Wairau (New Zealand electorate)

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Wairau was a parliamentary electorate in the Marlborough Region of New Zealand. It was one of the initial 24 New Zealand electorates and existed from 1853 until its abolition in 1938, when it was succeeded by the Marlborough electorate. The electorate had 13 representatives during its existence. The 1861 election in the Wairau electorate was notable in that a later Premier, Frederick Weld, was unexpectedly and narrowly defeated by William Henry Eyes.

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Population centres

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, passed by the British government, allowed New Zealand to establish a representative government. The initial 24 New Zealand electorates were defined by Governor George Grey in March 1853. Wairau was one of the initial single-member electorates. [1]

The initial area covered the Marlborough Sounds in the north to the Hurunui River in the south. Settlements within that area were Picton, Blenheim, and Kaikōura. [2]

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. The Cheviot electorate was formed by taking area from the Wairau and Christchurch Country electorates. [3]

The Wairau electorate's boundaries were constantly adjusted over the years, but the electorate always covered a large, rural area around the Awatere River, with a long coastal boundary south of Cape Campbell, at times as far south as Kaikōura. Blenheim was always included in the electorate, but Picton not always. [4] The 1918 electoral redistribution, which applied from the 1919 election, changed the shape of the electorate significantly, with it moving away from the Pacific Ocean coast to make way for the Hurunui electorate moving north. Wairau gained large areas of land south of Richmond. It also covered the Marlborough Sounds, and Blenheim was the southernmost point along the coast. [5] The 1922 electoral redistribution reversed this and Wairau moved back to its traditional area. [6] Wairau was abolished through the 1937 electoral redistribution, which came into effect with the 1938 election, and replaced by the Marlborough electorate, which had more or less the same shape as Wairau had had since the 1927 electoral redistribution. [7]

History

Wairau was one of the original electorates for the first general election in 1853. Frederick Weld was declared elected unopposed at the nomination meeting on 2 August 1853. [8] Weld resigned in June 1855 to return to England, but as the next election was to be held within a few months, this did not cause a by-election. [9] [10] The nomination for the 1855 election was set for 19 November, and this is the date recorded in the standard reference book, the New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984, for the election of William Wells, [11] but that election did not happen. The mail did not reach the Wairau Valley in time, and the electors did not know about the election. [12] The new date for the nomination meeting was set as 6 December. [13] Wells was one of many members of the House of Representatives who resigned in early 1858; he placed a public notice to that effect in the 20 March edition of The Nelson Examiner. [14] At the opening of the second session of the 2nd Parliament on 10 April 1858, [15] the speaker read out 14 resignations, including that of Wells. [16] Weld had returned from England by then and agreed to be a candidate at the by-election, and Alfred Saunders received an acquisition and also agreed to stand. [17] [18] [19] On nomination day, only Weld's name was put forward, who was thus declared elected unopposed. [20]

The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 gave Parliament the power to establish new electorates, and this was first used later in 1858 when four new electorates were created. This also affected the Wairau electorate, which was combined with the Christchurch Country electorate and then redivided, and the Cheviot electorate was established through this process. [21] The 1859 supplementary election returned Edward Jollie for the Cheviot electorate. [22]

In the 1861 election, Weld was challenged by William Henry Eyes, with Eyes winning by a four-vote margin (65 votes to 61). [23] Weld stood two weeks later in the Cheviot electorate, where he decisively beat Charles Hunter Brown. [24] At the 1866 election, Eyes was returned unopposed; the previous year, he had been chosen Superintendent of Marlborough Province. [25] In 1871, Eyes was challenged by Henry Redwood but remained the preferred representative by the voters. [26] [27] In December 1871, Eyes was appointed Crown Lands Commissioner for the Marlborough Province and as a public servant, he could no longer hold a seat in parliament and had to resign. [28] The resulting 1872 by-election was contested by Arthur Seymour and Joseph Ward, with Seymour the successful candidate. [29] Seymour remained a member of the General Assembly until his resignation in 1875 prior to a trip to England. The resulting 1875 by-election was won by Ward, who defeated William Sefton Moorhouse. [30] Seymour returned from England just prior to the 1876 election. George Henderson, a former Mayor of Blenheim, [31] [32] became a candidate in the Wairau electorate whilst Ward announced that he would stand in the Cheviot electorate instead. [33] [34] Seymour won the election in the Wairau electorate with 201 votes to 179 for Henderson. [35] Ward was beaten in the Cheviot electorate by Leonard Harper. [36] Henderson and Seymour both contested the 1879 election, with Seymour again confirmed by the voters. [37]

