Grey (New Zealand electorate)

Grey Valley, Westland, New Zealand, 1976.

Grey is a former parliamentary electorate in the West Coast region of New Zealand.

The electorate of Grey Valley, created for the 1871 general election, was succeeded by the electorate of Greymouth in the 1881 general election, and lasted until 1890. In 1890 the Grey electorate was created, and was abolished in 1919.

Population centres

The 1870 electoral redistribution was undertaken by a parliamentary select committee based on population data from the 1867 census. Eight sub-committees were formed, with two members each making decisions for their own province; thus members set their own electorate boundaries. The number of electorates was increased from 61 to 72, and Grey Valley was one of the new electorates.[1]

Throughout the electorate's history, the town of Greymouth was always included in its area. The town of Brunner belonged to the electorate during most periods.[2]

History

Grey Valley existed from 1871 to 1881. William Henry Harrison was the first representative from 1871 to 1875 when he retired. Harrison had previously represented Westland Boroughs from 1868 to 1870.[3]

The electorate was represented by two members from the 1876 election onwards. Martin Kennedy and Charles Woolcock were elected in 1876; Kennedy resigned in 1878 and Woolcock retired at the 1879 election.[4][5] Kennedy was succeeded by Richard Reeves in an 1878 by-election.[6] He was defeated in 1881 when he stood for Inangahua. Edward Masters succeeded Woolcock in the 1879 election. Masters resigned in 1881[7] and was succeeded by Thomas S. Weston in an 1881 by-election. Weston stood in Inangahua in the 1881 general election and was successful.[8]

Greymouth was represented from the 1881 general election by Joseph Petrie.[9] He was defeated in the 1884 general election by Arthur Guinness, who represented the electorate (renamed in 1890 as Grey) until his death in 1913.[10]

After the resulting 1913 by-election, the electorate was represented from 1916 to 1919 by two radical politicians from the West Coast coal mines representing the Labour Party or its predecessors. They were Paddy Webb, who was imprisoned in 1918,[8] and Harry Holland, who represented Grey from the by-election on 29 May 1918 until 16 December 1919 when the electorate was abolished.

Members of Parliament

The various electorates were represented by ten Members of Parliament.[11]

Key

  Independent     Liberal  
  Social Democrat     Labour  

1871 to 1875

From 1871 to 1875, Grey Valley was a single-member electorate. It was represented by one Member of Parliament.

Election Winner
1871 election William Henry Harrison

1876 to 1881

From 1876 to 1881, Grey Valley was a two-member electorate. It was represented by five Members of Parliament.

Election Winners
1876 election Martin Kennedy Charles Woolcock
1878 by-election Richard Reeves
1879 election Edward Masters
1881 by-election Thomas S. Weston

1881 to 1919

From 1881 to 1890, Greymouth was a single-member electorate, renamed as Grey from 1890 to 1919. Four Members of Parliament represented this electorate.

Election Winner
1881 election Joseph Petrie
1884 election Arthur Guinness
1887 election
1890 election
1893 election
1896 election
1899 election
1902 election
1905 election
1908 election
1911 election
1913 by-election Paddy Webb
1914 election
1917 by-election
1918 by-election Harry Holland
(Electorate abolished 1919)

Election results

1913 by-election, first ballot

Grey by-election, 1913: First ballot
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Henry Michel 2,189 34.64
Social Democrat Paddy Webb 2,091 33.09
Liberal Michael Hannan 2,039 32.27
Turnout 6,319

1913 by-election, second ballot

Grey by-election, 1913: Second ballot
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Democrat Paddy Webb 3,477 55.30
Reform Henry Michel 2,811 44.70
Majority 666 10.60
Turnout 6,288
Social Democrat gain from Liberal Swing

1899 election

General election, 1899: Grey[12][13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Arthur Guinness 2,660 58.67
Opposition Michael Hannan 1,874 41.33
Majority 786 17.34
Turnout 4,534 79.22
Registered electors 5,723

1884 election

General election, 1884: Greymouth[14]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Arthur Guinness 848 58.16
Independent Joseph Petrie 610 41.84
Majority 238 16.32
Turnout 1,458 84.47
Registered electors 1,726

1881 by-election

Grey Valley by-election, 1881[15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Thomas S. Weston 995 49.68
Independent Gerard George Fitzgerald 919 45.88
Independent James Mill Morris 89 4.44
Majority 76 3.79
Turnout 2,003
Registered electors

1876 election

General election, 1876: Grey Valley[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Charles Woolcock 773 42.33
Independent Martin Kennedy 721 39.49
Independent Heber Newton 689 37.73
Independent Arthur Guinness 612 33.52
Majority 32[nb 1] 1.75
Informal votes 26[nb 2] 1.41
Turnout 1,846[nb 3] 88.62
Registered electors 2,083

Table footnotes:

  1. ↑ Majority is the difference between the lowest winning vote (Kennedy – 721) and the highest losing vote (Newton – 689)
  2. ↑ The source is ambiguous; this could be 26 or 36 (26+10)
  3. ↑ Note that voters could vote for up to two candidates

Notes

  1. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 39–41.
  2. ↑ McRobie 1989, pp. 39–77.
  3. ↑ Scholefield 1925, p. 100.
  4. ↑ Scholefield 1925, p. 107.
  5. ↑ Scholefield 1925, p. 148.
  6. ↑ Scholefield 1925, p. 127.
  7. ↑ Scholefield 1925, p. 117.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Scholefield 1925, p. 145.
  9. ↑ Scholefield 1925, p. 125.
  10. ↑ Scholefield 1925, p. 97.
  11. ↑ Wilson 1984.
  12. ↑ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  13. ↑ "Public Notice". Grey River Argus LVII (10386). 30 November 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  14. ↑ "The General Election, 1884". National Library. 1884. p. 2. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  15. ↑ "The Grey Valley Election". West Coast Times (3808). 22 June 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Grey Valley Election". Grey River Argus XXI (2321). 18 January 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2014.

References