Rimutaka (New Zealand electorate)

Rimutaka electorate boundaries used since the 2014 election

Rimutaka is an electorate returning one member to the House of Representatives of New Zealand. The current representative is Chris Hipkins.[1] He is a member of the Labour Party, and has represented the seat since 2008.

Population centres

Rimutaka covers an area of the Hutt Valley stretching from the Rimutaka Ranges, for which it is named, through Upper Hutt to the Lower Hutt suburbs of Taitā, Stokes Valley and Naenae. Boundary changes effective from the 2008 election meant that the suburb of Belmont moved from the Ōhariu electorate (previously called Ohariu-Belmont) to become part of Rimutaka. Following the 2014 boundary review, Rimutaka lost Kelson and Belmont to Hutt South in exchange for the suburb of Naenae.

History

Rimutaka was created in 1996 ahead of the change to Mixed Member Proportional voting. It was created by merging the old Upper Hutt-based seat of Heretaunga with Stokes Valley, Taita and a large section of Naenae from the defunct Eastern Hutt seat. Eastern Hutt had been held by Labour's Paul Swain since 1987, while Heretaunga had been won by National's Peter McCardle in 1990. Peter McCardle (who had been re-elected in 1993) defected to New Zealand First in 1996. Swain was the clear winner in every election from 1996 to 2005; the inclusion of the working-class areas of Hutt City helped make Rimutaka safer for the Labour Party, though on the campaign trail in 2008, Labour's chances for winning both party vote and the electorate were summarised as: "Labour support is 'rock solid' in the south of the electorate but things are volatile in Upper Hutt, where there is 'still work to do'".[2]

Following the 2014 boundary review, Rimutaka gained Naenae and a small part of Epuni from the Hutt South electorate and lost Kelson and Belmont to Hutt South.

Members of Parliament

Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.

Key

  Labour     NZ First  

Election Winner
1996 election 1999 election 2002 election 2005 election Paul Swain
2008 election 2011 election 2014 election Chris Hipkins

List MPs

Members of Parliament elected from party lists in elections where that person also unsuccessfully contested the Rimutaka electorate. Unless otherwise stated, all MPs terms began and ended at general elections.

Election Winner
1996 election Peter McCardle1

1 McCardle was the National MP for Heretaunga from 1990 to 1996

Election results

2014 election

General election 2014: Rimutaka[3]

Notes: Green background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member.
A Green tick or Red X denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
Labour Green tick Chris Hipkins 19,286 52.51 +2.25 12,176 32.73 -0.16
National Lewis Holden 12,622 34.36 -6.27 15,352 41.28 -3.16
NZ First Aaron Hunt 1,785 4.86 +4.86 3,806 10.23 +6.21
Green Susanne Ruthven 1,727 4.70 -1.12 3,422 9.90 -1.41
Conservative Philip Michael Lynch 973 2.65 +2.65 955 4.01 +1.25
ACT   126 0.34 -0.34
United Future   122 0.33 -0.66
Māori   149 0.40 -0.15
Legalise Cannabis   194 0.52 +0.05
Internet Mana   324 0.87 +0.64
Democrats   14 0.04 +0.00
Civilian   19 0.05
Ban 1080   84 0.23
Independent Coalition   19 0.05
Informal votes 241 159
Total Valid votes 36,393 37,194
Labour hold Majority 6,664 18.14 +8.52

Electorate (as at 20 September 2014): 46,526[4]

2011 election

General election 2011: Rimutaka[5]

