ABSTRACT
The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 was closely modelled on the structure of the British parliament and electoral system then in place. A new form of referendum proposal, the popular initiative, first appeared in 1912 when John Payne introduced an Electoral Reform Bill, a measure that would have allowed electors to present a draft bill to the House of Representatives. This same bill also provided that a referendum could be held if the House failed to pass any draft bill presented to it by electors. When Grey proclaimed the boundaries of electoral districts in 1853 he did so on the basis of the power vested in him by section 51 of the Constitution Act 1852. Continuing concern for the adequate representation of minorities was evident in 1878 when Robert Stout, Attorney-General in the Grey Government, introduced an electoral bill which included a proposal to adopt a Limited Vote system for multi-member electorates.
