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Difficulty: Very hardThe Macpherson Constitution of 1951

Below are key executive and legislative components established under the Macpherson Constitution of 1951. Match each constitutional body on the left with its corresponding structural composition and operational mandate on the right.

  • Council of MinistersConsisted of the Governor, 6 ex-officio members, and 12 ministers (4 from each region) who lacked individual departmental responsibilities.
  • Central House of RepresentativesServed as a unicameral national legislature of 148 members, with 136 non-officials elected indirectly through regional bodies.
  • Regional Executive CouncilHeaded by a Lieutenant-Governor with regional ministers whose function was strictly advisory to the executive head.
  • Regional House of AssemblyActed as an electoral college to select central legislative representatives while passing regional legislation subject to central veto.

Answer

Council of Ministers matches the central executive body of 12 ministers without portfolios; Central House of Representatives matches the 148-member unicameral central legislature; Regional Executive Council matches the body headed by the Lieutenant-Governor; Regional House of Assembly matches the regional legislature acting as an electoral college.
Each constitutional organ is accurately paired with its official 1951 Macpherson structure: the central Council of Ministers contained 12 portfolio-less ministers; the central House of Representatives contained 148 members selected indirectly; the Regional Executive Council was led by the Lieutenant-Governor; and the Regional House of Assembly operated both as a regional legislature and an electoral college for central seats.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the central executive structure established under the 1951 Macpherson Constitution.
The Council of Ministers was created as the principal executive body containing 12 ministers (4 per region) and ex-officio members, though ministers lacked individual ministerial portfolios.
This distinguishes the 1951 central executive from the 1954 Lyttelton executive where full departmental responsibility was granted.
2
Analyze the composition of the central legislative body.
The Central House of Representatives consisted of 148 members, 136 of whom were indirectly elected from the regional assemblies.
The 1951 constitution introduced a unicameral central legislature reliant on indirect elections via regional assemblies acting as electoral colleges.
3
Examine the regional executive architecture.
The Regional Executive Council was headed by the Lieutenant-Governor with regional ministers acting in an advisory role.
Regional executive authority was headed by Lieutenant-Governors (rather than regional Premiers, who were introduced later in 1954).
4
Evaluate the dual role of the Regional House of Assembly.
Regional Assemblies enacted regional legislation while serving as electoral colleges to send members to the central legislature.
Under Macpherson's quasi-federal setup, central legislative membership was derived directly from regional assembly delegations.

Key Concept

Structural and institutional arrangements of the Macpherson Constitution of 1951
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The Macpherson Constitution of 1951