Waitaki (New Zealand electorate)
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Waitaki is the name of two seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives, both based around towns on the North Otago-South south Canterbury coast. In an historical sense, the name refers to an electorate that existed between 1978 and 1996, which with the advent of Mixed Member Proportional voting and resulting reduction in the number of constituencies was split in half, with the town of Oamaru being pulled into the new Otago seat with the balance being transferred into the new Aoraki electorate.
In a modern sense, the name refers to a constituency which will be fought for the first time at the 2008 election. The 2006 census of population and dwellings showed that there has been a general northwards population movement. Even though the number of South Island electorates is fixed, the decline in the population of electorates from Rakaia south has resulted in the boundaries of electorates from Invercargill north to Rakaia shifting northwards.
This new Waitaki seat is the successor to the old Otago seat, with Queenstown dropped into Clutha-Southland, and the boundary extended far up the South Canterbury coast, to just outside Timaru. The main population areas of the new seat are Wanaka, Central Otago, North Otago, Waimate, the Mackenzie Basin and Temuka.
[edit] History
[edit] Members of Parliament for Waitaki, 1978-1990
| Name | Party | Elected | Left Office | Reason |
| Jonathan Elworthy | National | 1978, 1981 | 1984 | defeated |
| Jim Sutton | Labour | 1984, 1987 | 1990 | defeated |
| Alec Neill | National | 1990, 1993 | 1996 | seat abolished |
