Kapiti (New Zealand electorate)

Kapiti 2025 electorate boundaries

Kapiti will be a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in the next New Zealand general election. The electorate previously existed between 1972 and 1996. A bellwether electorate, it frequently changed between National and Labour.

Population centres

Since the 1969 election, the number of electorates in the South Island was fixed at 25, with continued faster population growth in the North Island leading to an increase in the number of general electorates. There were 84 electorates for the 1969 election, ^[1] and the 1972 electoral redistribution saw three additional general seats created for the North Island, bringing the total number of electorates to 87. ^[2] Together with increased urbanisation in Christchurch and Nelson, the changes proved very disruptive to existing electorates. ^[2] In the South Island, three electorates were abolished, and three electorates were newly created. ^[3] In the North Island, five electorates were abolished, two electorates were recreated, and six electorates were newly created (including Kapiti). ^[4]

The main population centres in the electorate were Paraparaumu, Otaki, Raumati Beach, Raumati South and Waikanae, north of Wellington on the Kāpiti Coast. ^[5] The 1977 electoral redistribution saw the electorate move south, and Otaki and Waikanae transferred to the newly created Horowhenua electorate. ^[6] Waikanae came back to the Kapiti electorate through the 1987 electoral redistribution. ^[7]

In 1996 with the introduction of mixed-member proportional (MMP) representation, Paraparaumu south of the airport and Raumati went into the Mana electorate, while Waikanae and the rest of Paraparaumu went into the Ōtaki electorate.

The 2026 re-creation saw the electorate extend from north of Otaki to the northern suburbs of Porirua, including the communities of Whitby, Pāuatahanui, Paremata, Plimmerton, Hongoeka, Pukerua Bay, Paekākāriki, Paraparaumu, Waikanae and Otaki. ^[8]

History

The electorate changed between National and Labour several times. National's Allan McCready had represented the Otaki electorate since 1960 and when Otaki was abolished in 1972 and the Manawatu electorate moved towards the south and included the town of Levin, McCready transferred to Manawatu. ^{[9] [10]} Frank O'Flynn of the Labour Party won the 1972 election against National's Barry Brill, but Brill in turn defeated Flynn in 1975. ^[11] Brill served until 1981 when he was beaten by Labour's Margaret Shields. ^[12] Shields had initially been declared the winner of the 1978 election but she lost by 83 votes on a magisterial recount. ^[13]

Shields was defeated by National's Roger Sowry in the 1990 election. ^{[13] [14]}

The Kapiti electorate was abolished in 1996, and most of its area went to the re-established Otaki electorate. Sowry stood for Otaki, was defeated by Labour's Judy Keall, but remained in Parliament as a list MP. ^[14]

Members of Parliament

Key

  Labour   National

Election	Winner
1972 election		Frank O'Flynn
1975 election		Barry Brill
1978 election
1981 election		Margaret Shields
1984 election
1987 election
1990 election		Roger Sowry
1993 election
(Electorate abolished in 1996, see Otaki and Mana)

Election results

1993 election

1993 general election: Kapiti ^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Roger Sowry	9,241	38.83	−9.94
	Labour	Rob Calder	8,203	34.47
	Alliance	Mike Smith	4,182	17.57
	NZ First	David Craig Stevenson	1,431	6.01
	Christian Heritage	John Halsted	506	2.12
	McGillicuddy Serious	Anthony Church	153	0.64
	Natural Law	Barbara Stumbles	78	0.32
Majority			1,038	4.36	−2.56
Turnout			23,794	88.96	+0.42
Registered electors			26,745

1990 election

1990 general election: Kapiti ^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Roger Sowry	11,262	48.77	+6.96
	Labour	Margaret Shields	9,663	41.84	−12.66
	NewLabour	Robert Hawke	1,219	5.27
	Democrats	L F Manning	433	1.87
	McGillicuddy Serious	S Buchanan	319	1.38
	Social Credit	K R Squire	195	0.84
Majority			1,599	6.92
Turnout			23,091	88.54	−2.39
Registered electors			26,079

1987 election

1987 general election: Kapiti ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Shields	11,854	54.50	+4.12
	National	Roger Sowry	9,094	41.81
	Democrats	R E Carpenter	656	3.01
	McGillicuddy Serious	P. Consuela Gunn	143	0.65
Majority			2,760	12.69	−7.80
Turnout			21,747	90.93	−3.11
Registered electors			23,914

1984 election

1984 general election: Kapiti ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Shields	11,098	50.38	+5.93
	National	June Oakley	6,584	29.89
	NZ Party	Robin Harris	3,712	16.85
	Social Credit	L F Manning	632	2.86
Majority			4,514	20.49	+18.18
Turnout			22,026	94.04	+1.65
Registered electors			23,420

1981 election

1981 general election: Kapiti ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Shields	9,491	44.45	+1.47
	National	Barry Brill	8,996	42.13	−0.97
	Social Credit	Don Briggs	2,861	13.40
Majority			495	2.31
Turnout			21,348	92.39	+18.88
Registered electors			23,106

1978 election

1978 general election: Kapiti ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Barry Brill	8,211	43.10	−7.11
	Labour	Margaret Shields	8,188	42.98
	Social Credit	Dick Collins	2,345	12.31	+6.65
	Values	V M Harward	305	1.60
Majority			23	0.12	−9.96
Turnout			19,049	73.51	−13.68
Registered electors			25,910

1975 election

1975 general election: Kapiti ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Barry Brill	11,068	50.21	+5.77
	Labour	Frank O'Flynn	8,846	40.13	−8.52
	Social Credit	Dick Collins	1,248	5.66
	Values	Joan Beaufort	881	3.99	+1.83
Majority			2,222	10.08
Turnout			22,043	87.19	−2.26
Registered electors			25,279

1972 election

1972 general election: Kapiti ^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank O'Flynn	8,161	48.65
	National	Barry Brill	7,455	44.44
	Social Credit	John Harold Arnott	732	4.36
	Values	Joan Beaufort	363	2.16
	New Democratic	John Robert Vincent	62	0.36
Majority			706	4.20
Turnout			16,773	89.45
Registered electors			18,751

Notes

1. McRobie 1989, p. 111.
2. McRobie 1989, p. 115.
3. McRobie 1989, pp. 112, 116.
4. McRobie 1989, pp. 111, 115.
5. McRobie 1989, p. 114.
6. McRobie 1989, pp. 114–119.
7. McRobie 1989, pp. 122, 126f.
8. Report of the Representation Commission 2025 (PDF). Representation Commission. 8 August 2025. p. 18. ISBN   978-0-473-75233-0 . Retrieved 3 September 2025.
9. McRobie 1989, pp. 110, 114.
10. Wilson 1985, p. 214.
11. Wilson 1985, pp. 185, 224.
12. Wilson 1985, pp. 185, 234.
13. "Dame Margaret Shields dead". Radio New Zealand . 3 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
14. Tunnah, Helen (14 July 2004). "Sowry decides it's time to try a new career". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 17 February 2010.
15. Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993. p. 52.
16. Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990. p. 53.
17. Norton 1988, p. 259.

References

• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN   0-477-01384-8.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 266. OCLC   154283103.
• Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. ISBN   0-475-11200-8.