In the 1881 election, Seymour was beaten by Henry Dodson, a former member of the Marlborough Provincial Council and a former Mayor of Blenheim. [38] [39] In 1884, Dodson defeated Joseph Ward. [40] The 1887 election saw a three-way contest, with Dodson challenged by George Henderson and Sutherland John Macalister. [41] Dodson won the election; this was Henderson's third attempt to become the Wairau electorate's representative. [42] Dodson retired in 1890, [43] and three candidates put their name forward: Lindsay Buick, Arthur Seymour, and Sutherland John Macalister. Buick, a journalist and historian, won the election. [44] The Liberal Party was founded after the 1890 election and when it came to the 1893, Buick as incumbent and the barrister William Sinclair both stood for the Liberal Party, whilst the sheep farmer John Duncan ran as an independent. [45] [46] Buick won the election with an increased majority. [47]

In the 1896 electoral redistribution, the neighbouring Waimea-Sounds electorate was abolished, and its area distributed to the Motueka, City of Nelson, and Wairau electorates. The incumbent of the Waimea-Sounds electorate, Charles H. Mills, lived in Havelock, and whilst the town was just within the City of Nelson electorate, most of Mills' traditional constituency was located within the Wairau electorate, and he thus challenged Wairau's incumbent, Buick, in the 1896 election. [48] Buick and Mills received 2014 and 2072 votes, respectively, and Mills thus succeeded Buick in Wairau. [49] The 1896 election was "one of the hardest fought contests" in the Wairau electorate up to that point. [50] In the 1899 election, Mills was challenged by Walter Clifford, but Mills remained the preferred candidate by a greatly increased margin. [51]

Members of Parliament

Key

  Independent   Liberal–Labour   Liberal   Conservative   Reform   United   Labour

ElectionWinner
1853 election Frederick Weld
1855 election William Wells
1858 by-election Frederick Weld
1861 election William Henry Eyes
1866 election
1871 election
1872 by-election Arthur Seymour
1875 by-election Joseph Ward [52]
1876 election Arthur Seymour
1879 election
1881 election Henry Dodson [53]
1884 election
1887 election
1890 election Lindsay Buick
1893 election
1896 election Charles H. Mills
1899 election
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election John Duncan
1911 election Richard McCallum
1914 election
1919 election
1922 election William Girling
1925 election
1928 election Edward Healy
1931 election
1935 election Ted Meachen
(Electorate abolished in 1938, see Marlborough)

Election results

1935 election

1935 general election: Wairau [54]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ted Meachen 3,790 37.57 +17.23
United Edward Healy 3,43834.08−13.30
Democrat Malcolm McKenzie2,64026.17
Independent Mark Grace2192.17
Informal votes540.53+0.21
Majority3523.48
Turnout 10,08793.71+4.32
Registered electors 10,763

1931 election

1931 general election: Wairau [55] [56]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
United Edward Healy 4,467 47.38 −4.20
Independent William Girling 3,04332.28−16.14
Labour Ted Meachen 1,91820.34
Informal votes300.32−0.44
Majority1,42415.10+11.94
Turnout 9,45889.39−1.21
Registered electors 10,581

1928 election

1928 general election: Wairau [57]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
United Edward Healy 4,759 51.58
Reform William Girling 4,46748.42
Majority2923.16
Informal votes700.75
Turnout 9,29690.60
Registered electors 10,261

1914 election

1914 general election: Wairau [58]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Richard McCallum 3,517 52.57
Reform John Duncan 3,14847.05
Labour George Turner250.37
Informal votes1091.62
Majority3695.51
Turnout 6,69086.81
Registered electors 7,706

