Provinces in New Zealand were used from 1841 until the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on November 1, 1876.
Following abolition, the provinces became known as provincial districts. Their only visible function today is their usage to determine, with the exception of the Chatham Islands, Northland and South Canterbury, the geographical boundaries for anniversary day public holidays.
It is important to note that the provincial districts have different boundaries to the present day regions, for example, the Manawatu-Wanganui region is in the Wellington provincial district. They are also not to be confused with the use of the term in rugby's National Provincial Championship (NPC).
| Table of contents |
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2 1853 to 1876 |
1841 to 1853
1853 to 1876
| Province | Independent county | Formed | Renamed | Dissolution | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Broke from | Date | New name | Date | Reason | ||
| Auckland | 1853 | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | ||||
| New Plymouth | 1853 | 1 January 1859 | Taranaki | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | ||
| Hawkes Bay | 1 November 1858 | Wellington | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | |||
| Wellington | 1853 | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | ||||
| Nelson | 1853 | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | ||||
| Marlborough | 1 November 1859 | Nelson | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | |||
| Westland | 1 January 1868 | 1 December 1873 | Canterbury | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | ||
| Canterbury | 1853 | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | ||||
| Otago | 1853 | 1 November 1876 | Provinces abolished | ||||
| Southland | 25 March 1861 | Otago | 5 October 1870 | Reunited with Otago | |||
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