Hokitika Borough

During the time of the West Coast gold rush, Hokitika became the capital for the West Coast of the South Island. A Town Improvement Committee was established in 1865. This committee was succeeded by a new Municipal Corporation, for which a nomination meeting was held on 25 September 1866, where there was great confusion about the correct electoral procedure. As more nominations were received than were positions available, an election was held on 3 October.{{cite news |title=The Municipal Council Nominations |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WCT18660926.2.11 |accessdate=22 September 2015 |work=West Coast Times |issue=315 |date=26 September 1866 |page=2}} Many members of the Town Improvement Committee did not make the election,{{cite news|title=West Coast Times|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WCT18661004.2.9|accessdate=22 September 2015|issue=322|date=4 October 1866|page=2}} and the councillors elected were W. Hungerford, James Bonar, Charles Williams, James R. Anderson, R. Ecclesfield, A. Cumming, William Shaw,{{cite news|title=Election Notice|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WCT18660918.2.20.6|accessdate=22 September 2015|work=West Coast Times|issue=308|date=18 September 1866|page=3}} F. L. Clarke, and J. Fitzsimmons.{{cite news |title=The Municipal Election |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WCT18661004.2.11 |accessdate=22 September 2015 |work=West Coast Times |issue=322 |date=4 October 1866 |page=2}}{{cite news |title=Municipal Government |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=WCT18661016.2.27 |accessdate=22 September 2015 |work=West Coast Times |issue=332 |date=16 October 1866 |page=2}} The councillors first met on 9 October 1866{{cite web |title=Hokitika Borough Council |url=http://thecommunityarchive.org.nz/node/70237/description |publisher=The Community Archive |accessdate=22 September 2015 |date=2 June 2009}} and elected James Bonar as their first chairman.

The Hokitika Borough was originally formed under the Hokitika Municipal Corporation Ordinance, 1866, an act passed by the Canterbury Provincial Council. The ordinance was passed on 27 December 1866, and assented by the Superintendent, William Sefton Moorhouse, on 29 December 1866.{{cite web |title=Ordinances 765–820 |url=http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/Digitised/Ordinances/Ordinances_765-820.pdf |publisher=Christchurch City Libraries |accessdate=22 September 2015}} One of the purposes of that ordinance was to declare the election of the first nine councillors as valid.{{cite news |title=Hokitika Corporation |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=LT18670405.2.16 |accessdate=22 September 2015 |work=Lyttelton Times |volume=XXVII |issue=1964 |date=5 April 1867 |page=3}}

The Municipal Corporations Act, 1867 was passed by the New Zealand Parliament, and this allowed for towns to be constituted a borough, and Hokitika Borough was incorporated on 24 August 1868. The area of the borough was {{convert|1280|acre|sqkm}}.{{cite book |title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts |year=1906 |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc05Cycl-t1-body1-d3-d5.html |publisher=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand |author=Cyclopedia Company Limited |accessdate=23 September 2015 |location=Christchurch |chapter=Corporation Of Hokitika}}

• File:PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: {{cite book |title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts |year=1906 |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc05Cycl-t1-body1-d3-d5.html |publisher=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand |author=Cyclopedia Company Limited |accessdate=23 September 2015 |location=Christchurch |chapter=Corporation Of Hokitika}}

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Category:History of the West Coast Region

Borough

Category:Boroughs of New Zealand