1899 election

1899 general election: Wairau [51] [59]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Charles H. Mills 2,786 66.35 +15.64
Conservative Sir Walter Clifford 1,41333.65
Majority1,37332.70+31.28
Turnout 4,19976.65−22.07
Registered electors 5,478

1896 election

1896 general election: Wairau [49]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Charles H. Mills 2,072 50.71
Independent Lindsay Buick 2,01449.29+3.88
Majority581.42−8.56
Turnout 4,08698.72+20.78
Registered electors 4,139

1893 election

1893 general election: Wairau [45] [47]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal–Labour Lindsay Buick 1,46545.41+5.52
Liberal William Sinclair1,14335.43
Independent John Duncan 61819.16
Majority3229.98+5.67
Turnout 3,22677.94+11.04
Registered electors 4,139

1890 election

1890 general election: Wairau [44]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal–Labour Lindsay Buick 712 39.89
Conservative Arthur Seymour 63535.57
Liberal Sutherland John Macalister43824.54−1.58
Majority774.31−0.61
Turnout 1,78566.90−8.63
Registered electors 2,668

1887 election

1887 general election: Wairau [42]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Henry Dodson 528 39.40 −22.00
Independent George Henderson 46234.48
Independent Sutherland John Macalister [41] 35026.12
Majority664.93−17.89
Turnout 1,34075.54+3.48
Registered electors 1,774

1884 election

1884 general election: Wairau [40]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Henry Dodson 638 61.41 +2.33
Independent Joseph Ward 40138.59
Majority23722.81+4.66
Turnout 1,03972.05−11.22
Registered electors 1,442

1881 election

1881 general election: Wairau [38]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Henry Dodson 550 59.08
Independent Arthur Seymour 38140.92−11.77
Majority16918.15+12.77
Turnout 93183.27+7.12
Registered electors 1,118

1879 election

1879 general election: Wairau [37]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Arthur Seymour 313 52.69 −0.20
Independent George Henderson 28147.31+0.20
Majority325.39−0.40
Turnout 59476.15+1.50
Registered electors 780

1876 election

1876 general election: Wairau [35]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Arthur Seymour 201 52.89
Independent George Henderson 17947.11
Majority225.79−0.81
Turnout 38074.66−20.38
Registered electors 509

1875 by-election

1875 Wairau by-election [60]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Joseph Ward 202 53.30 +10.19
Independent William Sefton Moorhouse 17746.70
Majority256.60−7.18
Informal votes41.04
Turnout 37994.04+30.16
Registered electors 403

1872 by-election

1872 Wairau by-election [29]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent Arthur Seymour 161 56.89
Independent Joseph Ward 12243.11
Majority3913.78
Turnout 28363.88
Registered electors 443

1871 election

1871 general election: Wairau [26]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent William Henry Eyes 102 61.82
Independent Henry Redwood 6338.18
Majority3923.64
Turnout 16537.25
Registered electors 443

1861 election

1861 general election: Wairau [23]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent William Henry Eyes 65 51.59
Independent Frederick Weld 6148.41
Majority43.17
Turnout 12645.00
Registered electors 280

