 1963	22 December 1969	National
40	Allan McCready [34]	Holyoake	22 December 1969	9 February 1972	National
41	Bert Walker [35]	Marshall	9 February 1972	8 December 1972	National
42	Roger Douglas [36]	Kirk	8 December 1972	10 September 1974	Labour
43	Fraser Colman [37]	Rowling	10 September 1974	12 December 1975	Labour
44	Hugh Templeton [38]	Muldoon	12 December 1975	8 March 1977	National
45	Peter Wilkinson [38]	Muldoon	8 March 1977	13 December 1978	National
46	Ben Couch [39]	Muldoon	13 December 1978	22 August 1980	National
47	Warren Cooper [39]	Muldoon	22 August 1980	11 December 1981	National
48	John Falloon[40]	Muldoon	11 December 1981	19 February 1982	National
49	Rob Talbot[40]	Muldoon	19 February 1982	26 July 1984	National
50	Jonathan Hunt [41]	Lange	26 July 1984	24 August 1987	Labour
51	Richard Prebble [42]	Lange	24 August 1987	5 November1988	Labour
52	David Butcher [43]	Lange	8 November1988	14 August 1989	Labour

Notes

1. Robinson 1964, p. 258.
2. Wilson 1985, p. 61.
3. Wilson 1985, p. 62.
4. Wilson 1985, p. 63.
5. Wilson 1985, p. 64.
6. Wilson 1985, pp. 64,65,66.
7. Robinson 1964, p. 259.
8. Wilson 1985, p. 66.
9. Wilson 1985, p. 67.
10. Wilson 1985, p. 68.
11. Wilson 1985, p. 69.
12. Wilson 1985, p. 70.
13. Wilson 1985, p. 71.
14. Wilson 1985, pp. 71,72.
15. Wilson 1985, p. 72.
16. Wilson 1985, pp. 72,74.
17. Wood 1996, p. 3.
18. Wood 1996, p. 4.
19. Wood 1996, p. 5.
20. Wood 1996, p. 8.
21. Wood 1996, p. 15.
22. Wood 1996, p. 16.
23. Wood 1996, pp. 20,21.
24. Wood 1996, p. 22.
25. Wood 1996, p. 23.
26. Wood 1996, p. 26.
27. Wood 1996, pp. 28,34.
28. Wood 1996, p. 37.
29. Wood 1996, p. 40.
30. Wood 1996, pp. 43,46.
31. Wood 1996, p. 49.
32. Wood 1996, p. 51.
33. Wood 1996, pp. 51,52.
34. Wood 1996, p. 54.
35. Wood 1996, p. 55.
36. Wood 1996, p. 56.
37. Wood 1996, p. 58.
38. Wood 1996, pp. 60,61.
39. Wood 1996, pp. 62,63.
40. Wood 1996, pp. 64,65.
41. Wood 1996, p. 66.
42. Wood 1996, pp. 68,71.
43. Wood 1996, pp. 71,72.

References

• 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.