Yaldhurst (electorate)

Yaldhurst is a former New Zealand parliamentary electorate, near the city of Christchurch. The electorate was to the southwest of Christchurch, and was suburban and semi-rural.

Population centres

The 1977 electoral redistribution was the most overtly political since the Representation Commission had been established through an amendment to the Representation Act in 1886, initiated by Muldoon's National Government. ^[1] As part of the 1976 census, a large number of people failed to fill out an electoral re-registration card, and census staff had not been given the authority to insist on the card being completed. This had little practical effect for people on the general roll, but it transferred Māori to the general roll if the card was not handed in. Together with a northward shift of New Zealand's population, this resulted in five new electorates having to be created in the upper part of the North Island. ^[2] The electoral redistribution was very disruptive, and 22 electorates were abolished, while 27 electorates were newly created (including Yaldhurst) or re-established. These changes came into effect for the 1978 election. ^[3]

The Wigram electorate was abolished through the 1977 electoral redistribution and its northern part made up much of the area of the new Yaldhurst electorate. A much smaller areas were gained by Yaldhurst from the Riccarton and Rangiora electorates. ^[4] Christchurch suburbs located in the Yaldhurst electorate included Burnside, Avonhead, Russley, Broomfield, Hei Hei, Yaldhurst, and parts of Hornby. ^[5]

History

In the 1978 election, the Yaldhurst electorate was won by Mick Connelly of the Labour Party, who had been MP for the Wigram electorate since 1969, and the Riccarton electorate prior to that since 1956. ^[6] Connelly retired at the 1984 election and was succeeded by Labour's Margaret Austin. ^[7] In 1995, Austin defected to United New Zealand prior to the first mixed-member proportional (MMP) election. When the electorate was abolished in 1996, Austin stood in the new Ilam electorate where she came third. ^[8]

Members of Parliament

Key

  Labour   United NZ

Election	Winner
1978 election		Mick Connelly
1981 election
1984 election		Margaret Austin
1987 election
1990 election
1993 election
(Electorate abolished in 1996; see Ilam)

Election results

1993 election

1993 general election: Yaldhurst ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Austin	10,659	46.72	−2.90
	National	David Watson	7,662	33.58
	Alliance	Liz Gordon	2,881	12.62
	NZ First	Robin Booth	1,092	4.78
	Christian Heritage	Graham Capill	467	2.04
	Natural Law	Royal Van Der Werf	53	0.23
Majority			2,997	13.13	+12.95
Turnout			22,814	85.80	−0.22
Registered electors			26,588

1990 election

1990 general election: Yaldhurst ^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Austin	9,699	43.82	−10.61
	National	John Connelly	9,657	43.63
	NewLabour	Garry Illes	1,595	7.20
	Christian Heritage	Gary Milne	563	2.54
	Independent	Henry Collett	381	1.72
	Democrats	Norman Davey	151	0.68	−1.84
	Social Credit	Vince Smith	85	0.38
Majority			42	0.18	−11.66
Turnout			22,131	86.02	−3.41
Registered electors			25,726

1987 election

1987 general election: Yaldhurst ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Austin	11,684	54.43	+4.06
	National	James Bacon	9,142	42.59
	Democrats	Norman Davey	542	2.52	−0.08
	Wizard Party	Suzanne Toy	97	0.45
Majority			2,542	11.84	−1.10
Turnout			21,465	89.43	−5.00
Registered electors			24,001

1984 election

1984 general election: Yaldhurst ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Margaret Austin	11,560	50.37
	National	Howard Joseph	8,590	37.43
	NZ Party	Neil Russell	2,024	8.82
	Social Credit	Norman Davey	597	2.60	−6.84
	Values	Alan Wilkinson	99	0.43	−0.09
	Independent	Geoff Bucknall	76	0.33	−0.03
Majority			2,970	12.94
Turnout			22,946	94.43	+3.22
Registered electors			24,298

1981 election

1981 general election: Yaldhurst ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mick Connelly	10,975	49.23	−1.02
	National	Margaret Murray	9,013	40.43
	Social Credit	Norman Davey	2,106	9.44	+1.69
	Values	Alan Wilkinson	117	0.52
	Independent	Geoff Bucknall	81	0.36
Majority			1,962	8.80	+1.19
Turnout			22,292	91.21	+16.15
Registered electors			24,440

1978 election

1978 general election: Yaldhurst ^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mick Connelly	10,816	50.25
	National	David Watson	8,548	39.71
	Social Credit	Norman Davey	1,670	7.75
	Values	Pat Wilkinson	487	2.26
Majority			1,638	7.61
Turnout			21,521	75.06
Registered electors			28,670

Notes

1. McRobie 1989, pp. 8–9, 51, 119.
2. McRobie 1989, p. 119.
3. McRobie 1989, pp. 115–120.
4. McRobie 1989, pp. 117, 121.
5. McRobie 1989, p. 121.
6. Wilson 1985, p. 190.
7. Wilson 1985, pp. 181, 190.
8. "Electorate Candidate and Party Votes Recorded at Each Polling Place - Ilam, 1996" (PDF). Retrieved 13 July 2013.
9. Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993.
10. Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990. p. 149.
11. Norton 1988, p. 394.

References

• McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN   0-477-01384-8.
• Wilson, Jim (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. 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.