Buller (New Zealand electorate)

Buller is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate, from 1871 to 1972. It was represented by eleven Members of Parliament.

Population centres

The 1870 electoral redistribution was undertaken by a parliamentary select committee based on population data from the 1867 census. Eight sub-committees were formed, with two members each making decisions for their own province; thus members set their own electorate boundaries. The number of electorates was increased from 61 to 72, and Buller was one of the new electorates.^[1] The Buller electorate was created from areas that previously belonged to the Waimea and Westland electorates.^[2] Settlements located in the initial electorate area were Westport, Inangahua, and Reefton.^[3]

History

The electorate's first representative was Eugene O'Conor, who was successful in the 1871 election, but he was defeated at the next election in 1876 by Joseph Henry.^[4] Henry in turn was defeated by James Bickerton Fisher^[5] at the 1879 election.^[6] Fisher retired at the end of the parliamentary term in 1881.^[7]

Fisher was succeeded by John Munro, who won the 1881 election.^[8] Munro was defeated at the next election in 1884 by Eugene O'Conor, who thus started his second period of representation.^[9] O'Conor, who joined the Liberal Party, was beaten in 1893 election by Roderick McKenzie.^[10] In the 1896 election, McKenzie successfully stood in the Motueka electorate.^[11]

Patrick O'Regan won the 1896 election in the Buller electorate.^[12] At the 1899 election, he was defeated by James Colvin, who held the electorate until his death in 1919.^[13]

From 1919 the Buller electorate was represented by two radical trade unionists from the coal mines of the West Coast, Harry Holland and Paddy Webb. Harry Holland and then Jerry Skinner died in office.

In 1972, the electorate was split into the West Coast and Tasman electorates.

Members of Parliament

The Buller electorate was represented by eleven MPs:

Key

  Independent     Liberal     Independent Liberal     Labour  

Election	Winner
1871 election		Eugene O'Conor
1876 election		Joseph Henry
1879 election		James Bickerton Fisher
1881 election		John Munro
1884 election		Eugene O'Conor
1887 election
1890 election
1893 election		Roderick McKenzie
1896 election		Patrick O'Regan
1899 election		James Colvin
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election
1911 election
1914 election
1919 election		Harry Holland
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election
1931 election
1933 by-election		Paddy Webb
1935 election
1938 election
1943 election
1946 election		Clarence Skinner
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election
1960 election
1962 by-election		Bill Rowling
1963 election
1966 election
1969 election
(Electorate abolished 1972; see Tasman and West Coast)

Election results

1962 by-election

Buller by-election, 1962[14]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bill Rowling	5,242	44.98
	National	Ernie King	4,846	41.58
	Social Credit	P. H. Matthews	1,566	13.44
Majority			396	3.40
Informal votes			37	0.32
Turnout			11,691	79.40
Registered electors			14,724
	Labour hold		Swing

1933 by-election

Buller by-election, 1933[15]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Paddy Webb	4,799	68.10
	Liberal-Labour	H. Ian Simpson	2,249	31.90
Majority			2,550	36.18
Turnout			7,048

1931 election

General election, 1931: Buller[16]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harry Holland	6,136	71.01
	Reform	John Menzies[17]	2,505	28.99
Majority			3,631	42.02
Informal votes			151	1.72
Turnout			8,792	89.02
Registered electors			9,876

1914 election

General election, 1914[18]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	James Colvin	3,594	67.00
	Reform	George Powell	1,399	26.08
	Social Democrat	Hugh Gillen	371	6.91
Majority			2,195	40.92
Informal votes			73	1.36
Turnout			5,364	81.30
Registered electors			6,597

1899 election

General election, 1899: Buller[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	James Colvin	2,846	55.37
	Liberal	Patrick O'Regan	2,294	44.63
Majority			552	10.74
Turnout			5,140	87.68
Registered electors			5,862

1893 election

General election, 1893: Buller[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Roderick McKenzie	1,817	53.11
	Liberal	Eugene O'Conor	1,604	46.89
Majority			213	6.23
Turnout			3,421	84.39
Registered electors			4,054

Notes

1. McRobie 1989, p. 39.
2. McRobie 1989, pp. 37, 41.
3. McRobie 1989, p. 41.
4. Wilson 1985, pp. 204, 224.
5. The Cyclopedia Company Limited, ed. (1906). "Former Members Of The House Of Representatives". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand - Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
6. Wilson 1985, pp. 196, 204.
7. Wilson 1985, p. 196.
8. Wilson 1985, p. 222.
9. Wilson 1985, pp. 222, 224.
10. Wilson 1985, pp. 216, 224.
11. Wilson 1985, p. 216.
12. Wilson 1985, p. 224.
13. Wilson 1985, pp. 190, 224.
14. Norton 1988, p. 204.
15. "Buller By-Election". The Press LXIX (21026). 30 November 1933. p. 8. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
16. The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
17. "Buller Electorate". The Evening Post CXII (127). 25 November 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
18. Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 1–33. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
19. "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
20. "The General Election, 1893". National Library. 1894. p. 2. Retrieved 26 March 2014.

References

• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand parliamentary election results, 1946–1987. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington Department of Political Science. ISBN 0-475-11200-8.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.