Notes: Green background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member.
A Green tick or Red X denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
Labour Green tick Chris Hipkins 17,171 51.58 12.31 11,375 33.13 -8.18
National Jonathan Fletcher 13,885 41.71 +4.60 15,364 44.75 +4.10
Green Tane Woodley 1,990 5.98 +0.96 3,422 9.97 +4.04
ACT Alwyn Courtenay 241 0.72 -0.57 235 0.68 -1.87
NZ First   2,148 6.26 +2.17
Conservative   955 2.78 +2.78
United Future   340 0.99 -0.41
Māori   190 0.55 -0.18
Legalise Cannabis   164 0.48 +0.13
Mana   80 0.23 +0.23
Libertarianz   28 0.08 +0.04
Alliance   20 0.06 -0.02
Democrats   12 0.03 +0.01
Informal votes 879 240
Total Valid votes 33,287 34,333
Labour hold Majority 3,286 9.87 +7.72

Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 44,403[4]

2008 election

General election 2008: Rimutaka[6]

Notes: Green background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member.
A Green tick or Red X denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
Labour Chris Hipkins 13,735 39.27 14,685 41.31
National Richard Whiteside 12,982 37.12 14,452 40.65
NZ First Ron Mark 5,257 15.03 1,453 4.09
Green Lynette Vigrass 1,755 5.02 2,107 5.93
United Future Jenni Hurn 522 1.49 499 1.40
ACT Nigel Kearney 453 1.30 909 2.56
Progressive John Maurice 272 0.78 345 0.97
Māori   260 0.73
Bill and Ben   255 0.72
Kiwi   242 0.68
Legalise Cannabis   122 0.34
Family Party   85 0.24
Pacific   57 0.16
Alliance   28 0.08
Workers Party   18 0.05
Libertarianz   13 0.04
Democrats   8 0.02
RONZ   7 0.02
RAM   4 0.01
Informal votes 297 126
Total Valid votes 34,976 35,549
Labour hold Majority 753 2.15


2005 election

General election 2005: Rimutaka[7]

Notes: Green background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member.
A Green tick or Red X denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
Labour Green tick Paul Swain 18,681 54.74 -4.67 16,558 47.80
National Mike Leddy 10,404 30.49 +11.18 11,791 34.04
United Future Bernard McLelland 1777 5.21 1615 4.66
Green Michael Morris 1243 3.64 1446 4.17
NZ First David Fowler 1094 3.21 1736 5.01
style="background-color: style="background:#DDDDDD; width:{{{2}}}px"| Independent Dave Reynolds 549 1.61
ACT John Waugh 380 1.11 414 1.20
Legalise Cannabis   691 1.99
Progressive   451 1.30
Destiny   197 0.57
Māori   181 0.52
Christian Heritage   54 0.16
Alliance   28 0.08
Libertarianz   19 0.05
99 MP   14 0.04
Democrats   10 0.03
Family Rights   9 0.03
One NZ   8 0.02
Direct Democracy   6 0.02
RONZ   2 0.01
Informal votes 353 145
Total Valid votes 34,128 34,640
Labour hold Majority 8277 24.25 -16.10

2002 election

General election 2002: Rimutaka[8]

Notes: Green background denotes the winner of the electorate vote.
Pink background denotes a candidate elected from their party list.
Yellow background denotes an electorate win by a list member.
A Green tick or Red X denotes status of any incumbent, win or lose respectively.

Party Candidate Votes % ±% Party Votes % ±%
Labour Green tick Paul Swain 18,688 14,856
National Mike Leddy 6,073 5,387
United Future Wayne Chapman 1,957 2,933
Green Russel Norman 1,267 1,683
ACT Nick Kearney 1,168 2,004
style="background-color: style="background:#DDDDDD; width:{{{2}}}px"| Independent Nick Kelly 376
NZ First   2,641
Legalise Cannabis   179
Alliance   28 0.08
Informal votes 404 146
Total Valid votes 31,861 32,079
Labour hold Majority

References

  1. ↑ New Zealand Parliament - Chris Hipkinsn MP
  2. ↑ "Labour stronghold shapes up as a battleground". stuff.co.nz. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Enrolment statistics". Electoral Commission. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  5. ↑ 2011 election results
  6. ↑ 2008 election results
  7. ↑ election result Rimutaka 2005
  8. ↑ election result Rimutaka 2002

External links