Marsden (New Zealand electorate)

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Marsden was a former parliamentary electorate, in the Whangarei District and in the Northland Region of New Zealand, which existed from 1858 to 1972. Upon its abolition, Marsden was replaced with the Whangarei electorate.

Contents

Population centres

The initial 24 New Zealand electorates were defined by Governor George Grey in March 1853, based on the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 that had been passed by the British government. The Constitution Act also allowed the House of Representatives to establish new electorates, and this was first done in 1858, when four new electorates were formed by splitting existing electorates. [1] Marsden was one of those four electorates, and it covered the northern area split off from the Northern Division electorate. [2]

The electorate was mixed urban and rural, around the city of Whangarei.

History

The electorate existed from 1858 to 1972, and the first election was held on 29 November 1859, which was during the term of the 2nd Parliament. James Farmer was the first representative. [3] The second representative was John Munro, who was elected on 27 December 1860, and served the whole term of the 3rd Parliament. [4]

Francis Hull was elected to the 4th Parliament, resigned in 1869 and was succeeded by Munro in the February by-election. Munro served the rest of the term, plus the term of the 5th Parliament. [4]

All subsequent representatives have always served full terms.

In the 1879 election there was some doubt about the validity of the election result, and a law was passed to confirm the result in Marsden and two other electorates. [5]

The 1887 election was contested by Robert Thompson and Joseph Dargaville, and they received 955 and 550 votes, respectively. Thompson was thus declared elected. [6]

Thompson acquired the labels 'Marsden Thompson' and 'the member for roads and bridges' in Parliament. He was known for his devotion to the interests of his district, which was desperately in need of good roads, and his only reason for being a Liberal was that the government was the only source of funding for roads and bridges (as with many other Liberals representing country electorates). He was pro-freehold (land), and was opposed to Liberal policies such as labour legislation and old age pensions. In 1908, when he stood unsuccessfully for Auckland West against a sitting Liberal member, he was once more an Independent, and his programme – freehold (land), acquisition of Maori land and opposition to prohibition had not altered. [7]

Alfred Murdoch unsuccessfully contested the Marsden electorate in the 1919 election as an independent Liberal against the incumbent from the Reform Party, Francis Mander. [8] [9] Mander retired at the 1922 election, [9] and Murdoch was elected. [10] At the next election in 1925, Murdoch was defeated by William Jones of the Reform Party, but Murdoch defeated Jones in turn in 1928 when he stood for the United Party. [11] After two parliamentary terms, Murdoch was defeated in 1935 by Jim Barclay of the Labour Party. [12] In 1943, Murdoch, now standing for the National Party, defeated Barclay and won the electorate back, and held it until he retired in 1954. [12]

Members of Parliament

Key:

  Independent     Conservative     Liberal     Independent Liberal     Reform     United     Labour     National   

ElectionWinner
1859 supplementary election James Farmer
1861 election John Munro
1866 election Francis Hull
1869 by-election John Munro
1871 election
1876 election Sir Robert Douglas
1879 election William Colbeck
1881 election Edwin Mitchelson
1884 election
1887 election Robert Thompson
1890 election
1893 election
1896 election
1899 election
1902 election Francis Mander
1905 election
1908 election
1911 election
1914 election
1919 election
1922 election Alfred Murdoch
1925 election William Jones
1928 election Alfred Murdoch
1931 election
1935 election Jim Barclay
1938 election
1943 election Alfred Murdoch
1946 election
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election Don McKay
1957 election
1960 election
1963 election
1966 election
1969 election
(electorate abolished 1972; see Whangarei)

Election results

1969 election

1969 general election: Marsden [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Don McKay 7,660 45.23 -5.59
Labour Murray Smith 6,55938.73
Social Credit John Geoffrey Rawson2,71516.03-5.00
Majority1,1016.50-16.76
Turnout 16,93489.86+3.65
Registered electors 18,843

1966 election

1966 general election: Marsden [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Don McKay 8,907 50.82 -4.43
Labour O J Lewis4,83027.56
Social Credit John Geoffrey Rawson3,68621.03-7.03
Independent R Graham1010.57
Majority4,07723.26-1.25
Turnout 17,52486.21-2.99
Registered electors 20,326

1963 election

1963 general election: Marsden [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Don McKay 8,885 55.25 -2.05
Labour O J Lewis4,94330.74
Social Credit John Geoffrey Rawson2,25214.00
Majority3,94224.51-4.13
Turnout 16,08089.20-0.70
Registered electors 18,026

1960 election

1960 general election: Marsden [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Don McKay 8,704 57.30 +5.07
Labour John Swanson Reid4,35328.65
Social Credit Robert Arthur McQuillian2,13214.03
Majority4,35128.64+14.77
Turnout 15,18989.70-2.52
Registered electors 16,932

1957 election

1957 general election: Marsden [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Don McKay 7,906 52.53 +14.98
Labour Mervyn Allan Hosking5,81838.65+7.18
Social Credit William Rodney Lewin Vallance9946.60-5.75
Ind. Social Credit Eva Hill 3322.20-16.44
Majority2,08813.87+7.80
Turnout 15,05092.22+0.40
Registered electors 16,318

1954 election

1954 general election: Marsden [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Don McKay 5,389 37.55
Labour Mervyn Allan Hosking4,51731.47-4.30
Social Credit Eva Hill 2,67618.64
Independent William Rodney Lewin Vallance1,76812.32
Majority8726.07
Turnout 14,35091.82+4.96
Registered electors 15,628

1951 election

1951 General election: Marsden [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Alfred Murdoch 9,031 64.22 +2.70
Labour Mervyn Allan Hosking5,03035.77
Majority4,00128.45+5.41
Turnout 14,06186.86-6.24
Registered electors 16,188

