Port Waikato (New Zealand electorate)
Port Waikato is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate which existed for four parliamentary terms from 1996 to 2008, and was recreated by the 2019/20 electoral redistribution ahead of the 2020 election. It was held by Bill Birch for one term, and by Paul Hutchison for the following three terms; both were members of the National Party.
Population centres
The 1996 election was notable for the significant change of electorate boundaries, based on the provisions of the Electoral Act 1993.[1] Because of the introduction of the mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system, the number of electorates had to be reduced, leading to significant changes. More than half of the electorates contested in 1996 were newly constituted, and most of the remainder had seen significant boundary changes. In total, 73 electorates were abolished, 29 electorates were newly created (including Port Waikato), and 10 electorates were recreated, giving a net loss of 34 electorates.
The Port Waikato electorate was formed from parts of the Franklin, Raglan, and Waikato electorates, all of which were abolished.[2] In its initial area, towns with more than one polling booth were Huntly, Pukekohe, Ngāruawāhia, Tuakau, and Waiuku. Localities with a single polling booth were Aka Aka, Awhitu, Bombay, Buckland, Glen Massey, Glen Murray, Glenbrook, Horotiu, Mauku, Meremere, Naike, Ohinewai, Onewhero, Orini, Otaua, Paerata, Pokeno, Port Waikato, Pukekawa, Pukemiro, Pukeoware, Puni, Raglan, Rangiriri, Ruawaro, Taupiri, Te Akau, Te Hoe, Te Kauwhata, Te Kohanga, Te Kowhai, Te Pahu, Te Uku, Waerenga, Waikaretu, Waikokowai, Waingaro, Waipipi, Waiterimu, Waitetuna, Whatawhata, and Whitikahu.[3]
History
Bill Birch was the first representative of the Port Waikato electorate following the 1996 election. Throughout his long parliamentary career, which started in 1972, Birch always represented the electorate in which the town of Pukekohe was located, where he had established a business prior to entering parliament.[4] When Birch retired at the 1999 election, he was succeeded by Paul Hutchison, a medical specialist. When the Port Waikato electorate was abolished in 2008, Hutchison transferred to the reconstituted Hunua electorate, which he represented until his retirement from politics at the 2014 election.[5][6]
In the 2019/2020 boundary review, the Representation Commission recreated it. This was necessitated by significant population growth in South Auckland and the Waikato region. It was created out of the western portion of Hunua and the northwestern area of Waikato.[7] Of the nine creations at that redistribution, it was one of the four included in the initial proposals.[8]
Members of Parliament
Key
Election | Winner | |
---|---|---|
1996 election | Template:Meta color | Bill Birch |
1999 election | rowspan=3 Template:Meta color | Paul Hutchison |
2002 election | ||
2005 election | ||
(Electorate abolished 2008–2020; see Hunua) |
List MPs
Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Port Waikato electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.
Key
Election | Winner | |
---|---|---|
2008 | width=5 bgcolor=Template:New Zealand Labour Party/meta/color| | Louisa Wall1 |
1Wall was elected from the party list in March 2008 following the resignation of Ann Hartley.
Election results
1999 election
Refer to Candidates in the New Zealand general election 1999 by electorate#Port Waikato for a list of candidates.
1996 election
1996 general election: Port Waikato[3][9][10] | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Notes: |
Blue background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
| ||||||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Party votes | % | ±% | ||
National | Bill Birch | 12,529 | 43.80 | 10,809 | 37.58 | ||||
NZ First | John Forbes | 5,527 | 19.32 | 4,996 | 17.37 | ||||
Labour | Terry Hughes | 4,888 | 17.09 | 6,354 | 22.09 | ||||
Alliance | Francis Petchey | 2,922 | 10.22 | 2,452 | 8.52 | ||||
ACT | Marlene Lamb | 804 | 2.81 | 1,796 | 6.24 | ||||
Christian Coalition | Rick Hayward | 733 | 2.56 | 1,211 | 4.21 | ||||
United NZ | Diane Colson | 720 | 2.52 | 319 | 1.11 | ||||
McGillicuddy Serious | David Sutcliffe | 397 | 1.39 | 122 | 0.42 | ||||
Natural Law | Rhonda-Lisa Comins | 84 | 0.29 | 27 | 0.09 | ||||
Legalise Cannabis | 441 | 1.53 | |||||||
Progressive Green | 64 | 0.22 | |||||||
Animals First | 51 | 0.18 | |||||||
Green Society | 25 | 0.09 | |||||||
Superannuitants & Youth | 23 | 0.08 | |||||||
Mana Māori | 21 | 0.07 | |||||||
Ethnic Minority Party | 18 | 0.06 | |||||||
Conservatives | 17 | 0.06 | |||||||
Libertarianz | 10 | 0.03 | |||||||
Advance New Zealand | 8 | 0.03 | |||||||
Asia Pacific United | 1 | 0.00 | |||||||
Te Tawharau | 0 | 0.00 | |||||||
Informal votes | 266 | 105 | |||||||
Total valid votes | 28,604 | 28,765 | |||||||
National win new seat | Majority | 7,002 | 24.48 |
References
- ^ Electoral Act 1993 (Act 87). 17 August 1993. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ "Electorate Profile Port Waikato" (PDF). New Zealand Parliamentary Library. October 2005. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Electorate Candidate and Party Votes Recorded at Each Polling Place – Port Waikato, 1996" (PDF). Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ^ Birch, Bill (8 October 1999). "House: Valedictory of Rt. Hon. Sir William Birch" (Press release). Wellington. Scoop. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ^ Vance, Andrea (25 October 2013). "National MPs to retire". Stuff. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ^ "Dr Paul Hutchison". New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Report of the Representation Commission 2020" (PDF). 17 April 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ "What's happening now in the boundary review". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Part III – Party Lists of Successful Registered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ^ "Part III – Party Lists of unsuccessful Registered Parties" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.