Awarua (New Zealand electorate)

Awarua was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate from 1881 to 1996.

Population centres

The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–76 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 22 new electorates being formed, including Awarua, and two electorates that had previously been abolished to be recreated. This necessitated a major disruption to existing boundaries.[1]

This electorate was in the rural part of Southland. In its original form, it covered the area around the town of Invercargill, which had its own electorate. Bluff fell into Awarua, and all of Stewart Island / Rakiura.[2] On the mainland, Awarua had taken area from Riverton (which was abolished) and from Mataura (which moved to the east and north). Stewart Island had previously belonged to Wallace.[3]

History

The electorate was established in 1881. It was represented by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward from 1887 to 1919. Philip De La Perrelle announced his retirement due to ill health in August 1935.[4] He died within days of the 1935 election[5] and was succeeded by James Hargest.[6]

In the 1996 election, the first MMP election, the electorate was absorbed into the adjacent Invercargill electorate.

Members of Parliament

Key

  Independent     Liberal     Reform     United     National     Labour  

Election Winner
1881 election James Joyce
1884 election
1887 election Joseph Ward
1890 election
1893 election
1896 election
1897 by-election
1899 election
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election
1911 election
1914 election
1919 election John Hamilton
1922 election Philip De La Perrelle
1925 election John Hamilton
1928 election Philip De La Perrelle
1931 election
1935 election James Hargest1
1938 election
1943 election
1944 by-election George Herron
1946 election
1949 election
1951 election
1954 election
1957 election Gordon Grieve
1960 election
1963 election
1966 election
1969 election Hugh Templeton
1972 election Aubrey Begg
1975 election Rex Austin
1978 election
1981 election
1984 election
1987 election Jeff Grant
1990 election
1993 election Eric Roy
(Electorate abolished 1996)

1James Hargest was originally an Independent supporter of the Reform Party. He joined the National Party in 1936.

Election results

1931 election

General election, 1931: Awarua[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Philip De La Perrelle 4,645 65.04 +10.38
Independent Norman McIntyre[8] 2,497 34.96
Majority 2,148 30.08 +17.47
Informal votes 134 1.84 +0.95
Turnout 7,276 83.82 -9.98
Registered electors 8,681

1928 election

General election, 1928: Awarua[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
United Philip De La Perrelle 4,358 54.66 +6.09
Reform John Hamilton 3,353 42.05 -9.37
Labour William Denham 262 3.29
Majority 1,005 12.61 +9.75
Informal votes 72 0.89 +0.49
Turnout 8,045 93.80 -0.25
Registered electors 8,577

1925 election

General election, 1925: Awarua[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform John Hamilton 3,962 51.43 +2.81
Liberal Philip De La Perrelle 3,742 48.57 -0.76
Majority 220 2.86 +2.14
Informal votes 31 0.40
Turnout 7,704 94.04 +4.39
Registered electors 8,192

1922 election

General election, 1922: Awarua[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Philip De La Perrelle 3,531 49.33
Reform John Hamilton 3,480 48.62
Independent Norman McIntyre[12] 147 2.05
Majority 51 0.71
Turnout 7,158 89.65
Registered electors 7,984

1899 election

General election, 1899: Awarua[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph Ward 2,417 77.92 +14.06
Opposition W. T. Murray[14] 685 22.08
Majority 1,732 55.83 +28.12
Turnout 3,102 76.37
Registered electors 4,062

1897 by-election

1897 by-election[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph Ward 2,066 69.42 +5.82
Opposition Cuthbert Cowan 910 30.58 -5.82
Turnout 2,976
Majority 1,156 38.84 +11.65

1896 election

1896 election[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Joseph Ward 1,836 63.60
Opposition Cuthbert Cowan[16] 1,051 36.40
Turnout 2,887 72.68
Majority 785 27.19
Registered electors 3,887

1884 election

General election, 1884: Awarua[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent James Joyce 398 43.54
Independent John Lyon McDonald 311 34.03
Independent Andrew Kinross[18] 74 8.10
Independent John Walker Mitchell 67 7.33
Independent Thomas Hodgkinson[19] 64 7.00
Majority 87 9.52
Turnout 914

Notes

  1. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 45, 49.
  2. ↑ McRobie 1989, p. 49.
  3. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 43–48.
  4. ↑ "Not a Candidate". Auckland Star LXVI (189). 12 August 1935. p. 9. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "Obituary". Auckland Star LXVI (290). 7 December 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  6. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 203.
  7. ↑ The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "Page 4 Advertisements Column 4". Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser LV (5636). 1 December 1931. p. 4. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  9. ↑ The General Election, 1928. Government Printer. 1929. p. 1. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "Awarua". The Evening Post 116 (116). 12 November 1925. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Awarua". Hawera & Normanby Star XLII. 14 December 1922. p. 7. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "In Southland". The Evening Post CIV (133). 2 December 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 3. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  14. ↑ "Farewell to Mr and Mrs W. T. Murray and Mr and Mrs B. W. R. Dunn". The Southland Times (14743). 12 September 1900. p. 3. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "The Awarua Election" LX (2467). The Timaru Herald. 7 August 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  16. ↑ "The General Election". The Press LIII (9565). 4 November 1896. p. 6. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  17. ↑ "The General Election, 1884". National Library. 1884. p. 3. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  18. ↑ "The Southland Times". The Southland Times (4990). 30 July 1884. p. 2. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  19. ↑ "The Southland Times". The Southland Times (4965). 26 June 1884. p. 2. Retrieved 3 August 2012.

References