St Albans (New Zealand electorate)

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St Albans was a parliamentary electorate in Christchurch, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890, then from 1946 to 1996.

Contents

Population centres

The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–1876 election. In the six years since, New Zealand's European population had increased by 65%. In the 1881 electoral redistribution, the House of Representatives increased the number of European representatives to 91 (up from 84 since the 1875–76 election). The number of Māori electorates was held at four. The House further decided that electorates should not have more than one representative, which led to 35 new electorates being formed, including St Albans, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries. [1]

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, 19 electorates were created for the first time, and eight former electorates were re-established, including St Albans. [2]

The electorate was centred on the Christchurch suburb of St Albans.

History

The electorate was first created for the 1881 general election, held on 9 December. [3]

John Evans Brown contested the electorate with J. L. Wilson and A. W. O'Neill. They received 218, 168 and 85 votes, respectively. Brown was declared elected. [4] Brown did not stand for re-election in the 1884 general election. [5]

In 1884 general election, held on 22 July, Francis James Garrick successfully stood for the electorate against two other candidates and obtained a comfortable victory, gaining 396 out of 477 votes. [6] Garrick stood again in the electorate in the 1887 general election, against William Pember Reeves. At the election on 26 September, Reeves and Garrick received 802 and 634 votes, respectively. With a majority of 164 votes, Reeves was the successful candidate. [7] [8] The electorate was abolished at the end of the parliamentary term in 1890 and Reeves successfully contested the Christchurch electorate.

The electorate was recreated in 1946. [9] Jack Watts from the National Party was the representative from 1946 to 1957, when he successfully contested the Fendalton electorate. St Albans went to Neville Pickering of the Labour Party, who lost the electorate at the next election in 1960 to National's Bert Walker. Walker represented St Albans until 1969, when he successfully contested the Papanui electorate.

St Albans was won by Labour's Roger Drayton in the 1969 general election. He retired after three terms, and the 1978 general election was won by Labour's David Caygill, who held the electorate until it was abolished in 1996.

Members of Parliament

The electorate was represented by eight Members of Parliament: [9]

Key

  Independent     National     Labour   

ElectionWinner
1881 election John Brown
1884 election Francis Garrick
1887 election William Reeves
(electorate abolished 1890-1946)
1946 election Jack Watts
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election Neville Pickering
1960 election Bert Walker
1963 election
1966 election
1969 election Roger Drayton
1972 election
1975 election
1978 election David Caygill
1981 election
1984 election
1987 election
1990 election
1993 election
(Electorate abolished in 1996; see Christchurch Central)

Election results

1993 election

1993 general election: St Albans [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Caygill 10,022 46.43 -0.92
National Raewyn Dawson6,59730.56
Alliance Mike Newlove3,42315.85+5.77
NZ First Peter Gordon9494.39
Christian Heritage Mary Lovell4812.22
Natural Law Joe Pickering880.40
Independent Bill Bunting250.11
Majority3,42515.86+8.47
Turnout 21,58585.44+0.91
Registered electors 25,261

1990 election

1990 general election: St Albans [11]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Caygill 9,990 47.35 -11.05
National David Dumergue8,43039.96
NewLabour Mike Newlove2,12710.08
Democrats John McCaskey3101.46
McGillicuddy Serious Michael Vercoe2090.99
Communist League Kerry Moyst280.13
Majority1,5607.39-14.33
Turnout 21,09484.53-3.09
Registered electors 24,954

1987 election

1987 general election: St Albans [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Caygill 12,166 58.40 +2.55
National Andrew Cowie7,64136.68
Democrats Bill Morgan5932.84
Socialist Action Geoff Pearce1810.86
Wizard PartySuzanne Sadler1290.61
Values Phil McAnally1210.58
Majority4,52521.72-6.52
Turnout 20,83187.62-4.57
Registered electors 23,773

1984 election

1984 general election: St Albans [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Caygill 12,208 55.85 +0.82
National Ian Wilson6,03627.61
NZ Party Maurice Kattell2,62111.99
Social Credit Quinton Manson9904.52-8.94
Majority6,17228.24+4.72
Turnout 21,85592.19+2.81
Registered electors 23,704

1981 election

1981 general election: St Albans [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Caygill 11,524 55.03 +2.31
National Jim Baker6,59831.50
Social Credit Quinton Manson2,81913.46+4.54
Majority4,92623.52+16.19
Turnout 20,94189.38+22.42
Registered electors 23,428

