Sydenham was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, from 1881 to 1890 and again from 1946 to 1996. It had notable politicians representing it like Mabel Howard (the first female cabinet minister in New Zealand), Norman Kirk (who became Prime Minister while holding Sydenham) and Jim Anderton (the current Father of the House, who started his parliamentary career in Sydenham).
This suburban electorate is in the southern suburbs of Christchurch including Sydenham.
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The electorate existed from 1881 to 1890 and then from the 1946 election to the 1996 election, the first MMP election.
The first MP for Sydenham was William White from 1881 to 1886. He resigned upon receiving medical advice.[1]
From 1886 to 1890, it was represented by Richard Molesworth Taylor.[2][3]
From 1946 to 1996, the electorate was always left leaning. In 1946, Mabel Howard was elected. She held the electorate until 1969, when the Labour Party introduced rules that forced her to retire. In 1947 she became New Zealand's first woman cabinet minister when she was made Minister of Health and Minister in charge of Child Welfare. She is remembered for waving two large pairs of bloomers in parliament in support of her successful campaign to have clothing sizes standardised.[4]
Howard was succeeded by Norman Kirk, who in 1969 shifted from the Lyttelton electorate to the safer Labour electorate of Sydenham. During his representation of Sydenham, he became Prime Minister. He died in office on 31 August 1974.[5]
John Kirk succeeded his father in a 1974 by-election. Kirk Jr. held the electorate for ten years until 1984. In July 1983, John Kirk announced that he would not seek the Labour Party's nomination for Sydenham in the 1984 election. In his place Labour selected Jim Anderton, the party president, whereupon Kirk (a strong David Lange supporter) declared that he would stand against the official Labour candidate as an independent. His continuing opposition to Anderton's selection resulted in the Labour Party's New Zealand Council suspending him from membership of the Labour Party. Kirk served out the remainder of his parliamentary career as an Independent MP. John Kirk left New Zealand in 1984 while still an MP for Sydenham, as he owed more than $280,000. He was arrested in the US and imprisoned, and then extradited to New Zealand, where he was charged under the Insolvency Act 1985. He was sentenced to four months' periodic detention.[6]
Anderton was successful in Sydenham in 1969 and started his long parliamentary career. He held the seat until the abolition the electorate in 1996 and, as of 2010, is still in Parliament (for Wigram) and is, since 29 April 2009, Father of the House. While holding Sydenham, Anderton defected from the Labour Party to found the NewLabour Party in 1989, and was re-elected in the electorate in 1990. In 1991, NewLabour and several other parties formed the Alliance, a broad left-wing coalition. Anderton was elected for the Alliance in 1993.
Sydenham was abolished in 1996 and replaced by the Wigram electorate.
During its first period, the electorate had two representatives:
| Election | Winner | |
| 1881 election | William White (Independent) | |
| 1884 election | ||
| 1886 by-election | Richard Molesworth Taylor (Independent) | |
| 1887 election | ||
During its second period, the electorate had four representatives:
| Election | Winner | |
| 1946 election | Mabel Howard (Labour) | |
| 1949 election | ||
| 1951 election | ||
| 1954 election | ||
| 1957 election | ||
| 1960 election | ||
| 1963 election | ||
| 1966 election | ||
| 1969 election | Norman Kirk (Labour) | |
| 1972 election | ||
| 1974 by-election | John Kirk (Labour, then Independent1) | |
| 1975 election | ||
| 1978 election | ||
| 1981 election | ||
| 1984 election | Jim Anderton (Labour, then New Labour2, then Alliance) | |
| 1987 election | ||
| 1990 election | ||
| 1993 election | ||
1 John Kirk became an independent in 1983.
2 Jim Anderton defected to New Labour in 1989.