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Selwyn (New Zealand electorate)

Selwyn is a current electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives, composed of towns on the outskirts of Christchurch city. The electorate was first formed for the 1866 election and has been abolished three times during its history. It was last re-established for the 2008 election and has been held by Nicola Grigg for the National Party since the 2020 election.

Region and population centres

The electorate is mainly rural, stretching from the Southern Alps to the Banks Peninsula, its borders broadly defined by the Rakaia River in the south and the Waimakariri River in the north. Major towns include Rolleston, Lincoln, Prebbleton, and Darfield, with smaller towns such as Tai Tapu, Leeston and Dunsandel. The electorate also includes parts of Christchurch city's territorial authority.

History

Existence and changes to area

An electorate called Selwyn existed between 1866 and 1919. A Selwyn electorate also existed between 1946 and 1972 and again from 1978 until it was absorbed by Rakaia for the first MMP election in 1996.[1] The latest version of the Selwyn electorate was created for the 2008 election. This followed a review of electoral boundaries conducted after the 2006 Census, because of a general northwards population movement in the South Island. 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 further northwards.

Due to the rapid growth of Selwyn relative to Christchurch (which lost population after the earthquakes), the 2013 redistribution had Selwyn losing Halswell and Westmorland to Port Hills and Harewood to Waimakariri while regaining the towns of Rakaia and Chertsey back from Rangitata.[2] Data from the 2018 census showed Selywn's population had continued to grow – it had the largest discrepancy of any electorate – and so the electorate would need to lose further area for the 2020 boundaries.[3] It shed an area around Hornby South to Wigram, the Banks Peninsula to the recreated Banks Peninsula, the area west of the Rakaia to Rangitata, and an area around Christchurch Airport to Ilam.[4]

Voting history

Edward Stevens was the electorate's first representative in 1866; he was returned elected unopposed.[5]

The dominant topic for the 1875 election was the abolition of the Provinces. William Reeves, the incumbent, favoured the retention of the provincial system of government, while his opponent, Cecil Fitzroy, was an abolitionist. Fitzroy, who was 31 years old and 20 years Reeves' junior, narrowly won the election.[6][7] Edward Lee acted as returning officer for the election.[8]

In the 1879 election, John Hall was returned unopposed.[9] In the 1881 election, Hall beat R. Lockhead by 467 to 169 votes.[10][11]

In the 1890 election, Alfred Saunders, Thomas Hamilton Anson, and William Jerrington Popple received 536, 485 and 237 votes, respectively.[12]

The electorate is one of the National Party's safest seats. National have held the seat, whenever it has existed since it was first recreated in 1946. In 2011, the candidate for the other major New Zealand party, Labour, received less than 11% of the electoral vote and came third, behind the Greens in the 2011 election. In that election, the only polling booths where Adams didn't receive the most votes were Arthur's Pass and Diamond Harbour.

Members of Parliament

Key:

  Independent  Conservative  Reform  Liberal  National  Green

List MPs

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

Election results

2023 election

2020 election

2017 election

2014 election

2011 election

Electorate (as at 26 November 2011): 46,937[18]

2008 election

1994 by-election

A by-election was held following the resignation of Ruth Richardson.[20]

1993 election

1990 election

1987 election

1984 election

1981 election

1978 election

1966 election

1963 election

1960 election

1957 election

1954 election

1951 election

1949 election

1946 election

1899 election

1896 election

1890 election

1884 by-election

1883 by-election

1875 election

Notes

  1. ^ 2017 Internet Party swing is relative to the votes for Internet-Mana in 2014; it shared a party list with Mana Party in the 2014 election
  2. ^ 2017 Mana Party swing is relative to the votes for Internet-Mana in 2014; it shared a party list with the Internet Party in the 2014 election

Notes

  1. ^ McRobie 1989, pp. 91–96.
  2. ^ Report of the Representation Commission 2014 (PDF). Representation Commission. 4 April 2014. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-477-10414-2. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  3. ^ Cooke, Henry (23 September 2019). "Census 2018: New Zealand to gain one new seat in 2020 election". Stuff. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Report of the Representation Commission 2020" (PDF). 17 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Election Intelligence". North Otago Times. Vol. VI, no. 107. 8 March 1866. p. 2. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Mr. C. A. Fitzroy at Doyleston". The Press. Vol. XXIV, no. 3218. 23 December 1875. p. 2. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Selwyn Poll". The Press. Vol. XXIV, no. 3224. 31 December 1875. p. 2. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Election Notices". The Press. Vol. XXIV, no. 3212. 16 December 1875. p. 4. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Selwyn nomination". Star. No. 3553. 30 August 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  10. ^ "The General Election". Otago Daily Times. No. 6190. 10 December 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  11. ^ "The General Elections". The Star. No. 4249. 3 December 1881. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  12. ^ "Election Notices". The Press. Vol. XLVII, no. 7731. 10 December 1890. p. 1. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  13. ^ "Selwyn – Official Result". Electoral Commission. 16 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Selwyn – Official Result". New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Official Count Results – Selwyn". Wellington: New Zealand Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  16. ^ "2014 election results". Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  17. ^ "2011 election results". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  18. ^ "Enrolment statistics". Electoral Commission. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  19. ^ "Official Count Results – Selwyn". Electoral Commission. 22 November 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Part XIV – Selwyn By-election" (PDF). Electoral Commission. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  21. ^ Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1993. pp. 98–9, 162.
  22. ^ Part 1: Votes recorded at each polling place (Technical report). New Zealand Chief Electoral Office. 1990. pp. 102–3, 167.
  23. ^ a b c d Norton 1988, pp. 347.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h Norton 1988, pp. 346.
  25. ^ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
  26. ^ "Untitled". The Press. Vol. LVI, no. 10516. 30 November 1899. p. 8. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  27. ^ "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  28. ^ "Selwyn Election". The Press. Vol. XL, no. 5755. 28 February 1884. p. 3. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  29. ^ "Selwyn Election". New Zealand Times. 20 April 1883.
  30. ^ "Selwyn Election". New Zealand Mail. 14 April 1883.
  31. ^ "The Result of the Selwyn Election". New Zealand Times. 20 April 1883.

References

External links