Motueka (New Zealand electorate)

Motueka is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first created in 1860 and lasted until 1890 election. In 1896 election the Motueka electorate was recreated, and lasted until 1946 election.

Population centres

In the 1860 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of representatives by 12, reflecting the immense population growth since the original electorates were established in 1853. The redistribution created 15 additional electorates with between one and three members, and Motueka was one of the single-member electorates.[1] The electorates were distributed to provinces so that every province had at least two members. Within each province, the number of registered electors by electorate varied greatly.[1] The Motueka electorate had 311 registered electors for the 1861 election.[2]

Localities within the electorate were Motueka and Mapua.[1] The Motueka electorate took in about half the area of the prior Motueka and Massacre Bay electorate; the other half had gone to the Collingwood electorate.[3]

History

From the 3rd to the 10th New Zealand Parliament, Motueka was represented by five Members of Parliament (counting Monro, who was unseated following a petition). Curtis and Parker had previously represented the Motueka and Massacre Bay electorate. David Monro represented the electorate in 1871 until he was unseated by Parliament on a petition. Parker was followed by Richmond Hursthouse 1876–87, then John Kerr 1887–90.

The Motueka electorate was held for 14 years by Richard Hudson of the Reform Party from the 1914 election.[4] In 1928, Hudson was unexpectedly beaten by 24-year-old George Black of the United Party.[5][6] The Reform Party looked for potential candidates to win back the electorate, and a young farmer who was not even a member, Keith Holyoake, was suggested.[6] Holyoake, who had been saving money to go overseas, was chosen in June 1931 from five candidates to contest Motueka, and his savings went into the election campaign instead.[6][7] Meanwhile, there was a desire by parts of the United Party to enter into a coalition with the Reform Party to avoid vote splitting on the centre-right, but it was not until September that the United/Reform Coalition was announced.[8]

Black had voted with the Labour Party in March 1931 on the Finance Bill and was expelled from the United Party the following day, thus becoming an Independent.[9] At the 1931 election, Black beat Holyoake.[10] In October 1932, Black committed suicide,[11][12] and this caused the 1932 Motueka by-election, which was won by future prime minister Holyoake.[6]

Holyoake was defeated in 1938 by Jerry Skinner,[13] who was a likely Labour prime minister if he had not died prematurely.[14]

Members of Parliament

Key

  Independent     Liberal     Reform  
  United     National     Labour  
Election Winner
1861 election Herbert Curtis
1866 election Charles Parker
1871 election David Monro
1871[nb 1] Charles Parker (2nd period)
1876 election Richmond Hursthouse
1879 election
1881 election
1884 election
1887 election John Kerr[16]
(Electorate abolished, 1890–1896)
1896 election Roderick McKenzie
1899 election
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election
1911 election
1914 election Richard Hudson
1919 election
1922 election
1925 election
1928 election George Black[nb 2]
1931 election
1932 by-election Keith Holyoake
1935 election
1938 election Jerry Skinner
1943 election
(Electorate abolished 1946)

Table footnotes:

  1. ↑ Charles Parker declared elected on petition, 20 September 1871[15]
  2. ↑ George Black became an Independent in March 1931[9]

Election results

1932 by-election

Motueka by-election, 1932[17][18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Keith Holyoake 3,887 49.04 +2.34
Labour Paddy Webb 3,210 40.50
Ind Liberal-Labour Roderick McKenzie 829 10.46
Majority 677 8.54 +1.95
Turnout 7,926 89.03 +0.52
Registered electors 8,903
Reform gain from Independent Swing

1931 election

General election, 1931: Motueka[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent George Black 4,180 53.30 -0.75
Reform Keith Holyoake 3,663 46.70
Majority 517 6.59 -1.50
Informal votes 37 0.47 -0.21
Turnout 7,880 88.51 -1.71
Registered electors 8,903
Independent hold Swing

1928 election

General election, 1928: Motueka[19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United George Black 4,095 54.05
Reform Richard Hudson 3,482 45.95 -11.86
Majority 613 8.09 -23.71
Informal votes 52 0.68 +0.23
Turnout 7,629 90.22 -0.85
Registered electors 8,456

1925 election

General election, 1925: Motueka[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Richard Hudson 4,356 65.90
Labour Mark Fagan 2,254 34.10
Majority 2,102 31.80
Informal votes 30 0.45
Turnout 6,640 91.07
Registered electors 7,291

1914 election

General election, 1914: Motueka[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Richard Hudson 2,760 56.12
Liberal Roderick McKenzie 2,158 43.88
Majority 602 12.24
Informal votes 16 0.32
Turnout 4,934 82.44
Registered electors 5,985

1899 election

General election, 1899: Motueka[22][23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Roderick McKenzie 2,078 67.25 +23.39
Opposition Walter Moffatt 1,012 32.75
Majority 1,066 34.50 +30.27
Turnout 3,090 72.10 -11.10
Registered electors 4,286

1896 election

General election, 1896: Motueka[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Roderick McKenzie 1,306 43.85
Opposition Richmond Hursthouse 1,180 39.62
Liberal William Norris Franklyn[25] 492 16.52
Majority 126 4.23
Informal votes 7 0.23
Registered electors 3,588
Turnout 2,985 83.19

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 McRobie 1989, p. 35.
  2. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 36.
  3. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 31, 35.
  4. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 206.
  5. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 184.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Stade, Karen (12 August 2013). "Kiwi Keith - Portrait of a PM". The Nelson Mail. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "Motueka Seat". The Evening Post CXI (147). 24 June 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Coalition Announced". The New Zealand Herald. LXVIII (20982). 19 September 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Expelled by Party". The Evening Post CXI (68). 21 March 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  10. 1 2 The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Obituary". The Evening Post CXIV (94). 18 October 1932. p. 11. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  12. ↑ "Death by Poisoning". The Evening Post CXIV (101). 26 October 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  13. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 234.
  14. ↑ Brown, Bruce. "Nordmeyer, Arnold Henry". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  15. ↑ "Wellington Independent (editorial)". Wellington Independent XXVI (3309). 22 September 1871. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  16. ↑ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Present And Past Members Of Parliament". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  17. ↑ "Govt. wins Motueka by-election". Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle. XXVIII (1402). 6 December 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "Nelson and Motueka". The Evening Post CXX (97). 21 October 1935. p. 11. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  19. ↑ The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  20. ↑ Skinner, W. A. G. (1926). The General Election, 1925. Government Printer. p. 4. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  21. ↑ Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 16f. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  22. ↑ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 1. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  23. ↑ "Motueka Electorate". Colonist. XLIII (9651). 2 December 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  24. ↑ "Page 2 Advertisements Column 2". Colonist XL (8744). 15 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  25. ↑ Scholefield 1940, pp. 280.

References

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