Notes

  1. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 29f.
  2. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 31.
  3. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 29–31.
  4. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 35–77.
  5. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 77–81.
  6. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 83–85.
  7. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 87–93.
  8. ↑ "Election of a Member to represent the Wairau in the General Assembly". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XII, no. 597. 13 August 1853. p. 7. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Graham, Jeanine. "Weld, Frederick Aloysius". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "To the Electors of the Wairau". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XIV. 13 June 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  11. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 245.
  12. ↑ "The Nelson Examiner". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XIV, no. 68. 21 November 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "The Nelson Examiner". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XIV, no. 70. 28 November 1855. p. 1. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "The Nelson Examiner". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XVII, no. 23. 20 March 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "The General Assembly of New Zealand". Otago Witness . No. 340. 5 June 1858. p. 4. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  16. ↑ "House of Representatives". Otago Witness . No. 340. 5 June 1858. p. 5. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  17. ↑ "Local Intelligence". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XVII, no. 40. 19 May 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "New Advertisements". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XVII, no. 40. 19 May 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "New Advertisements". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XVII, no. 40. 19 May 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  20. ↑ "Local Intelligence". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XVII, no. 43. 29 May 1858. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 29.
  22. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 260.
  23. 1 2 "Defeat of Mr Weld at Wairau". Wellington Independent. Vol. XVI, no. 1500. 26 February 1861. p. 3. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "Local Intelligence". Lyttelton Times . Vol. XV, no. 868. 6 March 1861. p. 4. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "News of the Day". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XXV, no. 27. 3 March 1866. p. 3. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  26. 1 2 "The Nelson Evening Mail". Vol. VI, no. 23. 26 February 1861. p. 2. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "Marlborough". Colonist. Vol. XIV, no. 1385. 3 January 1871. p. 3. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  28. ↑ "Local and General News". Wellington Independent. Vol. XXVI, no. 3366. 8 December 1871. p. 2. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  29. 1 2 "The Nelson Evening Mail". The Nelson Evening Mail . Vol. VII, no. 44. 20 February 1872. p. 2. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  30. ↑ Scholefield 1940, pp. 459f.
  31. ↑ "Obituary". The Marlborough Express . Vol. XXXII, no. 225. 15 October 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  32. ↑ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Mr. Henry Dodson". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  33. ↑ "To the Electors of the District of Wairau". The Marlborough Express . Vol. X, no. 772. 18 December 1875. p. 4. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  34. ↑ "The Marlborough Express". Vol. X, no. 771. 15 December 1875. p. 3. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  35. 1 2 "The Wairau Election". The Marlborough Express . Vol. XI, no. 785. 2 February 1876. p. 4. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  36. ↑ "Polling for Cheviot". The Press . Vol. XXV, no. 3233. 11 January 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  37. 1 2 "Wairau Election". The Nelson Evening Mail . Vol. XIV, no. 204. 9 September 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  38. 1 2 Cooper, G. S. (1882). Votes Recorded for Each Candidate. Government Printer. p. 2. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  39. ↑ "Obituary". The Marlborough Express . Vol. XXVIII, no. 109. 9 May 1892. p. 3. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  40. 1 2 Cooper, G. S. (1884). The General Election, 1884. National Library. p. 2. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  41. 1 2 Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Mr. Sutherland John Maclister[sic]". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 22 November 2013.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  42. 1 2 Cooper, G. S. (1887). The General Election, 1887. National Library. p. 2. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  43. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 193.
  44. 1 2 Cooper, G. S. (1891). The General Election, 1890. National Library. p. 2. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  45. 1 2 "The General Election". Otago Daily Times . 28 November 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  46. ↑ "Electoral District of Wairau". The Marlborough Express . Vol. XXIX, no. 282. 21 November 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  47. 1 2 "The General Election, 1893". National Library. 1894. p. 2. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  48. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 63–65.
  49. 1 2 "The Wairau Contest". The Marlborough Express . Vol. XXXI, no. 284. 5 December 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  50. ↑ "The Marlborough Express". Vol. XXXI, no. 285. 7 December 1896. p. 2. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  51. 1 2 "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 1. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  52. ↑ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Former Members Of The House Of Representatives". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 4 July 2010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  53. ↑ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Former Members Of The House Of Representatives". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch. Retrieved 4 July 2010.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  54. ↑ The General Election, 1935. Government Printer. 1936. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  55. ↑ The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  56. ↑ "Straight-out independent". Stratford Evening Post. Vol. I, no. 291. 18 November 1931. p. 5. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  57. ↑ Skinner, W. A. G. (1929). The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. p. 5. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  58. ↑ Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 1–33. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  59. ↑ "Wairau Electorate". The Marlborough Express . Vol. XXXIV, no. 281. 30 November 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  60. ↑ "Election Day in Blenheim". The Marlborough Express . Vol. X, no. 721. 23 June 1875. p. 4. Retrieved 18 October 2015.

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References

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