1978 election

1978 general election: St Albans [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour David Caygill 11,279 52.72
National Neil Russell7,60035.52
Social Credit Quinton Manson1,9098.92+5.44
Values Conway Jack5772.69
Tory Ian Douglas Costello280.13
Majority1,5707.33
Turnout 21,39366.96-12.93
Registered electors 31,946

1975 election

1975 general election: St Albans [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Roger Drayton 9,013 48.59 -7.43
National Prudence Rotherberg7,44340.13
Values Roger Wilson1,3047.03
Social Credit Quinton Manson6473.48
Independent Richard Dawson1040.56
Imperial British Conservative Alice Flett360.19
Majority1,5708.46-8.89
Turnout 18,54779.89-6.64
Registered electors 23,214

1972 election

1972 general election: St Albans [12]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Roger Drayton 9,900 56.02 +6.41
National Ron Doak6,83438.67
Social Credit Carol Flint5142.90
Values Bob Overend3762.12
New Democratic Bob Scott470.26
Majority3,06617.35+12.00
Turnout 17,67186.53+2.92
Registered electors 20,420

1969 election

1969 general election: St Albans [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Roger Drayton 8,415 49.61
National Ian Wilson7,50644.25
Social Credit Jim Fountain1,0416.13
Majority9095.35
Turnout 16,96289.45+3.66
Registered electors 18,961

1966 election

1966 general election: St Albans [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Bert Walker 8,455 53.62 -1.72
Labour Ted Adcock5,88037.29
Social Credit Ray McNeil1,3448.52
Keynesian Progress Mark Sadler880.55
Majority2,57516.33+1.33
Turnout 15,76785.79-5.36
Registered electors 18,378

1963 election

1963 general election: St Albans [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Bert Walker 9,228 55.34 +6.74
Labour John Palmer6,72740.34
Social Credit Carol Flint7184.30
Majority2,50115.00+13.15
Turnout 16,67391.15+0.10
Registered electors 18,291

1960 election

1960 general election: St Albans [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Bert Walker 7,809 48.60
Labour Neville Pickering 7,51146.75-3.28
Social Credit George Richard Lynne7464.64
Majority2981.85
Turnout 16,06691.25-0.70
Registered electors 17,605

1957 election

1957 general election: St Albans [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Neville Pickering 7,960 50.03
National Eric Philip Wills7,45946.88
Social Credit Thomas Francis Penrose7594.77
Majority5013.14
Turnout 15,90891.95+0.42
Registered electors 17,299

1954 election

1954 general election: St Albans [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Jack Watts 6,905 43.58 -11.49
Labour Mick Connelly 6,29739.75
Social Credit Stanley William Ayers2,63916.65
Majority6083.83-6.32
Turnout 15,84192.37+2.29
Registered electors 17,148

1951 election

1951 general election: St Albans [13]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Jack Watts 7,675 55.07 +0.85
Labour John Bernard Mora6,26044.93
Majority1,41510.15+1.71
Turnout 13,93590.08-3.10
Registered electors 15,469

1949 election

1949 general election: St Albans [14]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Jack Watts 7,335 54.22 +3.90
Labour George Manning 6,19345.78
Majority1,1428.44+7.80
Turnout 13,52893.18+1.19
Registered electors 14,518

1946 election

1946 general election: St Albans [15]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
National Jack Watts 6,691 50.32
Labour Morgan Williams 6,60549.68
Majority860.64
Turnout 13,29691.99
Registered electors 14,453

Notes

  1. McRobie 1989, pp. 43–48.
  2. McRobie 1989, pp. 91–96.
  3. Scholefield 1950, p. 97.
  4. "CHRISTCHURCH NORTH". The Star . No. 4255. 10 December 1881. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  5. "THE NOMINATIONS". The Star . No. 5054. 15 July 1884. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  6. "St Albans". The Star . No. 5016. 23 July 1884. pp. Page 3. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  7. Cyclopedia Company Limited, ed. (1903). "Christchurch City And Suburban — Ex-Members of the House of Representatives". Cyclopedia of New Zealand - Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  8. "St Albans". The Star . No. 6043. 27 September 1887. p. 4. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  9. 1 2 Scholefield 1950, p. 163.
  10. Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993. p. 101.
  11. Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990. p. 105.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Norton 1988, p. 343.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Norton 1988, p. 342.
  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.

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