Hobson (New Zealand electorate)

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Hobson is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed from 1946 to 1978 and then from 1987 to 1996, and was represented by five Members of Parliament, four of whom represented the National Party. It is notable for returning a member of the Social Credit Party in the 1966 election, as no other candidate not aligned with either Labour or National had been elected to Parliament since 1943. With the re-drawing of boundaries in the first MMP election in 1996, the seat was absorbed into the Northland and Whangarei electorates.

Contents

Population centres

The 1941 New Zealand census had been postponed due to World War II, so the 1946 electoral redistribution had to take ten years of population growth and movements into account. The North Island gained a further two electorates from the South Island due to faster population growth. The abolition of the country quota through the Electoral Amendment Act, 1945 reduced the number and increased the size of rural electorates. None of the existing electorates remained unchanged, 27 electorates were abolished, eight former electorates were re-established, and 19 electorates were created for the first time, including Hobson. [1] The electorate was in the Northland Region, and in its original form included the following population centres: Ruawai, Dargaville, Kawakawa, Kaikohe, Kerikeri, Kaitaia, and Mangonui. [2] The original area had previously been covered by the Bay of Islands and Kaipara electorates. [3]

The electorate was abolished through the 1977 electoral redistribution. The area that it last covered was divided by the Bay of Islands and Kaipara electorates. [4]

The 1987 electoral redistribution took the continued population growth in the North Island into account, and two additional general electorates were created, bringing the total number of electorates to 97. In the South Island, the shift of population to Christchurch had continued. [5] Overall, three electorates were newly created, three electorates were recreated (including Hobson), and four electorates were abolished. All of those electorates were in the North Island. Changes in the South Island were restricted to boundary changes. [6] These changes came into effect with the 1987 election. [7]

History

The first representative of the Hobson electorate was Sidney Smith, who had previously represented the Bay of Islands electorate. [8] Smith retired in 1960 and was succeeded by Logan Sloane in the 1960 election. [8] In the 1960 and 1963 elections, Vernon Cracknell of the Social Credit Party contested the Hobson electorate and placed second on both occasions, pushing the Labour Party candidate into third place. The area had previously been receptive to social credit theory; the Social Credit Party had placed second in the 1954 election. In the 1966 election, Cracknell narrowly defeated Sloane. [9]

Members of Parliament

Key

  National     Social Credit   

ElectionWinner
1946 election Sidney Smith
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election
1960 election Logan Sloane
1963 election
1966 election Vernon Cracknell
1969 election Logan Sloane (2nd period)
1972 election
1975 election Neill Austin
(Electorate abolished in 1978; see Bay of Islands and Kaipara)
1987 election Ross Meurant
1990 election
1993 election

Election results

1975 election

1975 general election: Hobson [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Neill Austin 9,559 51.68
Social Credit Howard Manning5,45829.51+0.55
Labour David Lange 2,70314.61
Values Richard Alspach7744.18
Majority4,10122.17+14.93
Turnout 18,49484.19+4.22
Registered electors 21,965

1972 election

1972 general election: Hobson [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Logan Sloane 7,674 48.45 +0.94
Social Credit Howard Manning4,58728.96
Labour R J Hendry3,35021.15
New Democratic C L Horsfall1260.79
Independent R D Greig990.62
Majority1,1487.24-0.69
Turnout 15,83688.41-0.44
Registered electors 17,910

1969 election

1969 general election: Hobson [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Logan Sloane 7,493 47.51 +2.93
Social Credit Vernon Cracknell 6,24139.57-8.48
Labour Donald Frederick Mitchell1,99012.61
Republican M A James470.29
Majority1,2527.93
Turnout 15,77188.85-0.95
Registered electors 17,749

1966 election

1966 general election: Hobson [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Social Credit Vernon Cracknell 6,791 48.05 +3.70
National Logan Sloane 6,30144.58±0.00
Labour Miljenko Shroj1,0407.35-3.71
Majority4903.46
Turnout 14,13289.80-0.99
Registered electors 15,737

1963 election

1963 general election: Hobson [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Logan Sloane 6,207 44.58 -2.02
Social Credit Vernon Cracknell 6,17644.35+7.94
Labour Miljenko Shroj1,54011.06
Majority310.22-9.97
Turnout 13,92390.79+1.85
Registered electors 15,334

1960 election

1960 general election: Hobson [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Logan Sloane 6,406 46.60
Social Credit Vernon Cracknell 5,00536.41
Labour George Webber2,33516.98
Majority1,40110.19
Turnout 13,74688.94-1.49
Registered electors 15,455

1957 election

1957 general election: Hobson [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Sidney Smith 6,887 49.93 +1.01
Labour Colin Moyle 3,75327.21
Social Credit Cecil William Elvidge3,15222.85-5.94
Majority3,13422.72+2.60
Turnout 13,79290.43+2.40
Registered electors 15,251

1954 election

1954 general election: Hobson [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Sidney Smith 6,281 48.92 -20.98
Social Credit Cecil William Elvidge3,69728.79
Labour May Kathleen Henderson2,85922.27
Majority2,58420.12-20.99
Turnout 12,83788.03+4.52
Registered electors 14,581

1951 election

1951 general election: Hobson [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Sidney Smith 9,035 69.60
Labour Norman King 3,69828.48
Ind. Country Party Henry Durban Slyfield2481.91
Majority5,33741.11
Turnout 12,98183.51
Registered electors 15,543

Notes

  1. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 91–96.
  2. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 94.
  3. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 90, 94.
  4. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 114–119.
  5. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 127f.
  6. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 123–128.
  7. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 127.
  8. 1 2 Wilson 1985, p. 235.
  9. ↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 191, 235.
  10. 1 2 Norton 1988, p. 247.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Norton 1988, p. 246.

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