Wairarapa North

Last updated

Wairarapa North is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate, from 1881 to 1887.

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 Wairarapa North, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries. [1]

Wairarapa North was centred on the largest Wairarapa town of Masterton, with its southern boundary south of Masterton.

History

The Wairarapa North electorate in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand and the adjacent Wairarapa South electorate were formed for the 1881 election by splitting the old Wairarapa electorate. These electorates existed for two elections from 1881 to 1887, when Wairarapa North was renamed Masterton, and Wairarapa South became the new Wairarapa electorate. [2]

Between 1871 and 1881, the previous Wairarapa electorate had been a two-member electorate. In the 1871 election, one of the incumbents, Henry Bunny, who had represented Wairarapa since a by-election in 1865, [3] was beaten by Walter Clarke Buchanan in the Wairarapa South electorate. [4] The other incumbent, George Beetham, was challenged by Alfred Renall in the Wairarapa North electorate. [5] Beetham and Renall received 670 and 351 votes, respectively, and Beetham was thus declared elected. [6]

In the 1884 election, the incumbent Buchanan was challenged by William Wilson McCardle. Beetham and McCardle received 542 and 517 votes, respectively. [7]

In 1887, when Wairarapa North was abolished, [2] Beetham became the MP for the new Masterton electorate. [8]

Election results

Wairarapa North was represented by one MP for all six years. [2]

Key

  Independent   

ElectionWinner
1881 election George Beetham
1884 election

Notes

  1. McRobie 1989, pp. 43–48.
  2. 1 2 3 Wilson 1985, p. 274.
  3. Wilson 1985, p. 187.
  4. "Evening Post". The Evening Post . Vol. XXII, no. 140. 14 December 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  5. "Wairarapa North". The Evening Post . Vol. XXII, no. 131. 3 December 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  6. "The General Election". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. XXI, no. 6117. 12 December 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  7. "The General Election, 1884". National Library. 1884. p. 2. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  8. Wilson 1985, p. 183.

Related Research Articles

1881 New Zealand general election

The 1881 New Zealand general election was held on 8 and 9 December in the Māori and European electorates, respectively, to elect 95 MPs to the 8th session of the New Zealand Parliament.

Ashburton was a New Zealand electorate, first created in 1881 and centred on the South Island town of Ashburton.

Masterton was a New Zealand electorate from 1887 to 1946, focused on the town of Masterton and the surrounding area.

Wairarapa (New Zealand electorate) Electoral district in New Zealand

Wairarapa is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It was first created in 1858 and existed until 1881. It was recreated in 1887 and has since existed continuously. In the early years, the electorate was for a time represented by two members. Wairarapa has been held by Kieran McAnulty since the 2020 election.

Waipa is a former parliamentary electorate in the Waikato region of New Zealand, which existed for various periods between 1876 and 1996.

Wellington South is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate. It existed for two periods between 1881 and 1946. It was represented by seven Members of Parliament.

Wairarapa South was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate from 1881 to 1887.

Waitotara was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate in South Taranaki. It existed from 1881 to 1893, and again from 1978 to 1996. It was represented by four Members of Parliament.

Kumara was a parliamentary electorate in the West Coast region of New Zealand, from 1881 to 1890.

Thorndon is a former parliamentary electorate in the city of Wellington, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890.

Inangahua is a former parliamentary electorate in the Buller District, which is part of the West Coast region of New Zealand, from 1881 to 1896. The town of Inangahua Junction, which gave the electorate its name, was located in the adjacent Buller electorate until 1887.

Moeraki was a parliamentary electorate in the Otago region of New Zealand, from 1881 to 1887.

Geraldine was a former parliamentary electorate in the South Canterbury region of New Zealand that existed three times from 1875 to 1911. It was represented by six Members of Parliament.

Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay is a former parliamentary electorate in the Wellington region of New Zealand, from 1853 to 1859, when it was extended into previously unincorporated territories, split in two and replaced by County of Hawke with its southern portion being the newly created Wairarapa electorate. It is the first general electorate to have been abolished in New Zealand.

Te Aro was a parliamentary electorate in Wellington, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890. It covered the southern area of the central business district. During the three parliamentary terms of its existence, the electorate was represented by three Members of Parliament.

Woodville was a parliamentary electorate in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand from 1887 to 1890.

Auckland North was a parliamentary electorate in Auckland, New Zealand from 1881 to 1890.

Dunedin East was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in the Otago region of New Zealand from 1881 to 1890.

Roslyn was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in the Otago region of New Zealand from 1866 to 1890.

William Wilson McCardle New Zealand politician

William Wilson McCardle JP was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council. Born in Scotland, he came to New Zealand as a young man and lived in a variety of places. He was a nurseryman and advocated for land reform. He established the town of Pahiatua and it was in the Wairarapa district that his local government involvement was most influential. He stood in a number of general elections for Parliament, but was never successful. A committed liberal politician, he was appointed to the Legislative Council by the first Ward Ministry in 1907 and served for one term until 1914.

References