1949 election

1949 general election: Marsden [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Alfred Murdoch 8,746 61.52 +4.03
Labour Douglas L. Ross5,47038.47
Majority3,27623.04+7.31
Turnout 14,21693.10-2.14
Registered electors 15,268

1946 election

1946 general election: Marsden [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Alfred Murdoch 7,851 57.49 +4.91
Labour John Stewart 5,70241.75
Informal votes980.71-0.21
Majority2,14915.73+7.20
Turnout 13,65595.24+0.06
Registered electors 14,337

1943 election

1943 general election: Marsden [16] [17] [ob 1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Alfred Murdoch 6,202 52.58 +4.95
Labour Jim Barclay 5,19644.05-8.32
Democratic Labour Ernest Petty3983.37
Informal votes1100.92+0.56
Majority1,0068.53+3.79
Turnout 11,90695.18+0.09
Registered electors 12,509

Table footnotes:

  1. ↑ Registered electors refers to civilian voters only; nationwide, 93,295 servicemen also cast valid votes although their names did not appear on electoral rolls. [18]

1938 election

1938 general election: Marsden [19] [20]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jim Barclay 6,157 52.37 +4.30
National Alfred Murdoch 5,60047.63+2.76
Informal votes430.36-0.19
Majority5574.74+1.55
Turnout 11,80095.08+3.52
Registered electors 12,410

1935 election

1935 general election: Marsden [21]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Jim Barclay 5,215 48.07 +14.91
United Alfred Murdoch 4,86844.87-21.97
Democrat R Johns6025.54
Independent Liberal St. Claire Jounneaux1631.50
Informal votes600.55-1.07
Majority3473.19
Turnout 10,84891.56+10.10
Registered electors 11,847

1931 election

1931 general election: Marsden [22]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
United Alfred Murdoch 5,838 66.84 +22.73
Labour Jim Barclay 2,89633.16
Informal votes1441.62+0.87
Majority2,94233.68+28.63
Turnout 8,87881.46-6.46
Registered electors 10,898

1928 election

1928 general election: Marsden [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
United Alfred Murdoch 3,925 44.12 +3.42
Reform William Jones 3,47539.06-9.46
Labour William Henry Chetham1,29914.60
Independent Albert Hugh Curtis1982.23
Informal votes670.75+0.09
Majority4505.06-2.76
Turnout 8,96487.93-2.84
Registered electors 10,195

1925 election

1925 general election: Marsden [24]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reform William Jones 4,038 48.52 -0.56
Independent Liberal Alfred Murdoch 3,38740.70-10.22
Labour Arthur Shapton Richards 89710.78
Informal votes550.66-0.62
Majority6517.82+5.98
Turnout 8,37790.77+3.71
Registered electors 9,229

1922 election

1922 general election: Marsden [25]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Liberal Alfred Murdoch 3,752 50.92 +14.90
Reform William Jones 3,61649.08
Majority1361.85-1.37
Informal votes951.27-0.53
Turnout 7,46387.06+8.35
Registered electors 8,572

1919 election

1919 general election: Marsden [26] [27]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reform Francis Mander 2,307 39.24
Independent Liberal Alfred Murdoch 2,11836.03
Independent Labour Donald Alexander McLean 85014.46
Independent Albert Hugh Curtis60410.27
Informal votes1081.80
Majority1893.21
Turnout 5,98778.71
Registered electors 7,606

1899 election

1899 general election: Marsden [28] [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Liberal Robert Thompson 2,205 59.42
Conservative George Alderton 89124.01
Independent Charles Mackesy 61516.57
Majority1,31435.41
Turnout 3,71166.97
Registered electors 5,541

1890 election

1890 general election: Marsden [30]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Robert Thompson 803 56.15
Liberal Albert Elliot62743.84
Majority17612.30
Turnout 1,43049.04
Registered electors 2,914

Notes

  1. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 29.
  2. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 28.
  3. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 195.
  4. 1 2 Scholefield 1925, p. 120.
  5. ↑ "Elections Validation Act, 1879". New Zealand Law online.
  6. ↑ "The General Election, 1887". National Library. 1887. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  7. ↑ Hamer, David (1988). The New Zealand Liberals: The Years of Power, 1891–1912 (1st ed.). Auckland: Auckland University Press. pp.  168, 169, 367. ISBN   1-86940-014-3.
  8. ↑ Gustafson 1986, p. 335.
  9. 1 2 Wilson 1985, p. 218.
  10. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 222.
  11. ↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 209, 222.
  12. 1 2 Wilson 1985, pp. 182, 222.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Norton 1988, p. 275.
  14. ↑ "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. pp. 1–5, 8. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "The General Election, 1946". National Library. 1947. pp. 1–11, 14. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  16. ↑ The General Election, 1943. National Library. 1944. p. 6. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  17. ↑ "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. 80, no. 24713. 13 October 1943. p. 5. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  18. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 92.
  19. ↑ "The General Election, 1938". National Library. 1939. p. 3. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXXV, no. 23181. 29 October 1938. p. 25. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  21. ↑ The General Election, 1935. National Library. 1936. pp. 1–35. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  22. ↑ The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  23. ↑ The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 3. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  24. ↑ The General Election, 1925. Government Printer. 1926. p. 1. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  25. ↑ The General Election, 1922. Government Printer. 1923. p. 1. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  26. ↑ The New Zealand Official Year-Book. Government Printer. 1920. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  27. ↑ "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LVI, no. 17339. 10 December 1919. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  28. ↑ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 1. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  29. ↑ "Electoral District of Marsden". The Northern Advocate . 16 December 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  30. ↑ "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. Retrieved 25 February 2012.

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